My dad was Aaron Andrew SIMMONS, b. March 23, 1905 in Rives, TN -- just over the Weakley Co. line into Obion Co. He was the son of Andrew M. SIMMONS and Sarah Elzada HILL. He grew up on a farm in Dist. 7 (Obion Co.) and married a Weakley Co. girl, my mother, Lillian May CLINARD, Dec. 26, 1925. They were married on a street corner (Mill St., I believe) in Martin by my dad's uncle, Benjamin P. SIMMONS, a Baptist minister. My mother said the marriage took place right outside Uncle Ben's house, and, later, she wondered why they hadn't gotten married inside. She said she was too scared to think about that at the time since she was only 15. As a married couple, they lived in Weakley Co. My dad worked for Dutch Barger who owned a cotton gin in town. In 1943, Daddy entered the Army and served in the Pacific theatre ("Battles and Campaigns" on discharge: Luzon and New Guinea). After the war, he came back home to Martin and, at some point, began working for a farm implement company which I believe was also owned by Dutch Barger. Over the years, there were several owners -- J. D. Gill, Frank Dodd, John Vincent and Herbert Thompson. I'm not sure if it's still called Vincent Implement Co., but that's what it was when my dad retired around 1967 due to a heart condition. Daddy was an agricultural mechanic, and, by all accounts (not his own) a good one. Some of my best memories of fun times with him are of going with him on trips he made out of town to nearby communities to repair a farmer's tractor or other farm equipment. When it was close to lunch time, we'd stop at a country store somewhere along the way and pick up a box of Saltines and some bologna, Cokes for each of us and maybe some sort of snack cake for dessert. Then we'd have a bit of a picnic. What a treat for me! Better than any meal in a fancy restaurant. While he repaired a tractor, I'd usually play with the farmer's children. Those were long, lazy, wonderful summer days, and what a great dad he was to bother to take his little girl with him on those trips. He was a talented singer and musician, and I'm sure my love of music came from him. He had a great voice and also played the guitar and harmonica. My mother and dad and I spent our Sunday afternoons after church singing hymns while Daddy played guitar. He was a wonderful father and a good Christian man. He died Jan. 6, 1985 and is buried in Eastside Cemetery in Martin. I'll always miss him. Thanks for the opportunity to honor him on this Father's Day. Brenda Simmons Gartside in Canada