He was born on the 2nd of March, 1931, in Collinsville, Dekalb County, Alabama. He was the eldest child in a family of 7. His parents, my grandparents, were Rufus Marvin and Bizzie Lee Beard Brock. My dad carried his father's given name and his mothers middle name. I always thought that was neat. I, too, carry the Lee as my middle name for him. My mother just spelt it different.
In the 1940 census, in Dekalb County, Alabama, Rufus Lee Brock is listed with his parents and his 2 brothers. Badly spelled, by the way. Robert is still living but his brother Morris died in 2007.
His family moved to Indiana in 1950. His father came north when the factory he worked at, Arvins, opened a factory in Indiana. My father got a job there in 1950, and retired when Arvins closed its Indiana plant in 1976. It was only the first of several 'careers' he had. In 1977 he became a contractor. That was something he really loved doing. He retired from that in 1995. He then followed his heart. Farming. His ancestors were farmers, but the gene apparently missed his father. Rufus Marvin did not like farming. Dad grew vegetables for farmers markets. He sold his produce at several markets every week. One of his best sellers was a flower salad he would make. He liked trying to grow odd vegetables that were popular in other cultures which would be asked for at the farmers market in Bloomington, Indiana that he would drive quite a long way to sell at. He really loved people. He was not a fan of snow and winter at all. Always planning through the cold for the garden in the spring.
My mother's first cousin was dating his brother, and that is how he met my mother. His brother, Robert married 'cousin' Joan first, and a month later my parents were married. I think that families in the 1950's were close and connected. Today, that has seemed to disintegrate. But then, it was fun and crowded at family gatherings. Dad was a lot of fun. He was always busy. He had a workshop and was always making something. He worked his job and still managed to build a house during the summers. Vacations were big, and we were often in Alabama.
In 1978 he and my mother divorced. I was 24 but it was still devastating. Both remarried, and my stepmother, Mary Ann Neihaus died last year.
Dad was always on the go. He didn't just sit down. I would complain that he always told me about family in short spurts, but he was the only family that was supportive of my genealogy work. The only one that loved to hear what I'd found. I needed him to tell me more. He promised that one day he would slow down and we would sit on the porch and he'd tell me everything he could remember. He had a massive stroke after working in his garden all morning. He never got to slow down. I never got to hear the stories. Sometimes I am mad at him about that. Mostly I just want to cry.
Sources:
1940 US Census, Elec. Reg.5, Van Buren, Dekalb County, Alabama, (, Van Buren, Dekalb County, Alabama); , NARA, http://1940census.archives.gov/, Washington D.C...
Seymour Daily Tribune; July 17, 1996
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