Post by TheShadow on Nov 23, 2005 23:58:19 GMT -5
----- Original Message -----
From: <johnny_dye@yahoo.com>
Newsgroups: alt.sports.football.pro.oak-raiders
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 10:01 PM
Subject: Barbara was a Raider Fan
She was born in 1942, just 5 days before Christmas, in a sleepy little
cow town in California called Bakersfield. Her parents, migrant farm
workers from the Texas panhandle, had migrated west when her mother
needed to get out west for health reasons.
Soon after her birth her parents settled into northern Calif in the
Sacramento delta area called Walnut Grove.
There she grew up during the fifties, a regular rock and roll girl of
her era. Happiness was crusing on friday and saturday nights, loud
music, and boys.
In the sixties she settled down and married, having 2 kids - a
daughter and then a son, but at the end of the decade she was left
divorced and alone with 2 small kids to raise on her own,
Barbara was a hard working woman, working double shifts at a local
diner to put food on the table and a roof over her children's heads.
She cried some times and was lonely and sad often, but always had a
smile and a hug for her kids.
In 1971 Barbara married the love of her life, a Sacramento police
officer named Bill. Bill was a very good and quiet man, and loved her
terribly. In 1972 they had their only daughter together.
During this time Bill and Barbara discovered a favorite sunday pastime
- NFL football.
Being from Northern Calif. naturally one would become a fan of a local
team. As it happened Bill had a running bet against a fellow officer
against every team the 49ers played. Every time the niners lost Bill
would win $2.00, so naturally Bill had the best of that deal all
through the seventies. During this time both Bill and Barbara became
loyal Raider fans.
Every sunday you could count on watching the game at Barbara's house.
All were welcome and this love grew upon the children of the household.
Even during the exodus to Los Angeles Barbara never gave up rooting for
her Raiders, and had plenty to say whenever they lost.
And when they returned to Oakland Barbara knew it was the best thing Al
Davis could do for the fans and the team.
In 2003 Barbara and her husband, all 3 children and their spouses, and
7 granschildren all came out to Oakland for a heated rivalry game
against the Denver Broncos. The weather was wet and cold, the team
record was crap, the Raiders were using their 3rd string QB, and the
final score left the Raiders with yet another loss for that season.
Yet Barbara was happy and excited just to finally be a part of the
Raider Nation she loved so much.
Today Barbara passed out of this world into glory, exactly 43 years to
the day I was born. She fought a good fight against the cancer and I
would never say she lost that battle. Her spirit was that of a Raider
- never willing to quit, never willing to die, fighting against all
odds until the last.
Thank you mom for my life, for 43 years of your love, and our shared
love of Raider football. You will always be in my thoughts and dreams.
Love,
JD