THE VILLAGE TIMES
Independence Village of Olde Raleigh
Resident Newsletter
Ron Tatum
By Pat Simpson
Meet Ron Tatum – who has been a resident here for ten months. Ron comes to us from Lawndale Manor Assisted Living in Garner, N.C. after receiving rehabilitation therapy services for Parkinson’s Disease, which he has lived with for a number of years, Ron has retired from Goodyear Manufacturing in Fayetteville, N.C after 38 years as a mechanical engineer for Goodyear Manufacturing in Fayetteville, N.C.
“They used to call me Ronnie.” says Ron, “When I was only sixyears old, I put a windshield washer back together and made it work again! To this day I’ve been known for being good at putting things together.
“I was born in 1947 and grew up in Hopewell, Virginia. My fraternal twin brother, Don Tatum, died at age 64. I was a little large for my age: bullies wouldn’t mess with me and my friends when we were playing in the sandbox. I was fortunate to have a good home life, stay out of trouble, and have good parents. (Sadly, my parents, too, have now passed away.)
“When I was but 16, while on a church trip, I met 15-year-old Carol ‘Scotti’ Westerman from Alexandria, Virginia, the love of my life. We kept in touch, even after she graduated high school and attended Anderson College in South Carolina to get her Associate’s Degree. We were married on Christmas Eve of 1967, after which Scotti worked while I finished my engineering degree at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
“I’ll never forget my favorite High School teacher, the worried Mrs. Phillips, who had given me such good advice: ‘Apply to Bluefield College,’ she said, ‘as well as your favorite, Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute). That way you will get in somewhere.’ I did, they both took me, but I went to Virginia Tech.
“Following my graduation in 1969¸we lived in Maryland for a short time and then on to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where we spent the next almost forty years building our home, family, and community. We had two wonderful children along the way: Rob Tatum (who lives in Raleigh) and Lucy Austin (from Fayetteville). My premature son, Tyler Furman, died shortly after birth.
“Scotti devoted herself to our family. We were partners together in everything, including supporting Rob and Lucy in their interests and activities as well as vacationing with family every summer during “beach week” at Holden Beach, often with her extended family.;
“How well I remember the forty years of summer vacations with my family at Holden Beach, nationally recognized as one of the premier “Family Beaches” in the United States. It was a great place to “get away from it all” and enjoy clean water, blue skies and lots of family fun.”
“Scotti was an exemplary volunteer in the community, always looking for an opportunity to serve. She volunteered in her children’s schools, not only as a leader in the PTA and band boosters, but also in less visible ways, working with students who needed help learning to read or starting new programs to help kids have a special experience. She was also a very active member of the Junior League of Fayetteville, where she served as President in 1993-94.
An avid cross-stitcher, Scotti also enjoyed baking, including Christmas cookies and fudge. When we lived in Fayetteville, we would host a Christmas open house each year and decorate the house from corner to corner. Our door was always open for
friends and family to stop by.
As strong believers in Christ we were involved members of Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville for forty years. Scotti and I taught the 11th Grade Sunday School class, chaperoned youth trips, sang in the choir, and participated in numerous other programs and activities at the church, spending almost every Sunday and Wednesday (and often other days of the week!) at church. We particularly enjoyed being a part of the Singing Christmas Tree each year.
The day came for my retirement, after which we moved to Raleigh to be closer to our children and grandchildren. Right away we joined Hayes Barton Baptist Church, where we sang in the choir, helped organize music for the music library, and joined the Koinonia Sunday School class. To this day, our daughter Lucy’s family has been involved with Hayes Barton Baptist Church.
From the choir, orchestra, deacons, Sunday School class and committees, my son’s family is equally as active at a church in Garner where he occasionally preaches.
“Scotti also participated in a women’s bible study on Tuesday mornings. Sadly, Scotti passed away barely a year ago, on April 3 2024; she was 75. We would have been married 58 years ago this coming Christmas.”
The Last Steak Dinner
– by Frank Howes
The woman poured wine into a plastic cup. “Dinner time!” she chimed.
The man, redolent of soap and baby powder, stumbled to the table. She smiled briefly.
His eyes lit up when he saw steak and fries on paper plates. She began cutting the food with a plastic knife. He watched eagerly as she spooned the food.
A voice called out, “OK Mom, everything is on the truck except the table and chairs.” Mother and son, tears in their eyes, heard the man mumble, “Who are you?”
Baby Bear
– by Frank Howes
Baby bear was wandering the side of the mountain near a place where many humans were eating and playing. Mama bear was nearby. She kept pushing baby bear away from the people. But baby bear wouldn’t listen. He’d never seen humans before, and he didn’t understand why
mama seemed a little frightened.
Baby bear saw the humans pointing at him and wondered what the excitement was all about. They seemed to be waving at him.
Then baby bear smelled a delicious fragrance. The smell was of fresh fish from the nearby stream. Baby bear decided to go down to the humans and investigate, “I’d like a nice fish” thought baby bear.
Mama bear grunted, “No, stay away from the humans. We’ll go down tonight when they’re asleep.”
But baby bear was hungry; his stomach growled at the smell of the fish. So baby bear ignored mama bear and went down the side of the mountain to the clearing where the humans were gathered. Mama bear followed, rumbling at baby bear to come back.
When baby bear got near the humans they shied away as if they were scared of him. Baby bear thought, “They must think I’m ferocious like mama is sometimes.” He was proud. He didn’t know mama was right behind him.
Then baby bear discovered the source of the fish scent. It was coming from a pan on the fire in the human’s 
camp. Baby bear had no experience with fire so he just walked right up to the pan to get a fish. Mama snarled, “Come back baby bear.”
But baby bear didn’t listen. He didn’t understand that the grease was hot. Baby bear got close to the fire and reached into the pan for a fish.
“Ow, ow, ow!” The grease burned his nose.
He yelled and mama growled and baby clambered up the side of the mountain with mama roaring close behind. Never again would baby bear do something mama told him not to do.
Yes, You Have a Story
–by Phyllis Woolley
Are there ever times when you wonder why you’re still here? I sure do! I don’t mean here at IVOR. I mean still on earth. All of us have a story, and none of our stories are the same. There might be similarities, but like each of us, all of our stories are completely different. We traveled many roads, made many decisions that took our lives in good and bad directions. All different.
Some of us were mothers and fathers. Some weren’t. Many of us raised our children together with our spouses. Some raised our children alone. Some of us had no children, by choice or predetermination.
Many of us furthered our formal education after High School. Many didn’t. Some of us didn’t make it through High School due to illness, family or personal obligation, and in many situations, by choice.
Some of us began working outside the home as teenagers, or even at a younger age. Some never worked outside the home.
Some of us had professions and long careers. Some of us were doctors, lawyers, teachers, restaurant workers, ditch diggers, farmers and had various other means of supporting ourselves, and or our family. Others assisted our life partners with moral support.
No matter what road we traveled, or what directions we took, we are all an important piece of a gigantic puzzle. Each of us have our place in the puzzle. We may not feel we fit, and sometimes we feel as if we don’t belong, but there
is always a place for us in the beautiful picture called life. There is always someone who loves us, or whom we love.
Never minimize your 
importance. Never think your story doesn’t matter. I assure you it does. You don’t have to be a writer to write your story. What you have done with your life matters. The things you say, matter, maybe to someone you will never know.
Take the time to write down your story. You don’t need a computer. Just paper and pen or pencil. Don’t worry about the grammar or sentence structure. There is someone who needs to hear your story. Your story could be the most important story someone else reads today, or tomorrow.
P.S. Note
Attend Bingo event
Help with Bingo program
Pay for your card with nickels
You’re invited to join the Bingo program every Monday through Sunday evening at 6:00 P.M., with a reminder to bring nickels as the cost is ©.95 per card, and to check with Lilly J, Donna, Gary B, and Mary, or Phyllis Woolley for opportunities to help with the program.– Phyllis
Hiking down the Mount of Olives
(in the footsteps of Jesus)
by Pat Simpson
My wife Betsy and I were married in 2005 and went on our honeymoon with a Christian tour group to Israel. As part of the tour, we followed the footsteps of Jesus down the Mount of Olives,
Recently, on Good Friday, I remembered the hike and events that led to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The events started as He rode a donkey down the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem to the cheers of so many.
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. The western slopes of the mount, those facing Jerusalem, have been used as a Jewish cemetery for over 3,000 years and holds approximately 150,000 graves. From Biblical times until the present, Jews have been buried on the Mount of Olives.
The Mount of Olives was the place of many Biblical events and a prominent place in the prophesied events of the last days. Several key events in the life of Jesus, as related in the Gospels, took place on the Mount of Olives, and in the Acts of the Apostles it is described as the place from which Jesus ascended to heaven. Because of its association with both Jesus and 
Mary, the mount has been a site of Christian worship since ancient times and is today a major site of pilgrimage.
The Mount of Olives was definitely our most unforgettable hike.