Donald "Jimmy" Eugene Renfrow|
Donald "Jimmy" Eugene Renfrow
Jimmy was born Nov 8, 1927, and died June 22, 2017. He married Elizabeth Anna “Isabel” Gorski on Feb. 23, 1952. |
| Jimmy's child with Elizabeth Anna “Isabel” Gorski |
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Donna Jean Renfrow Burns |
Graydon, J.G., Rachel, Gilda and Jimmy. Family archives |
Donald Eugene “Jimmy” Renfrow, George Branch, is the oldest child of Graydon and Rachel.
Celia Rachel Stancil married James Graydon Renfrow on December 8, 1926. They were married in Selma by a Presbyterian Minister, Rev. A. M. Mitchell. At this time, Graydon was already a member of Spring Hill Presbyterian Church.
Donald Eugene was delivered by a midwife on November 8, 1927, in Lucama, Wilson County, NC. Graydon gave Donald Eugene the nickname, “Jimmy,” claiming Donald Eugene was too hard for a little boy to say! Jimmy was also given another nickname, George Thomas, by his great uncle, Harvey Stancil.
Jimmy’s very favorite Christmas gift was a tricycle.
Jimmy started school in Buckhorn in 1933, attending first and second grades. In 1936, the family moved to the Peacock Place in Kenly, and he went to school in Kenly. Jimmy watched his brother J.G., who was less than a year old, while his mama picked cotton for extra money. He was placed in a basket. Jimmy attended first and second grades in Buckhorn and third grade in Kenly. Then the family returned to Buckhorn.
In 1937, Graydon moved the family back to Lucama. Jimmy was a good worker. An early responsibility was plowing. He was handy with all farm chores, and his pa depended on him. When Jimmy was 10 years old, he caught his first fish off the bank of Little River, near Smithfield. Rachel fried it just for him.
Jimmy continued to enjoy fishing throughout his life. Rachel taught Jimmy to milk when he was 12, and this became his job until he left home, and then J.G. took over.
As soon as Jimmy was big enough, he began plowing with the mules. He recalled picking cotton and fighting boll weevil, bent on devouring it. Farm work was hard and never-ending. There was always plenty to eat.
Jimmy began smoking like many young men his age, a habit he found hard to break.
Jimmy attended 8th and 9th grades at Rock Ridge. School was not enticing to Jimmy. He quit after ninth grade. When he turned 18 in November, he started looking at other opportunities. Rachel approved. Jimmy went for his military physical but failed because of his eyesight.
In January 1946, he was drafted; he passed the second physical, enlisted immediately, and was sent to Fort Bragg. He joined the Army Air Corp. Jimmy transferred from the Army to the US Air Force in 1947 when it was officially created. He completed his high school education in service. Jimmy was stationed at Scott Air Force Base in IL.
At first, he was being trained to be a teletype operator. Then the Air Force asked for volunteers to attend cooking school. Jimmy raised his hand. He was trained to cook and sent to the Westover officer’s mess. He was ordered to make the salad, he cut up the heads of lettuce into wedges and had tomato wedges too. An Army doctor had the party, Jimmy made a salad and then saw a worm in it! He discreetly removed it. According to Jimmy, the most important Army Motto is this: “Army operates on its stomach; if you don’t have your food, you don’t have your Army!”
Jimmy was sent to Greenland from June through March in the late 1940s. He was told there was a woman behind every tree, but the catch was, there were no trees. Jimmy returned to the USA aboard the SS103, a refrigeration ship. There were Army troops on board.
In 1948, Jimmy bought his first car, a 1940 Dodge for $800. Gasoline was 19 cents per gallon.
In 1951, Jimmy was stationed at Westbury, NY. He went to ‘Paradise,’ a glorified beer joint, with a sergeant and his date. There were no girls. The owner told him, “Come back tomorrow night, we’ll have the girls here.” He did and met Isabel Gorski. They began dating in July 1951. Her parents, Thomas and Anna Gorski, immigrated from Hamburg, Germany, in 1908.
Jimmy bought his first new car in 1952, a green Chevrolet, and he paid $1900 for it. Jimmy thought this was the perfect way to start married life! They were married on February 23, 1952, in the Catholic Chapel at Westover Air Force Base. Isabel’s parents attended.
Throughout their marriage, Isabel attended the Catholic Church, and Jimmy attended the Presbyterian Church.
In 1956, he was at Langley Air Force Base, close to Hampton, VA. Langley is the home of the United States Air Force's 1st Fighter Wing (1 FW) and the 480th Intelligence Wing (480 IW). It also hosts Headquarters for the Air Combat Command (ACC).
While in VA, Jimmy and Isabel lived close enough to visit Josiah cousin, Mozelle Stancil Campbell, daughter of his great-uncle, Josiah Stancil. Jimmy and Isabel lived in nearby Circle Trailer Park. Mozelle’s daughter, JoAnn, recalled their visits and sometimes staying for dinner.
Jimmy and Isabel had a beautiful boxer they doted on. Isabel expressed concern that she wasn’t pregnant. Mozelle said very matter of fact, “If you’ll get rid of that dog, you’ll get pregnant!” Eventually, the dog was gone, and Isabel became pregnant.
Donna Jean was born on February 21, 1958.
Jimmy was ordered to go from VA to Alaska in 1959. This was before Alaska was a state. By this time, daughter Donna was one year old. His tour was 2 years, and only children over two years old could go to Alaska. Isabel and Donna moved into a trailer in her parent’s yard. Jimmy did extra hard duty to reduce his time away to only 18 months. When he returned, it took some time for Donna to adjust to having her dad home.
Jimmy retired in 1966 and then joined the civil service in VA. He worked in the Mess Hall of the Officers Mess at Westover during the Vietnam War and also at the Northampton V.A. Hospital.
Jimmy took a test to get a rating as a chief cook. Jimmy’s best duty station was at Langley. When Jimmy retired, with time in the Air Force and time in civil service, he served 37 years and 2 months. This spanned World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
When Jimmy retired in 1989, he and Isabel moved to Chicopee, MA. Jimmy adopted a cat, Tinkerbelle, after Isabel had a stroke in 1990. For years, Isabel was able to stay at home. Eventually, she entered a convalescing home in Chicopee. Jimmy visited her on most days. They had always had a particularly close and loving relationship.
Jimmy and J.G. were avid Red Sox fans. In the mid-1990s, they visited the Ted Williams Museum in St. Pete, FL. They were fortunate to meet him there. He was their baseball idol.
Isabel died on July 7, 2008. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on July 11, 2008, at the Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Chicopee. Isabel was buried in the Massachusetts Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery, Agawam, MA.
Jimmy lived by himself for a number of years in Chicopee. He spent the last years with his daughter, Donna, in Landon, NH. He attended Stancil Reunions.
In 2016, J.G. and his grandson Thomas Strother visited Jimmy, Donna, and children Alexis and Nicholas in New Hampshire.
Jimmy died at 89 on June 22, 2017, after a brief hospital stay. He had been diagnosed with cancer. He is buried in the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1390 Main St., Agawam, MA.
He was preceded in death by Elizabeth Anna “Isabel,” his wife of 56 years, sister Gilda Gray Renfrow Six, husband Walter, brothers Charles Edward Renfrow and Harold Thomas Renfrow, nephews Mark Walter Six, and Matthew Walter Six.
Jimmy is remembered as a kind and gentle man who was blessed with a warm and affable personality. He was a loving father and grandfather.
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