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| 1969 |
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Jeff was born on December 10, 1969, at Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He was due on December 31, but made an early arrival. I'm sure he couldn't wait to be here for Christmas. He always loved Christmas. Billy was eighteen months old at the time and very exicted about his "little brudder". Bill was working for the Board of Regents and attending night law school. Jeff was such a beautiful baby. He weight 7lbs. 9 oz. when he arrived, but gained fast and was a little chubby fellow with big brown eyes and the sweetest dimpled smile. He began early having colic and allergies, but would laugh through the tears as I medicated him and spend hours in the emergency rooms. |
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| 1971 |
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Jeff's little sister Betsey, Elizabeth Ellen Carlisle, was born on January 30. Jeff was only 13 months old when I brought her home from the hospital. They became life long friends and buddies. People would often ask if they were twins and my answer was "twins, the hard way". Jeff loved to play with both his brother and sister, but when he had only Betsey to play with, he would make her pretend to be a boy named "Packy" to his "Jacky". He and Billy both felt protective toward Betsey, but also made her "fair game" for their pranks.
The year, 1971, also brought great sorrow to our family. First, my husband's brother, Tommy Carlisle, was killed in a freak dynamite truck explosion as he and his wife were innocently standing by. Then two weeks later, my mother was in an automobile accident and died of the injuries a few days later. Both events occurred in June of 1971. |
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| 1980 |
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This was the year that my husband Bill and I went on a cruise to Nassau and he never returned alive. Jeff asked us not to go because he was afraid that something would happen to us and he would never see us again. We laughed it off and assured him we would be back in a week. But he was right, he never saw his Daddy again. On the last day in Nassau, Bill and I and our friends Linda and Tom Albright rented a jeep to tour the island. We rode out to Yamacraw beach where we were ambused by three men wearing ski masks. They shot Bill in the head and wounded me in the arm. Bill died two days later on November 15, 1980. This event began the saddness that Jeff could never erase from his life. |
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| 1992 |
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Billy and Shannon had the first grandchild and began the happiest times of our lives with babies coming into the world. Jeff adored all of the children and Lauren was like a little toy to him. He loved to videotape her and tell her outrageous stories. He was certainly instrumental in her offbeat sense of humor, along with her daddy. Jeff and Lauren had a special bond that made him feel comfortable chastising her as well as loving her. |
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| 1997 |
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On October 29, which happened to be the anniversaryof my marriage to Bill, Jeff and Suzy brought Miss Abigail Margaret Carlisle into the world, kicking and screaming. She was a beautiful baby and looked just like her daddy, with one exception, she had blue eyes. Both Jeff and Suzy had brown eyes, so we have decided that they had to have come from the deceased grandfathers who both had blue eyes. I suppose it was their way of letting us know that they were around.
The day Abby was born was such a special day in Jeff's life and he made me so proud being the attentive daddy and supporting Suzy totally. |
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| 1999 |
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This year brought both joy and sorrow to our family once again. The joy was the birth of two new babies - grandsons this time. William Drew Carlisle was born to Billy and Shannon on June 12 and John Conner Riggs Jr. was born to Betsey and John on July 13. Within a couple of months, we had to face the fact that Conner was having difficulty holding up his head and moving his limbs. Many doctor visits and trips to specialists revealed that he was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The life expectancy of which was about two years for those babies with type 1. Jeff was devastated, as were we all. But we had to accept it and go on trying to make his life as full as possible considering the circumstances. |
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| 2001 |
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This year was devastating for the nation and for our family. Conner died on April 19, as his mommy was preparing to give him a treatment. He slipped away gently into the arms of the waiting angels and loved ones.
We also lost another brother-in-law and uncle. Robert E. Carlisle, Bill's youngest brother died of a brain aneurysm on September 17. |
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| 2004 |
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Again our family experienced both joy and sorrow in the same year. On March 7, Gary and I married after knowing each other for 23 years. It was a joyous occasion with family and friends and my former father-in-law performing the ceremony at my house. Jeff was so handsome and full of life enjoying the children and all the friends and relatives. No alcohol was around, so I had no worries that he might slip and drink.
Then on Septmeber 10, he was with his brother when Shannon delivered their newest baby - Dylan Thomas - by c-section. Again a happy occasion.
On October 4, Betsey gave birth to Ansley Carlisle Blair. Jeff was very happy that Abby would have a "sissy" to love and nurture. But he never had the opportunity to see Ansley. He saw pictues and felt that she resembled Abby a little.
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| 2004 |
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Passed away on October 27, 2004 at the age of 34. |
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| 2006 |
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On April 3, 2006, the newest Carlisle was born to Shannon and Billy. They named him Jefferson Davis Carlisle after uncle Jeff whom he would never know. When I see Davis and Dylan together, I am reminded of Billy and Jeff. I hope that they will love each other as much and be the good buddies that Billy and Jeff were for most of Jeff's life. And I hope that none of this generation of youngsters will ever experience the pain of addiction. |
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