Florence Joshua Light was my great-grandfather, father of my mother's mother.  
I always knew him as "Grandpa Light" but most people that new him just referred 
to him as F.J.  I seem to recall that his kids referred to him as "papa".  I was 
19 years old when he died and had lived in the same community so I had the 
opportunity to know him well.  His first wife, Mary Almedia (Beaver) died when 
I was only 5 years old so I barely remember her. I do recall the family gathering 
at their house in Mountain Grove, Missouri after she had suffered a stroke and at 
some point I went into the bedroom where she was.  The bed itself seemed huge and 
ominous to a 5 year old and I understood that it was a serious matter.  I have 
only a snapshot memory of her lying in the bed during her final days and little 
else memorable about her.  After Mary's death F.J. married Lydia Mabel (?) Tate.

Grandpa Light had built the house in Mountain Grove at 422 E. South St., east of 
the Church of God where he pastored.  As a child I never assessed the house as 
being small but when I look at photographs I can see that it was.  I visited the 
home site in late May of 1998, finding only the sidewalk and footing of the house 
remaining.  Standing on the footing, the house seemed to be incredibly small.  
They had a comfortable, well groomed back yard where many family gatherings took 
place.  They had what I considered an abnormal amount of decorative vegetation 
(flowers and vines). I was fascinated by the small red clay flower pots for some 
reason, and at one time asked Grandpa Light if I could have some of them when 
he died, which got a good laugh from the gathering and a lecture on tactfulness 
on the way home.  I never got one of his flower pots but when I was older, 
probably 10 - 12 years old, he gave me his typewriter.  I was also fascinated 
by such machines and have maintained it to this day.  I have often wondered 
why, of all the grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he had chosen me to 
receive the typewriter.  Could I have been a favorite grandchild? Did he see 
in me a special talent or aptitude for caring for such a machine? I never 
thought to ask him why while he was living but did pose the question to his 
daughter Lodema, hoping to gain some insight as to why he had chosen me to 
receive the gift.  Her response was that "I probably just happened to be there 
when he decided to get rid of it", a bit ego deflating but probably nearer correct 
than any of the other reasons I had imagined.

He was an elegant man who commanded a great deal of respect without being demanding, 
as were all of his children.  I was especially impressed with is son Clyde, a tall, 
well dressed, professional.  Clyde was the president of an aircraft component 
manufacturer in Winder, Georgia.  I managed to get a tour of the plant when we 
were vacationing in GA and this served to peak my interest in aircraft and other 
technical things.

His daughter Lodema was also tall and fun loving.  She married Robert Coday and 
lived along state highway 60 near Rogersville, Missouri at the time of my youth.  
I recall that she had a kennel and raised miniature bull-dogs, the exact breed I 
don't know.  She also had a working Edison Phonograph (horizontal tube media rather 
than flat disks) which I never PLAYED with but spent many hours observing closely.  
She also never failed to provide a soda (small bottles of Coca Cola in those days) 
during our visits although she sometimes delayed until I was getting seriously 
worried that she had forgotten.  She and Bob later moved to Mansfield, Missouri 
where they lived the remainder of their lives.  Bob was a Pharmacist and maintained 
a hobby farm north of Mansfield.  Lodema spent her final years in professional care 
facilities suffering from lung disease probably related to cigarette smoking.

F.J.'s daughters Elsie and Zadie married into the Jones family, Hugh and Sherman 
respectively (cousins).  They lived their lives on farms in the Ozark hills of 
Missouri.  Zadie was my grandmother and I spent quite a bit of time with her 
during hay season, holidays, and regular family visits.  She was seriously injured 
in an automobile accident and developed cancer soon thereafter which brought her 
life to an end at the age of 63.

The remaining children had married and moved away from Missouri and while I saw 
them at family gatherings and occasional visits, did not know them well.  Lowell 
married Charles Tharp and lived in California.  Herman married Verna Mae Scott 
and also lived in California.  James Doyle (known to me as Doyle) married Frances 
Shelby and lived in
Colorado. At least 4 children were lost in infancy or early childhood. Henry P. 
around 1910, An infant boy in 1916, another in 1922 and Wanda Mae around 1928.

Before settling in Mountain Grove, F.J. had been a traveling preacher, living/working 
in many places which makes him hard to track for genealogical purposes.  He and 
Mary were married in or around Salem, Fulton Co., Arkansas (probably Shady Grove).  
They were living in Fulton Co., AR at the time of the 1900 census. He is believed 
to have lived in or around Bransville, Howell Co., Missouri and Phelps Co., MO 
(1920 census).  Daughter Lodema was born in Tennessee (1920 census).  

F.J., Mary Almedia, Lodema and Wanda Mae are buried at Retherford Cemetery west 
of Norwood, MO.  Herman & Elsie are buried in Mansfield, MO. Zadie is buried in 
the Thomas Cemetery north-east of Norwood, MO. James Doyle is buried in Fairplay, 
CO.  I don't know where Clyde is buried (probably in Winder, GA) or the other infants.  
Henry P. is believed to be buried beside his paternal grandmother, Mary Minerva 
(Thomas) Light, but I don't know where at this time.  The remaining daughter, 
Lowell, is living in California at this time.

		-- Owen C. Dake 7/29/1998