Here is the index for the photos above:
#1 This is my grandparents from my Dad's
side of the family, Ralph and Henrietta Smith. They have both passed away but, this is the grandmother that Emily loved
so much and insisted on going to see in the nursing home every Friday. This was when Emily and her sister Elizabeth were living
with my Mom and Dad in Missouri when they were young. There were times that my Grandma would be so sick that she didn't know
Emily or anyone, but Emily still insisted on going to visit her every Friday and she would just sit there for an hour or so
holding Grandma's hand and talking to her. It was a bond that never was broken and Grandma took that to her grave with her.
It was a love that I have never seen before or since.
#2 This is my Grandmother on my Mom's
side of the family, Ora White. She and my Grandfather ,Jim White, raised 12 kids on a cotton farm in the Bootheel of Missouri.
My Grandma worked from sun up till sun down trying to clothe and feed their 12 kids. Their life was hard but there was
so much love in it their family that it didn't seem to matter that they didn't have the material things other families
had. Grandpa was a preacher also and his 6 sons grew up and became preachers also. Grandpa passed away about
16 years before Grandma did, but she never even considered remarrying. She said that no man could ever come close to
giving her the happiness she had with Grandpa. At the age of 98 Grandma had to be put in a nursing home, because she had the
beginning of Alzhiemers. At the age of 99, Grandma took her first ride on a Harley complete with the leather jacket and
all. This had been a dream of hers for yeas, so before she got too sick, her kids made that dream come true. She died at the
age of 103.
#3 This is my Dad, Ralph Smith.
He and I were so close and when he passed away about 8 years ago it left a hole in my heart that can never
be filled. I still think of him every day and I am so lucky because I have so many wonderful memories and
not too many people are lucky enough to have this in their life. He and my mother were married for 50 years. In
fact, Dad passed away the evening of their 50th wedding anniversary. My Dad was my hero and always will be.
#4 This is my Dad, Ralph
Smith and my Mom, Peggy Smith, on their 25th wedding anniversary. Mom
enjoyed a long life with my Dad until he passed away about 8 years ago from cancer. In fact, Dad passed away on their 50th
wedding anniversary. After Dad died mom sold the family home and moved to Poplar Bluff, Mo.,where she still lives and
enjoys a very full life doing a lot of charity work. She is now 78 and still going very strong. My mother and I have always
been close and although I don't get to see her that often, we still talk on the phone a lot and continue to enjoy our
close relationship.
#5 This is me and my older sister Sheila(Emily's
Mom) when we were kids. Sheila and I were always fighting and most of the time I had started it. Although she was older than
I was, I was bigger and was always picking on her. Even though we fought all the time as kids, we were also very
close and loved each other deeply and now we still have that love for one another that most people are not lucky enough to
enjoy. My sister is an amazing woman. I cannot even imagine having one of my kids murdered and if that isn't bad
enough, she has had to live for 17 years not ever knowing who did these horrible things to her daughter and also knowing that
the police aren't even trying to find her killer, All I know is that I don't know if I could have gone through this
and still stayed as strong and positive that one day Emily's killer will be caught and that justice will be done.
#6 This is me and my 3 sons when they
were young. The one on the left is my oldest son Darrell, then there is me and my youngest son Danny sitting on my lap, and
then on the right is my middle son Greg. They were all boy growing up and there were times I wasn't sure that I was going
to get through this mommy thing with my sanity. I am proud to say that they have all grown up to be good men and
that is something a lot of parents can't say.My family means more to me than my own life and they will never have
anyone love them like I do.
#7 This is my oldest sister Sheila(Emily's
Mom)on the left, then there is Elizabeth(Emily's Sister)and as you can see she is very pregnant, then there is my baby
sister Lori, and then there is me on the right. This is only a few months after Emily's murder because Emily and Elizabeth
were both pregnant at the same time. Sheila had had a nervous breakdown and she and her daughter Elizabeth came to Branson,Missouri
to live with me until she got better. This was nearly a year before Sheila found out that the Jane Doe they had
found a year earlier was her daughter Emily.
#8 This is my brother Ed and his wife
Sherri and their family. Ed and Sherri live in Dallas, Texas and they have 2 daughter(Heather and Tiffany) who are
now married and have families of their own. They also have a younger son named Adam who is now in Iraq and we all pray
that he will be safe and come home soon.
#9 This is Emily's mom Sheila and her sister Elizabeth. Sheila and Elizabeth both live in San Antonio,
Texas and they have become very close since Emily's murder. Elizabeth is now married to Zee. They do not have
any kids together, but Elizabeth has a son named Jake and he is in Boston going to school.
#10 This is my middle son Greg, his wife Bobbi
Jo and their son Anthony. Anthony is my first grandchild and will always hold a special place in my heart. Since this photo
was taken, Greg and Bobbi Jo have had another child, Vivian. Vivian is the first girl born in our family since Emily, so you
can just imagine how spoiled she is. She is Daddy's girl all the way. Greg says that Vivian is just like me as far as her
traits and temperment. I'm not sure if this is good or bad and don't think I'll ask. Ha!
#11 This is Bobbi Jo. She is my middle son
Greg's wife. Bobbi Jo was Greg's high school sweetheart, and have now been married for about 9 years and have 2 kids,
Anthony and Vivian.
#12 (Left to Right) On the left is my
middle son Greg and on his lap is his son Anthony who is my first grandchild, in the middle is my youngest son Danny
and his girlfriend Amanda. Danny and Amanda are no longer together, but they did have a child together and that is my
grandson Nathaniel (Nate). Then on the right is my oldest son Darrell. This photo was taken about a year after his first wife
Jessica had passed away from leukemia. Darrell took her death very hard. They were high school sweethearts even before
they ever married. There were no signs that Jessica was even sick, but when she did find out,she passed away only a
few months later. About 2 years after this photo, Darrell met and married his present wife Jessica. They have been
married about 3 years. They don't have any children together, but Darrell has a step-daughter named Taylor who is about 11
years old and he loves her as if she was his.
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