The Tiffees- A Memorial

I just now logged on to "Craigs" Journal and read where Ellen Tiffee had died and I of course remembered that it was only a few days ago that I had read in the "Journal" that her husband Harlan had died.. I know that it is not all that uncommon for that to happen; that is for a husband or wife to die soon after the other has passed, but it always touches me when it does happen. I am reminded of when my friend Alton Manifold’s wife died and then a few days later Alton was gone also. Alton worked for the Tulsa World and had an office which had a "Boulder Street" window. I worked across the street in Williams Tower I. Nearly everyday Alton would holler at me out of his window when he would see me heading down the street towards "Coney Island" for lunch. Alton and I grew up across the street from each other there in Heavener and I would go to his house to "borrow" their phone since we didn’t have one at our house back then. Alton’s mother, Bonita, would always tell me "sure you can borrow the phone, just be sure and bring it back when your done". But anyways, back to my story. Just a few days before I learned that Harlan Tiffee had died, my other brother (I’ll write more about that later) Dick Perry and I were out "grave hunting" up by Howe and we happened to drive by where Harlan Tiffee and Ellen’s parents the Crawfords used to live. I told Dick then that I was familiar with that area because I had visited there back when I used to work with Harlan down at Olive Brothers in Heavener back in the "60’s". Harlan had been Buck and Clyde’s "Head Clerk" back in those days and pretty much ran the place when the "Brothers" and their wives were not around. The Crawfords would always come to the store on Saturdays and buy their grocery needs and get feed for the chickens and cattle that they raised. Ellen and Harlan Jr. Often came with them so I got to know the whole family. They were all good people and Harlan in particular was your typical "Good, honest, hard working man". I had pretty much lost touch with the Tiffee’s since I moved away. I wondered how come they left the farm and stuff like that but I’m sure they maintained their good natured, God fearing style of living all the rest of their days and this old world is a better place because of folks like the Tiffees.