In Memory of Billy Mark Geron - March 26, 1957 - May 5, 1962 As remembered by David Geron.

The date was May 5th, 1962. It was a beautiful day. The skies were blue. I was ten years old, Harrell Joe was thirteen, and Billy was five years old. Margie had spent the weekend with Grandma and Granddaddy Geron. Billy and I were playing like we were having a picnic. The table was an old TV. We were eating butterfinger bars. Harrell Joe came in the room and we discussed that it was almost time to get the milk cows.

Then Billy suggested we surprise Daddy by getting the milk cows without him telling us to. We decided to take a shortcut to the cows through a cotton field. Billy was on the top of a terrace. I was on the bottom of the terrace. Harrell Joe was between 20-30 feet across from Billy.

Then, all of a sudden, lightning struck and time stopped. I don’t know how much time passed once I woke up. I raised up and saw Billy with his clothes on fire. I looked towards Harrell Joe. He was running to Billy. He threw dirt on Billy’s body to try to put out the flames. He told me to go get mom and dad. I started running to the house, but Dad knew something was wrong. He met me halfway with Mom in the car. We picked up Billy and mother gave him mouth to mouth.

We started driving towards Colorado City. We got to the end of the Dorn Road and Dad told Harrell Joe to get out. There was a house on the corner that he thought had a phone. He told him to call emergency because he was afraid we didn’t have enough gas in the car to make it. Dad started slowing down at the corner and Harrell Joe jumped from the car while we were still going. Dad told Mom, "I didn’t mean for him to jump." We looked in the back and Harrell Joe was rolling on the road, but he was ok. Mom said let’s go and continued to give Billy mouth to mouth. We went to Colorado City. Billy was pronounced dead.

The doctor said he never felt a thing. He said his death was painless. Later that evening, I remember my uncles and aunts coming to visit. They sat on the front porch and everybody was asking me what happened. I tried to explain that Billy had told me that he wanted to go see Granddad Young. He said they were the best of friends and he asked me "If I climb up the tree in front of the house, do you think lightning would kill me and I could see Granddad?" He had known about lightning because our house was on a hill and lightning had struck several times destroying our TV. I said yes, but I didn’t want him to do that because he would see Granddad later.

After Billy’s death, my mother was never the same. The only thing that gave her happiness was the day Carolyn was born, March 15th, 1963. This was the first time I remember her smiling again.