Barbara's November 7th letter was the last one before her and Morris were married, which after being delayed several times finally happened on Friday, December 1st, 1950.  Barbara’s father wanted them to be married at the Youth for Christ building in Ocala, but Barbara didn’t want that so her father, Rev. Fred Junior married them at their house in Ocala.  Her mother took Barbara to the big city of Orlando to shop for a wedding dress where they found a white wool, high collar dress with gold beads on the front and a full skirt. 

 

It was a small wedding, Sue was her matron of honor, their friend Charlie Pardee was the best man.  A friend of her parents from the Youth for Christ played the piano and his wife sang a couple of songs.  Barbara school friend, Barbara Duff, her Uncle Bart from Michigan, and Morris’s parents were all there. Her mother baked a wedding cake and made punch.     

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Right before the ceremony, Barbara said she “got cold feet at the last minute. Everyone was there in the living room waiting for me to come out from the bedroom where I was with mom and Sue. All of a sudden my legs wouldn't hold me up. I got so scared I couldn't walk. After a little talk from Mom and Sue I made it out.”   

 

Her father performed the ceremony and her and Morris kissed for the first time as newlyweds.  They had short reception, cut the cake and drank punch.  With the wedding over, her and Morris drove to Gainesville where they stayed the night in one of the little cabins of the Bambi Hotel on south Highway 441.    

 

Barbara remembers, “It was a very cold night, and I can still remember the wonderful feeling of getting into bed with Morris and snuggling up and getting warm. I have never liked sleeping by myself and after Sue got married and left, I hated sleeping by myself. It was a wonderful wedding night. Morris was a wonderful husband.”  

 

They could not afford a place of their own but fortunately Betty and Billy had a spare bedroom and so Barbara and Morris moved in with them.  Morris had loaded the car with all of Barbara’s clothes, the wedding presents, and her mother had given them sheets, blankets, towels and a few other household items.  Fortunately, Betty and Billy had been in their house for a few months and had everything else they needed, so they did just fine.  

 

Betty was working at McCrorys department store downtown at the time so she took Barbara there Saturday afternoon (the day after the wedding) to see about getting a job.  They hired Barbara and she started the next Monday.  Barbara said, “What a short honeymoon. I started to work for $18 a week and I thought I was rich after working for daddy for $10. I can still remember the first dress I bought with my own money at Jays Dress Shop.”  

 

Barbara and Morris were married for 63 years when Barbara died.  Morris lived another seven years without her, but she was always in his thoughts.  I remember visiting him after mom and died and being wakened in the middle of the night by dad calling her name in some dream he was having.  Although in death did they part, in heaven they were joined again.

Larry Morris Mixson
March 2021