Sharon Connally Ammann - The Philosopher Artist

Insights from the surviving daughter of Texas Governor John and Nellie Connally on family, tragedies and triumphs.

Episode Transcript

(00:10):
Hi everyone, I'm Katie Rh's sheriffRyer, and this is my heart of
Texas. I first met John B. Connelly as he campaigned for Texas governor
in nineteen sixty two. I wasa girl child in awe of his commanding

(00:33):
presence that would overwhelmingly defeat a threeterm incumbent from his own party. He
instantly became my governor, and thenjust a year later, was struck by
the assassin bullets that killed a president, broke camelot, and shattered the innocence
of an entire generation, the childbaby boomers. I know how it affected

(00:54):
me, but imagine what it meantto the baby boomer children of Governor John
and Nellie Connolly. On that TexasNovember day. The Connolly's John then seventeen,
Sharon fourteen, Mark eleven remember forus on the podcast labeled November twenty
second, nineteen sixty three. Ihope you'll listen to that. But in

(01:15):
addition, we're now posting the restof their stories. How the three now
aging children of Governor John and NellieConnolly matured into different individuals in their own
right, but with a shared coreof family that has always and always will
stand for Texas. We were excitedabout them coming back. I just don't

(01:47):
think we realized the true or Irealized I don't want to stick to my
brothers in it, that I realizedthe true importance of you know, having
the president COmON being with the Presidentof the United States of America is that's
a pretty cool thing, you know. As time went on, obviously I
realize that, and I agree forthem, and I still do. Sharon

(02:09):
Connolly Emmon is the softer version ofthe Connolly's siblings, but with a familiar
grit and backbone that seems to runin that family. The majriarc now philosopher,
artist and a true delight. Idon't know if when our generation is
gone, if they will continue thishuge memory, this huge sadness attacked our

(02:30):
nation. I don't know that.I talked to John about that, and
he kind of agreed with me.I think that maybe it's the baby boomers,
because we all know where we werewhen we heard yes, Yes,
and the kids don't you know,they don't No, they don't have that,
and they certainly don't have the sameobsession with it all, all the

(02:52):
conspiracy and all of that. AndI think that maybe maybe this is the
last time that I will be callingthe Connolly's and begging them to share and
go through this again. You cancall us anytime, Sharah. We love
you well. I love y'all toowell. It's interesting, you know,
we've got four Robert and I havefour kids, and of course they're old,

(03:14):
they're grown people. They're not childrenanymore obviously, but they obviously know
everything, all of the nieces thatwe all know everything, the Conny family
clearly. But you know, whenthey'll talk to friends, first of all,
they don't even know. And allof the kids don't go up and
say who their grandfather was, youknow, they don't. That's not how
you start a friendship out and thatsort of thing. And some of them

(03:35):
go, oh my gosh, Ican't believe you never told me. And
they said, well, he wasin the car with Kennedy. Now who
was he again, and what wasthat? And you know, they don't
know. They just don't know.So I think that you're one percent spot
on that after the baby boomers aregone, it might be. It's it's
part of history. The other thingin the history book, yes, the
other thing in the history book,correct, But all the rest of us

(03:58):
know exactly where we were and whatwe were doing. Does Thanksgiving have a
different meaning in the Connolly family,you know, for me, it's just
such a grateful time we just youknow, and the older I got,
it was just, oh, dearLord, thank you for sparing my dad.
And I remember Dad saying, youknow, years and years ago,

(04:19):
I wonder why I was spared.Of course, you know, we didn't
have the answer. He didn't havethe answer to that, but I just
know how grateful we all were,have been, and will always be that
he was spared. I mean,I couldn't tell you why, but it's

(04:40):
just I feel so blessed and sofor Thanksgiving. Yes, it's always a
huge memory for all of us,you know, Sharon, he was spared,
and look what all he went onto do with the life that he
lived for another thirty years, Iknow, I know, And just still

(05:00):
I think taken too soon at seventysix, was too soon for me obviously,
but yes, he did, hedid so much and he you know,
share It's kind of and I certainlydon't want this to get political,
because that's that's not the point ofthis, but you know, back then,
it just seems so different, peoplethat loved our country, that did
so much for our country, Democratsand Republicans both. I kind of missed

(05:23):
those days of people that did itnot so much for money or what they
could, you know, the nextstep they could take as much as just
they really loved our country. Andyou know, it was just an honor
to be this or to be that, to be appointed to something. It
was just a it was an honorto do that. And I don't know

(05:45):
if it's much as an honor today. I don't know that were you able
to turn over to your own childrenthe things that you had learned about character
and morals and even how to benot a politician, to how to serve
your country. Do you think thatthat got passed on to your kids or
is this just a generational thing thatit's really difficult. You can't tell,

(06:10):
you know, I sure hope thatwe pass that onto our kids. Mom
and Dad instilled in the three ofus that, you know, especially when
Dad became governor because here we weremoving. We didn't want to move.
You know, we're all kids,we all live in Fort Worth, we
have our friends. And he becamegovernor, which was so cool, but

(06:31):
you had to move to do that. You know, we're selfish little children,
apparent, or I was apparently.I don't want to want my brothers
in, but we move, andso you know, we're downtown and staying
in a hotel for a while tilleverything's you know, ready at the Governor's
mansion. And I remember Dad sittingdown and talking to us and he just
said, let me tell you kidssomething. Being governor of Texas is a

(06:56):
great honor for me, but itis my job and he and some people
will like you because of my job, me and my job, and that's
fine, and you always can benice and polite and like those people.
But your real friends and the peoplethat you will really love all of your
life will be people that like youfor you. And it's great about my

(07:21):
job, but they really like youfor you. And that was like such
a beautiful thing to know and learn, an amazing when you found out who
was in the end, and mostpeople were just were just awesome and we
were blessed with still are so manywonderful friends. But there were a few

(07:43):
on the way that you could tellthat were like Dad's job, you know,
But he just instilled in this.He always said you are no better
than anyone else, and you areno less than anyone else. So just
always remember, always respect everybody.I know, Johnny and Mark are the
same, and we have tried toinstill that in our own kids. I

(08:05):
think we all have pretty good kids. They're all they're all pretty good kids.
I hope we've done I hope we'vedone our job, you know.
And of course they know all aboutthe assassination, and they know all about
you know, they know about allthe things, all the things that their
grandfather did, and you know,they have great pride about it, but
they don't boast. And I thinkthat's what's important, is not to boast.

(08:28):
Do you let them know about thetragedies in the family too? Your
family? Oh yes, I thinkyour parents were maybe two of the most
courageous people I ever met. Youknow, it's so funny that you'd say
that, because my precious niece,now Francis. I was with my girls
and now Francis, who is aJohn's daughter, and Katie, who is

(08:50):
Mark's daughter, and they were hereat McQueen and we were just having a
little dinner and they asked the oldaunt to come join all the young girls
and so it was a blast.We had so much fun. But we
started talking and you know, theysaid, do y'all ever really think about
what Guggy they call him Guggy andMom noney, what Guggie and them really

(09:11):
went through. And they said,hey, Queenie, you know, did
you ever think about it? AndI thought, you know, I have,
and I think I don't honestly knowhow they did it all because KK
was such a beautiful light in ourlives and her passing was terrible. Again,
I was very young. I wasabout ten when she passed, and

(09:33):
I just remember a mom was cryingand crying. We never knew what happened.
John may have Mark and I didn't. Mark was only like seven,
and so I answered the phone.There was a phone, take can.
I always shared a bedroom and Johnand Mark always shared a bedroom. We
knew Bobby hell we you know,we liked him, and you know,
all of that seemed great. Andthen they ran off and that was that,

(09:56):
and Mom and Dad told us thatthey had gone, and and we
were happy. I mean, youknow, we were kids, just little
kids. And then I remember thephone rang one morning that Mama was in
a room and she didn't come out, and that was so not like her,
because she was always up making breakfastand getting us ready. And then
my grandparents came, and I thought, what is going on all these people?

(10:18):
And then the phone rang and therewas a phone in the guest bedroom,
and so I answered it because weobviously had landlines and not one in
every room at that point in everyone'slife. So I went in that room
and I answered the phone, andthey said, is this a common residence
And I said yes, and Iremember I'm ten, and they said,
this is the Star Telegram and wewanted to ask you about the death of

(10:43):
Kathleen Conley. And I said what, And I just hung up the phone
and I started crying. I wentscreaming, Ma, Ma, Mama.
And I went in and Mama wasin bed and she was crying. And
then Dad came and got me andpicked me up and said, Queen,
there's been a bad accident. AndKK didn't make it. I just assumed
it was a car accident, andso that's all I knew, and I

(11:09):
didn't know anything for years and yearsafter that. John may have, I
don't know. He never said anythingto me. Mark. I don't think
knew anything either, Like I said, he was just little too, and
so I don't know how they didit, but they were so strong and
Mom was so strong. For days. She was kind of in a room
for a long you know, fordays. They said, you know,
your mom's just so sad and soupset, and Chris, we all were.

(11:31):
We were all crying and it wasvery, very sad. But then
I don't know, I guess justGod just filled her with a whole bunch
of strength and faith and she justtook care of all of us and that
was that. I mean, shehad three other children, you know,
to take care of, and that'swhat she did. And so they went

(11:52):
through that, and then they gothrough, you know, an assassination,
and you know, and then Dadwas when he was Secretary of the he
was reviewing the troops. I'm sureyou know this one too, and there
was some young kid he said thatlooked kind of kind of nervous. I
was with the Kilgirs uh mister andmus Joe Kilgore at the time. I
don't know why. I guess Iwas just staying there while Dad was reviewing

(12:13):
these troops. And he bent downreally just to say, you know,
you're doing good, son, orsomething like that. Well, the guy
thought he wanted him to like doall whatever they do, and so he
picks up his rifle with the bayoneton it, and he starts doing the
movements, and the bayonet went inDad's eye. Oh no, did you

(12:35):
know that? I never knew that. Yes, And he wore a patch
for the longest time. It wentthrough the up in the white of the
eye. It just it did notaffect his vision. It was a miracle.
But he wore a patch for agood long while. Dad has never
come up. I had never knownthat. Yes, yes, So he

(12:56):
was reviewing the troops, but hedidn't want him to. I'm and do
his thing. What I'm clue,Well, I understand that whole thing.
I get it. I get it. I know there's a word for that.
It's just not coming to me atthis moment. But anyway, So
when he does that, yeah,and I remember, uh, Mama calling

(13:16):
the kill Gorse and going, ohmy god. You know John's been stabbed
in the eye, and miss killGorse. Your daddy's had a little accent
on Oh my gosh. So she'sholding his hugginess and giving us hot chocolate,
and I'm shocked. Again, buthe was okay. It was just
a blessing, a miracle again.And so he lived through a lot of
things and and God blessed him inmany, many ways. You know that

(13:39):
we got him longer than I guessyou should have a lot of times.
Huh, Well, I don't know. It was never it's never long enough
sharing his Oh it's never long enough. No, And then you know,
and then your parents go, andthen my sweet mama passed in two thousand
and six, and then it's like, oh my gosh, we are we
the adults, Yeah, the adults. Your orphans know, and yes,

(14:05):
your orphans, and you have tobe you are the adults and your orphans.
And now you have your own children. And yeah, I miss those
phone calls. I'll miss them everyday. But yeah, it is life.
But it's still it's not easy.Well, you took the death of
your father. The grief was alot, and yet how you ended up

(14:31):
expressing it. I'm still agog atthat. And I think anyone who knows
the story can't understand. How inthe world did you become a sculptrest.
I honestly I don't know. Again, a god thing, I think because
I was helping mom. After Dadpassed, there were so many share just

(14:52):
cards and letters so beautiful, so, you know, just so many wonderful
things, and even from the hostages, you know, he helped get out
and all of that, just hundredsand hundreds of letters. And I knew
Mom there was no way she couldgo through all that. So I said,
look, I'm going to set upa spreadsheet. So I did a
spreadsheet and put their names in adresses so that we'd be sure to write

(15:16):
a note and thanks everyone. SoI was doing that for Mom. Of
course, as I did it,you know, I read all the notes,
you know, while I'm getting theiraddress and their name and how they
met, you know, all thatkind of stuff. Well, it's very
sad, you know. And itwas right after Dad had passed. And
so my husband Robert said, you'vegot to stop because I was going out

(15:37):
to cemetery just all the time,all the time, and he said,
you got to stop doing this.He said, it's just too much and
you can't keep reading all these allthe time. He said, you just
crying every day. And I said, well, I know, but we
got to do it. We gotto do it. Anyway, A dear
friend called up and said, whydon't you come with me. We're going
to go over Tommy's house. AndTommy he's an artist himself in Austin and

(16:00):
he's an inventor. And so shesaid, I'm doing some sculpting. I
said, I, oh, Ihave a sculp and so she said,
we'll just come play in some clayand I said, you know what,
I think I'll do that. SoI go and play and clay and he
kind of hands me this glob ofclay. He said, what do you
want to make like a bird oran ashtray or what do you think?
What are you thinking of it?I said, you know what, Mom's

(16:22):
birthdays in a month, maybe Icould make her a bust of Dad for
her birthday. And he said whathe said, go ahead and knock your
stuff out. He said, that'sgoing to be rough to do to get
that done in a month. Andsince you've never even sculpted, so I
don't know that His dad's picture wason the cover of Texas Monthly. So

(16:44):
I took that magazine home, satat the table in our living room,
the coffee table, and had someclay and just did it. And it
looked just like Dad from the front. It was a terrible sculpture because I
didn't even realize to turn its side, what you know, to look at
a side? Do you to knowwhat he looked like from besides? But
at any rate, that's how itstarted. And I don't know, I

(17:07):
don't know that was It was justcrazy, and I wish I could say
I'd studied all my life and donesomething, but I hadn't. It just
happened. That first one was kindof painead. I did another head that
really I love, and I actuallyhave one of them in my home.
I'm looking at right now. Thatone I love. The first one.
He was kind of pan faced,but I was just looking down on a
magazine on the coffee table, soI didn't really do it well. But

(17:32):
that very quickly grew. It didinto doing some pieces that I was just
so fortunate to get, And I'vegot one at the Bob Bullock. I
did the Bob Bullock seven foot figureat the Texas State History Museum, and
I've got the seven foot of Dadat the at Sam Houston Park in Houston.
You just throw that also casually,the seven foot of your dad,

(17:56):
and it looks just like him.Johnny a stride you know, it just
I just I don't know. Itjust was a blessing. I guess it
was just something down in me thatmaybe I had that was just a god
given gift that I didn't know Ihad in there. I don't know,
but I was so blessed to dosome. And then I really the mom

(18:19):
of a Laura Grencolis. She wason the airplane during nine to eleven and
she passed away and she was pregnant, and so their family asked me to
do a bust of her and theyhave an embarrassed to tell you, I
can't remember where it is. It'sin Laurence Garden. Se it is in
Laurence Garden in downtown Houston. Yes, And so I was so fortunate to

(18:41):
do that of their beautiful daughter andthey really liked it, and so that
made me happy. So I gotthat down there, just a whole bunch
of them, and so it's beenit's been a lot of fun. I
quit sculpting, honestly after my husbandpassed away, and don't I don't know
why I did, but I did. First of all, it's a lot
A seven foot figure is a bigfigure to put somewhere, so space you

(19:04):
know space is important, and yeah, I just kind of quit doing that,
and I've just turned to other otherlittle things that I love to do
that are easier to manage. You'renot other artistic, You're basically retired.
And how long has it been sinceRobert died? He died boy died five
and a half years ago, Apriltwenty third, twenty eighteen. And he

(19:30):
had had a terrible cancer that hefought for like a year and a half
and very rare. Of course,I think I hear so many rare cancers
now, I guess they're all rare, but his was really rare. He
thought it and we did everything wecould, and then then he passed.
So it's been when we were kids, we got married, we got married
as kids, and we grew uptogether, which was the most beautiful thing

(19:52):
ever for me and I think forhim too. And I remember we'd go,
oh lord, let us be marriedfifty years. That just seemed like
an eternity. I mean, youknow, you're nineteen years old, and
fifty sings fifty years seems like areally really old person. So fifty years
came and he wasn't feeling great,and then we got fifty years in one

(20:15):
month to the day before he passed. So I just wish I'd prayed for
seventy fifty years in a month isincredible. And Mark was telling me he
and Anne will hit fifty years.I think he said next year, yes,
and he's I think, though,yeah, next year. Very proud
of that. Well, you know, I think nowadays, I think,

(20:37):
you know, I find a lotof kids sometimes just don't put in the
effort, or a lot of themwait so long to get married nowadays.
And there's nothing wrong with that.There's no there's no time schedule on any
of this. And I don't meanto say that, but I'm just being
you know, people say, oh, I can't believe yall were married so
long, because it would be fiftysix years coming up for us, which

(21:00):
would have been fabulous. But Idon't know. I think a lot of
them it's kind of worked first andthen we'll do a family afterwards. And
that's okay. I mean, I'mnot judging or saying that's not the right
way to do it. I justfor us, it was early, family,
early, everything early early, ButI wouldn't trade it for anything.
I would do it all over again. And we had our kids were all

(21:22):
young. But now I can enjoymy grandkids and your great grandson. So
let's let me do a great grandson. Okay, I don't know whether to
start with a great grandson. MaybeI will because you blew me away and
when I asked you, how oldis your great grandson? But he's just
about a year old. His nameis Stetson. My husband's nickname was Boy

(21:45):
b O, and I know that'snot appropriate nowadays, but when he was
born, his granddaddy said, youare a fine looking boy, and he
called him boy always. The childrenI've always called him uncle boy boy.
My grandkids called him boy boy.And I was queeny when I was My
dad named me queeny when I wasa little girl. So you have boy

(22:07):
and queenye, and we have aBubba and Bubba has a stetson. So
we it's like we are living inthe right part of this United States of
America, right here in Texas.And how can you get more Texans than
that? Oh now, Bubba,Bubba's not the given name Bubba's. The
nickname O Bubba is Bubba's. Thenickname Bubba is Robert Conrad Emmon the fourth.

(22:30):
But Boy's dad was named Robert.Boy was Robert and Bubba was Robert,
and that was just the way toomany Roberts. The have a way
of whether you're female or male,of naming within the family. Tell me
the names of your children and theirchildren. Our oldest daughter, Amy is
fifty five, and her children areJake, Stephen Pavelic and Max Emmon Pavelic.

(22:56):
And then Tracy is next, andshe's got Scott Waite and Ammon Jackson
Wait, and then Bubba has Scott. When Bubba married Shana, Seanna came
with two precious boys, so wegot two extras on the way from that.
And then they have a daughter namedLane Chapman. Ammon and Shane Charlucy

(23:18):
and Peter Charlucy are theirs. Andthen Charlie, our littlest one, our
youngest one, has got Conrad Ammonand Brill Emmon and Brill is my mom's
maiden name, and Brill his realname is Brill Brick, and so that's
both of his grandmother's maiden names,I mean, his great grandmother's maiden names.
So that I thought that was prettycool. We try to kind of

(23:41):
keep it in the family as bestwe can. It's it's not just a
connonly thing. It's really a Texasthing. Yeah, I think it kind
of is. Well, it's justI don't know, it's just keeping a
name going and keeping you know,you're just proud of your family. I
don't know. I do know alot of people that name after their family
and things like that. So andthen like Katie's named after my grandmother.

(24:03):
My niece, Katie Conley is namedafter my grandmother, Kathleen, and my
sister who passed was Kathleen after mygrandmother, and then Katie is Kathleen after
her great grandmother. So I mean, the very good thing I believe.
Well, you know, I've askedyour brothers to explain to me what is

(24:26):
is it that makes Texas unique?What is it to be a Texan?
I mean, we the population keepsgrowing and they weren't all born here.
So part of my premise is you, first you have to claim to be
a Texan because that means you reallylove it. But yes, what what
are the attributes in your mind?You certainly had great examples in your parents,

(24:48):
but what are your What are theattributes in your mind? What is
it to define being a Texan?Being a Texan is just the love of
land, the love of space,the really the love of people, the
friendly nature. You know, I'mgoing back when I grew up. I
mean, it's gotten a lot bigger, a lot, a lot more transplants

(25:10):
in and out. And that's awonderful thing too, that's growth, and
I understand all that, but it'sjust I don't know, it's just been
a friendly place to be. It'sbig, you know that it's a big
place, but it's not. Youknow, we've got everything. We've got
hills, we've got lakes, we'vegot rivers, we've got deserts, we
have a little bit of everything here. But I think a lot of it

(25:32):
is just being good people and hardworking people. And you know, my
dad and mom both come from familiesthat did not have a lot of money
and respect workers and respect any kindof job that you have. And you
know, it's like my dad alwayssaid, any job is a good job.
There's no bad jobs. And hewould always tell us there's nothing you

(25:55):
can't learn from anyone else. Iknow, when Amy was dating her now
husband, their family did watermelon farming, and Dad was one of those people
that I just loved so much becausehe was so you know, he was
a politician. He knew everybody anddid all the things that they do.
But yet when he would ask youa question about something, he was so

(26:18):
truly interested in your answer. Andhe would ask this young Craig Pavelic from
Nixon, Texas how they did theirwatermelon farms, because he had done watermelons
as well, and you would thinkhe was just talking to some professor or
something. He was just totally focused, totally in and I always loved that

(26:38):
about him. There are a lotof people, you know, that can
meet and you can say, howhave you been, and while you're answering,
they're already looking around the room,and who else can I talk to?
You know? And Dad wasn't thatperson. And I really always loved
and admired that about him and triedmyself to emulate that. I don't do

(26:59):
as good job, clearly, butI try. And he just loved to
learn. He loved something about everything. In fact, when I had my
girls, he said, Amy andTracy said, Queenie, why don't why
don't they be plumbers? Do youknow how much a plumber makes? They
make a lot of money, Isaid, Dad, I don't know.
They're going to want to be plumberswhen they grow up, he said,

(27:21):
But you know, he had theraids down there, and he said,
they make some good money. There'snothing wrong to being a plumber. And
I said, I know, badDad, But their girls they may not
want to be plumbers. So goesthe man who had presidents, has his
personal friends and went around the planetwith great interactions with heads of state.

(27:44):
That's what I mean. He wasjust a oh, it was just fabulous,
and he was just he's just sick. They weren't plumbers, but you
know, they weren't and they decidedon something different. You know, I
always loved it about your got overit. He still loved them. But
your parents would drop what they weredoing and go out to pick peaches out
in the hill country. Oh ohyes, oh yes. And then we'd

(28:07):
stay on the road and Dad wouldsend them to, you know, to
HB. Bought a lot of thepeaches that we had there were were so
delicious, and then some would bethe wrong time, or they'd oversold it,
whatever, you know, whatever theirown was. Peaches left, and
then he'd send me and boy outand we'd stay on the highway from San
Antonio to Forestville, with a littlepeach stand and sell peaches on the side
of the road. And it wasjust just fabulous. Not you know,

(28:30):
life couldn't get any better than that, And that's that's kind of the way
we lived. And it was alot of fun. Well, Mark talks
about you living on the ranch.He talked about you and boy living on
the ranch while he went and Annewere there, and I never knew that.
Yes, yes, we did,we did. We lived in a
little Tainle's house right down from thebig house. I mean, it was

(28:55):
a little, tiny little thing andwe just had the best time. It
was great. There was a bigtank behind the house and we'd go out
there and we fish and catch dinnerand Body would barbecue fish out there.
We just had a wonderful time.It was just a great way to live.
And then we moved back to Austin, and then we hadn't moved back
to Forestville. We went back.Amy was only a tiny baby when we

(29:17):
lived down there in the beginning,and then Robert went in the army for
two years, and then we wentback down there and loved it. And
then we didn't leave Floresville till goshin the eighties, and we moved back
to Austin. You're sort of likethe bohemian artist of the story. We
were like Nomad's I mean, momand dad would call and go, do

(29:37):
you still just put us? Justput us down in pencil in your book.
We moved around like it was justpitiful, and you know, I
can always would tell the kids,it's not it's you know, home is
where the heart is to me.I mean yes, And do I have
friends that have a home and theynever left it. Yes, and it's
fabulous. And we just kind ofweren't those people. I don't know why.

(29:59):
We loved everywhere we live, butwe kind of moved with the kids.
When they got older, they'd movedsomewhere. We kind of go close,
not too close, but close enough, and then some would move somewhere
else. So we'd had in thatdirection. So yeah, we were kind
of flighty. Yeah, you know, she loved it. It was a
lot of fun. I hear yourmother in you so much. It's it's

(30:21):
your speech, just your accent,it's your laugh, it's your lilt,
it's it's your energy. Oh thatmakes me happy. Well, thank you.
I was at a sadly to say, I was at a funeral this
week, and I was there andthis girl who had never met came up
to me and she said, oh, I have wanted to meet you.
And I said, well, thankyou. I've heard of her, and

(30:42):
you know, I know of hername, but I just don't I had
never met her. And she said, oh, my gosh, you look
exactly like your mama. That's thenicest thing you can say. Thank you.
So I guess maybe I look alittle like her, but that's a
huge compliment for me, So thankyou. Well, your mother was a

(31:03):
gem. I know your dad shecommanded all the attention, but oh mom
was just a hoot. She wasjust a blast. She was so fun
and just yeah, and she couldput up with all kinds of stuff.
She was just a She was justa gem. She was, and she
had a great sense of humor,and she could be a card herself.

(31:29):
I know she was mostly on herpie's excuse, but we did. We'd
get down the ranch and we'd havesome fun. Well, Sharon, you
know, I'm not going to askyou the big thing about what do you
see ahead in your life? Youknow your mother when I asked her that
question, it was every cloud hasa silver lining. And I think John
and I have found it and willfind it again. You know, this

(31:51):
was after the bankruptcy and after he'dcome back with the hostages from my rock.
I'm not going to ask you forthat, because you're the nomadic one.
Who knows you're you're going to endup with whatever is your fancy,
probably because you've done your job.There's no telling. I don't know right
now. Just the joy and bewith my kids and green kids is just

(32:13):
it's just so wonderful, you know. And my grandchildren. They're nine of
them. We have eight boys andone girl, and so they're all growing
up. You know. I've gotseveral in their thirties, so they're grown
people. But they're a blast tobe with. We have so much fun.
They're all coming for Thanksgiving, soit'll be wild and crazy and I'm
still cooking and so that's always fun. And there's no telling what I'll be

(32:37):
doing Right now, I'm painting Christmasstockings. I asked my daughter, I
said, do you think have youever heard of a painted Christmas stocking?
And she said no, Mom,And I said, well look it up.
See if you see a bunch ofpainty Christmas stockings. Where she said
no, I didn't. I said, I mean, I'll paint Christmas stockings.
So that's what I'm doing now.The Connelly's have always answered the calls

(33:10):
of country, family, friends,and even reporters like myself. I'm so
grateful that they answered again, andI hope you'll listen to all four of
the podcast we recorded easily found asMy Heart of Texas a KTRH dot com
or the iHeartRadio app. Gratitude tonewsman Jeff Biggs and creative producer Jacob dan

(33:30):
Tone, who gave up much oftheir Thanksgiving week to get this all together.
I'm Sheriff Ryer from My Heart ofTexas. Thank all of you steam Masters.