Billy and the Turkey Shoot
A Thanksgiving Story
By Danny Tillman

Forward
By Larry Mixson

In September of 2005 Dad (Morris Mixson) received the following letter from Danny Tillman

Betty holding Janice,
Barbara holding Brenda, 1952

The Mixson, Feaster and Tillman families are old families from the Micanopy and Flemington area in Florida going back to the 1800’s and are related through marriage, most notably, Mary Telula Mixson marrying Jacob Wesley Feaster (see #836). I would imagine that Dad saw Danny at the Feaster-Mixson family reunion that was held that year and most every year since 1937. At the reunion, Danny probably talked to Dad about family, including Dad’s mother Rosalie#842w (my grandmother) and Betty and Billy who also would have been at the reunion.  Dad and Billie, born the same year, were lifelong friends with both getting married in 1950, Dad to my mother Barbara, and Billy to Betty, then the four of them living together the first year of marriage. Both couples having their first children, Billy and Betty having Janice, and Morris and Barbara having Brenda. In the following few years both families would have additional children, Billy and Betty having Karen and Timmy, and Morris and Barbara having Larry (me) and then David. We all then grew up together, with both families often visiting each other, spending birthdays and holidays together and have many fond memories and stories about those times. 

In all those years I had never heard the Turkey Shoot story although there were others like Billy and the frog in his coffee story. It was after Dad died and I was going through a box of cards and letters that I found the envelope with the letter from Danny that I learned of the Turkey Shoot story.

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