My grandfather had always felt like a sturdy tower that I could lean against
or a mighty redwood that offered peaceful shade
from the hot sun.
He was a very tall,
very strong man,
and the years of working hard labor
and hopping trains through The Great Depression
seemed to etch a certain unique dignity
into his persona.
Raising five children on a single pay was never an easy task,
especially in his days,
but he managed
and he got by.
I remember hearing about so many odd jobs he used to work,
like furniture restorer, crane operator, embalmer,
and even more surprising dress upholsterer.
He was a man who would stop at nothing to put food on the table,
and he would do these jobs with his southern wit
and friendly demeanor on full throttle.
An excerpt from a non-fiction piece I wrote about my grandfather; Elby Marcellous Pulliam.
Birth: Jul. 12, 1917
Death: Mar. 12, 1999
Elby Marcellous Pulliam, 81, of Decatur died 1:43 a.m. Friday (March 12, 1999) in Decatur Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Elby was born on July 12, 1917, in Newport, Ark., the son of William and Grace Balch Pulliam. He was a member of the Sunnyside Church of Christ. He formerly owned and operated the Quality Furniture Store in Decatur. He married Roberta Sutherland on Nov. 23, 1947, in Newport, Ark.
Surviving are his wife; sons, Lee Pulliam and wife Diane of Oklahoma City, Okla.; Elby Pulliam Jr. and wife Jo of Smyrna, Ga.; Danny Pulliam and wife Pat of Dalton City; Gary Pulliam of Springfield; daughter, Sandi Pulliam of Decatur; son, Roger Pulliam of Decatur; sister, Joyce Williams of Boliver, Tenn.; 11 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, one sister and one brother.
Family links:
Parents:
Grace Balch Pulliam (1894 - 1966)
Spouse:
Roberta Pulliam (1928 - 2013)