The Paris Tornado – April 2, 1982
This is a picture I found in my collection. It’s of the tornado that hit Paris, Texas on April 2, 1982. It did some serious damage to the town but the biggest impact it had on my life was that it claimed my grandmother and aunt.
I was in the Army at the time and we were out in the field when I got the call that I had to go home. All I remember is that it looked like a war zone to me. There was destruction everywhere. My grandmother’s house had been picked up and the walls were stacked on top of each other halfway down the block. I don’t know if they ever found my aunt’s trailer house. She had went next door to be with her mother.
How I miss my Grandma Spangler. She was a fiesty woman but also one of the sweetest women I ever knew. My aunt Joe was always kind and seemed she was always able to make everyone smile. Don’t get me wrong, these two women could hold their own against anyone!
I miss them both and know their untimely death made a very huge impact on all the lives that they had influence over.
I have a number of newspaper articles from this tragedy. I suppose it would be something I could write about eventually. Life is filled with tragedies as well as triumphs. They all need to be recorded!
Have a great day everyone!
Ken
Tornadoes are so destructive but when there is loss of life, they are even more tragic. How sad that you lost two special people in your life in that tornado. You honor their memory by writing about them.
Wow. I’m sorry for your loss. I hope that in time, you are able to write about it exactly for the reason you state: because it needs to be recorded. It would also be a great tribute to the memory of your grandmother and aunt. Thank you for sharing this little bit of your family’s history, as tragic as it is.
I wish I could’ve known them better..I only have one memory of them…they gave me a pack of gum…weird how we remember the weirdest things