Born Friday, June 19, 1923 in Collin County TX, to John Robert Welsh and Clara Ethel (Rodgers) Welsh. She had one younger sibling, Peggy Jane, born Jul 23, 1925 in McKinney Collin County, TX.Velma was known to immediate and extended family as “Sissy”; to her friends and co-workers as either “Velma” or “Velma Lou”; to her children as “Mom” and “Mother”; and to her grandchildren, great grandchildren (and their friends) as “Nana”. Velma and her sister spent their toddler years in the McKinney, TX area, often on their grandparents’ (Robert and Mary “Minnie” Welsh) farm near Altoga, Tx. Velma’s dad would often lift her and her sister on the back of the farm’s old draft horse (Ol’ Jack) for a ride around the barn yard. Upon the death of her grandfather, Robert Gibson Welsh, and the subsequent sale of the family farm, Velma’s father worked on milk farms in both south McKinney, TX and Carrolton, TX. Because of difficulties with his hands and the milking process (due to driving ammunition wagons during WWI), John moved the family to Sherman, TX in approximately 1929 where he obtained a job as a general laborer with the Texas Nursery. They first moved into a rental house on Montgomery Ave (within a block of the Pool’s Manufacturing facility where Velma Lou and her mother worked many years later). They lived on Montgomery for just a few months before moving into a second rental house on South First Street where they lived for approximately two years (according to her sister’s memory). It was while living here that Velma started first grade at Crocket Elementary School at the age of seven. Velma and her sister’s vivid memory while living on S. First St. included a train disaster occurring near the home. South First St. was next to, and paralleled a busy train track behind and west of the house. They remembered a train engine (coal/steam engine) catching fire on the tracks near the house and watching the train engineer detaching the burning engine and moving the engine away from the remaining wood-framed boxcars. Their memory included the overwhelming odor caused by the fire and burning coal.
The family later moved to a third rental house at 213 East Wilson located near and owned by the Texas Nursery. Following this move, Velma began attending Washington Elementary School on Travis St. She attended Sherman High where she graduated in 1941 at the age of 18. (Note: At that time, there was no Junior High or Middle school and only eleven total years of schooling before graduating from high school.) Records indicate Velma was an outstanding student and joined the National Honor Society while in high school. Her favorite subjects in high school included English, ancient and medieval historical themes, etc. Her least favorite subjects included math. In fact, her sister, Peggy Jane, later jokingly recounted that because of Velma’s dislike for math, she would often accomplish Peggy’s English homework papers while Peggy would do Velma’s math homework. Velma was a member of the High School’s Drum and Bugle Corps, at least for a short time, and carried a brass bugle bought for her by her parents. She later laughed that she didn’t know how to play the bugle, but she sure “looked good carrying it” while performing in formation at high school football games, etc. Velma was raised in the Baptist faith and her family attended the Forest Avenue Baptist Church from their arrival in Sherman until her marriage. Velma’s recollections of her young childhood included memories of her mother’s fastidious house keeping. Velma remembered her and her sister’s weekly Saturday chores of stripping the bed linens and hauling the mattresses into the back yard to cleanse in the sunshine. Bed quilts, hanging from a clothes line, were equally cleaned with repeated beatings with a rug/quilt beater. She also remembers her mother’s insistence for her daughters to take the Saturday dose of a tablespoon of caster oil (for preventive illness measures). She also remembered her mother’s prescription of an “asphedity”(sp?) bag worn on a string worn around the neck when suffering from colds/congestion. The small bag around the neck apparently contained contents such as garlic, onions, etc. designed to provide an aromatic relief to nasal/chest congestion (apparently the pre-remedy to current-day Vick’s Vapor Rub.) After high school, Velma attended Draughon’s Business School in Dallas, TX. While attending school during the week, she stayed during the week with her mother’s youngest sister, Goldie (Aunt “Dude”) and Goldie’s first husband, Joe Hudson. When not studying or attending school, she baby sat for friends/family (which probably included the Hudson’s only child, Billy Joe). Velma recalled coming home to Sherman from school on Sunday, December 7, 1941 when she heard of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Following graduation from Draughon’s Business School, Velma took an administrative job working for the Texas Nursery (where her father worked). Because of the war buildup, she found another administrative job at Perrin Field (now the Grayson County Airport) north of Sherman. While working at Perrin Field in the Spring of 1942, she met Bryant Herman Drury, Jr (known as “Bill” by Velma and her family) where he was stationed in the Army Air Corps. Velma and Bill began dating and he would often visit her at her house on East Wilson in Sherman. Velma stated many years later that her mother stated to her at one time that Bill maybe should not come to the house anymore because she (Clara) was coming to like him “too much” and was apparently uncomfortable that Velma and Bill were getting too close. Perhaps Clara was uncomfortable with the fact that Velma and Bill had known each other such a short time and he was getting ready to deploy overseas for the war. Velma and Bill were married 3 July, 1942 in Durant, OK. (They elected to get married in Oklahoma because there was no waiting period for marriage.) Many years later in 2003, Velma told her son, Johnny, that she wanted to pass along a piece of family history that she did not want him to tell her other children for fear of them thinking less of her. The “secret” she told Johnny was the fact that she and Bill had only known each other for approximately one month before they were married. After getting married, Velma accompanied Bill for part of his training in Meridian, MS; Tampa and St. Petersburg, FL; and Waycross, GA, before he shipped out to the South Pacific. During his absence during the war, she moved back in with her family and continued to work at Linkweiller’s, a men’s clothing store on the Sherman town square and Pool’s Manufacturing Company, a clothing manufacturer on Montgomery Street near the family house. She corresponded with her husband by letter almost every day but the delay in receiving mail from him was sometimes months due to the distance and his “island hopping” in the South Pacific. Velma was able to build a significant savings account during Bill’s absence so that they would have a nice comfortable upon his return. Bill returned from the war in 1945. Velma and Bill moved to Monahans, TX where his family lived at the time. Eager to start a vocation and provide for a beginning family, Bill partnered with his father on an idea of his father’s to enter a business venture backed by Velma’s savings. The venture included a small lumber yard in Monahans. According to Velma, “Lumber wasn’t easy to come by then, and we went to New Mexico to get it.” Bill would drive a truck into New Mexico to obtain lumber while Velma accompanied him. During the Christmas season, the trips would also include bringing Christmas trees back to Monahans for sale. This business venture eventually failed. Velma’s wartime savings account also allowed for the purchase of a small yellow 2-seat Taylor Craft airplane while living in Monahans. In addition to allowing Bill to continue his love of aviation, this aircraft purchase allowed them to make occasional trips to visit Velma’s family in Sherman. Velma and Bill’s first child, Johnny Bryant, was born in Monahans on July 13, 1946. Velma, Bill, Johnny, and their pet cocker spaniels, Jet (and later “Sandy”) would make occasional visits to Velma’s parents in Sherman. Although the aircraft had only two seats, the family would accommodate by placing a suitcase and the dog in the canvas baggage area behind the seats while Johnny would often ride in Velma’s lap in the “copilot seat”. Velma often told the story of one instance when Johnny (as a toddler only learning to walk), reached the aircraft’s instrument panel while Velma was distracted and switched off the engine ignition, causing the aircraft engine to suddenly become quite. His dad quickly recovered by switching the magneto switch back to the “on” position and continuing their trip to visit the family in Sherman. In approximately 1948, following the failure of the lumber business in about 1948, the family moved to Sherman, TX. They lived temporarily with Velma’s parents on Wilson Street before buying their first house on Willow Street, a 2-bedroom frame construction house. Velma was a stay-at-home mom taking care of their son and new puppy, an English bulldog named “Lady”, acquired in 1950. Bill provided for the family as a certified aircraft maintenance instructor at Love Field in Dallas. He commuted to and from work in his Taylor Craft. Having only one car (a 1948 maroon Kaiser), Velma and son would often anticipate Bill’s arrival each afternoon by listening for him to circle the house low overhead. She would run outside the house and wave to indicate she and her son were soon on the way to pick him up at the nearby Sherman Airport. Velma was always very trusting of her husband’s flying skills and expertise. However, she always told how she worried more for him during his commutes to Dallas after he had to make an emergency landing on the then 2-lane Highway 75 on his way home one evening. Velma and Bill’s second child, Kathy Eileen was born at Sherman’s Wilson N. Jones Hospital on May 23, 1950. In late 1952 Velma, Bill, Johnny, and Kathy moved to Garland, TX, a small Dallas suburb community of approximately 1800 residents. The move was caused by Bill’s new employment as a Purchasing Agent with Executive Aircraft Company located at the Dallas-Garland Airport (long since overcome by development on Northwest Highway between Garland Road and Jupiter Road in Northeast Dallas). They bought a newly built, 768 sq. ft, 2-bedroom, brick ranch house at 1917 Devonshire Drive located on a cal de sac at the end of Devonshire. Most of the neighborhood included other young families with children about the same age. While living on Devonshire Drive, Velma remained a stay-at-home mom. Much of her days were spent driving the children to school. She was active in her children’s school activities and presided as the Classroom Mom for Johnny’s 4th and 5th grades at Williams Elementary. While residing on Devonshire Drive, Velma and Bill rounded out their family with the birth of James Michael Drury, born Dec 12, 1952 and. Peggy Ann born Mar 9, 1955 Outgrowing the family’s house on Devonshire, Velma and Bill bought a larger house in Garland at 1322 Lewis Drive during the summer of 1957. This 3-bedroom brick ranch was located in a new sub-division at then the southern edge of Garland. At the time of purchase, the house was only the third built in the addition. (Much undeveloped farmland and empty lots extended to the south.) But fortunately for Velma and the family, the front of the new house faced the entrance (across the street) to the Randolph-Caldwell Elementary School. This was an excellent advantage for her not having to transport her children to school. However, she still had the chore of driving almost every day to downtown Garland to pick up the family’s mail addressed to “General Delivery” since the new house did not yet have normal U.S. Postal Delivery. Being a stay-at-home mom and the close proximity to the school, Velma was very active in her children’s lives at school. Not only being an active member of the PTA, she was constantly being asked to do things at school. She often had to go to school to retrieve Lady, the family pet bulldog. Lady liked going to school with the children. Family vacations while living on Lewis Drive included many camping trips to NW New Mexico, Big Bend National Park in TX, visiting her sister’s family in Rockford, IL and other locations. In the summer of 1963, the family moved to a larger house a few blocks away at 909 McDonald Drive. While at this address, son, Johnny, graduated from both Garland High School and Texas A&M University, entered the Air Force, and married Laura Lee Belville. In August, 1970, Johnny and Laura had a daughter, Kristin Kay, the first grand child of Velma and Bill. During 1971 while Johnny served in Viet Nam, Velma and Bill invited Laura and Kristin to stay with them. Velma and Bill thoroughly enjoyed “spoiling” Kristin during that year. Daughter, Kathy graduated from South Garland High School and Texas Women’s University. Son, Mike, entered the Army and was assigned to Germany. Daughter, Peggy, entered South Garland High School in 1970. On Thursday, 3 June 1973, Bill died of a sudden heart attack while at home. Velma was also at home. He had been sitting on the couch reading a book before both prepared for Peggy’s high school graduation ceremony that evening. Additionally, they were awaiting the arrival of Johnny, Laura, Kris, and their new 5-month old grandson, Gregg, who were driving from Del Rio, TX for the graduation ceremony. Mike returned from Germany for the funeral. Velma took a job in the Credit Department of the Byer-Ronick (later called Resistol Hat Company) factory in 1973, a few months before Bill’s death. This was her first job outside the house since WWII. Her job site happened to be located directly across the street from the residence of her Aunt “Dude”. Velma remained there until 1976. In 1976, Velma accepted a position downtown in the City Hall as the Assistant City Secretary for the City of Garland. (Diane, a friend of Kathy’s, whose husband, Duane, worked for the city, was aware of this newly-created position. Diane, Duane, and Kathy, all had to convince Velma that she could do the job, even though she had doubts since she had been out of the workforce for so long.) As Assistant City Secretary, she worked directly for the City Secretary, Ms. Aleta Watson. On 1 February 1985, Velma assumed the position of City Secretary upon the retirement of Ms. Watson. She remained in that job until her own retirement. In both of these city positions, Velma’s duties included managing the Mayor’s office, drafting mayoral proclamations, taking minutes of City Council Meetings, maintaining custody of all official records (resolutions, ordinances, deeds, contracts, and easements), and issuing solicitor and amusement (pin ball machines, etc.) permits. During a 1985 interview, she told a Garland Daily News reporter, “I enjoy the variety of the job. It changes from day to day…It really is an interesting office.” In 1978, Velma sold her home on McDonald Drive and bought a smaller house from daughter, Kathy, and husband, at 1001 West Avenue F. In addition to downsizing, the move allowed her to be more conveniently located near downtown and the City Hall where she worked. She remained at this residence for the rest of her life. Velma enjoyed good health most of her life, but it began to steadily decline around the year 2000. She suffered from hypertension, slight diabetes, heart disease (had a multi-vein heart bypass surgery in 2002), and Bulous Pemphigoid disease. She was rushed to the hospital in 2006 where she remained for a couple of weeks before returning home. Son, Mike, again rushed her to the hospital the morning of 6 July 2006 where she died of cardiac arrest. Velma was buried next to husband, Bill, at the Ridgeview Cemetery on U.S. Highway 75 in Allen, TX. The ceremony was a graveside service attended by all of her children, several grandchildren, her sister, her Aunt “Dude”, and many other family members and friends. Other notes on Velma Lou (Welsh) Drury: · Her favorite color: Blue · She loved animals and had pets most of her life, even though her mother disliked animals in the house when Velma was young. There are no records of her pets prior to WWII but it can be assumed she had several. However, she had many pets after that period. She and Bill had a black cocker spaniel, “Jet” (m) , circa 1945; a brown cocker spaniel, “Sandy” (f), circa 1946-49; a fawn colored English Bull Dog, “Lady” (f), 1950 to 1963; a yellow, blue, and white parakeet bird, “Pretty Boy” (m), circa 1957 to 1968; a black Kerry Blue Terrier, “Duffy” (m), circa 1962 to 1973; and a fawn colored Great Dane, “Thor” (m) 1965-1973. After moving to 1001 Avenue F, she continued to enjoy pets in her life. She had a black Toy Poodle, “Doo Dad” (m), circa 1971 to 1976 (he originally belonged to Johnny and Laura but came to live with Velma and Bill when Laura and Kristin lived in the house during Johnny’s Viet Nam Tour); a light brown cocker spaniel, “Buffy” (f), circa 1991 to 1999 (she also originally belonged to Johnny and Laura but Velma agreed to keep her when they were assigned to Guam which had a rigorous 6-month rabies quarantine law); a light brown Shepard mix, “Butter” (m), circa 2000 to 2007 (he originally belonged to Mike, but “Butter” adopted Velma and acted to protect her during her final years. In fact, when Velma fell one day and could not get up, she managed to call grand-daughter-in-law, Misty. Misty arrived to find “Butter” aggressively protecting Velma lying on the floor). Velma much enjoyed all of the wildlife around her home with its mature pecan trees on Avenue F. She continuously monitored the squirrels, doves, and other wildlife in her back yard. She often grieved at seeing a single dove that had lost a mate. In about 1997, she befriended an adolescent squirrel while sitting on the back porch of her house. She named the squirrel “Baby” and would spend many hours sitting quietly on the porch steps and hand-feeding “Baby” with pecans and peanuts. She was very upset finding “Baby” one day lying in the street near the house apparently run over by an automobile. Velma’s final years also included attending to any stray cat that might come near the house. There were many cats that she named and fed, but too many to list here. Perhaps because of her years as the Garland City Secretary, Velma never forgot the employees of Garland. While living on “F” Avenue, she often prepared large amounts of dinners and delivered the food to a nearby Garland Fire Department in downtown Garland. Her neighbors would often experience a large red fire truck with emergency lights flashing drive to her front door to return her cleaned pots and pans. Velma’s interests/hobbies included camping with the family, cooking, sewing and crocheting. In the 1980’s she assisted daughter, Kathy, cooking and selling Pumpkin Rolls for friends during the Thanksgiving/Christmas season. This often entailed cooking over several hundred rolls each season. In later years as Kathy became too busy, Velma continued to prepare these rolls out of her own kitchen on West Ave F. · Velma had two memorable birthday celebrations in the 2000s. On her 80th birthday in 2003, the family held a party at her niece Patricia’s (Patti) house in east Garland. Her sister, sons, daughters, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends gathered. The theme of the party was for everyone to give her scratch-off lottery tickets instead of normal gifts. She received hundreds of tickets (most of which were rubbed off by the many attending children that day). In 2005, the family celebrated her birthday when all came to daughter Kathy’s lake house on Lake Texoma for a surprise reunion. 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