Poetry About Jesus and Salvation 

Cindy with her childhood dog.  

Back in those days it was mandatory for girls to wear dresses or skirts to school. I feel lucky about that. I have fond memories of my mom taking me school shopping to pick out new dresses. My, how times have changed.  All the boys had a boy's haircut too.There wasn't all this wondering if someone is a male or female, like it is in today's society. There was a clear distinction between the genders. When the Beatles came out in the 60s everyone thought their hair was outrageous.

Randy, a very handsome boy 

Randy's mom and dad's wedding picture

Vowell (Red) Wyatt and Phyllis (Nadine) Huckaby were married in 1943. Vowell was 17 years old and Phyllis was 19 years old.

Randy's family when he was a boy

His mom and dad were Vowell (Red) and Phyllis (Nadine) Wyatt. His older brother is the sailor, Barry, and his younger brother is Steve.

Randy's dad passed in 2005 at age 79, and his mom passed in 2014 at age 89. 

Randy's mom and dad grew up in the Rector Marmaduke area of Arkansas and moved to Flint, Michigan when they were young. In Michigan they started a few donut shops and both worked very hard, his dad making donuts, which he loved to do, and his mom running all the business aspects of it and training employees, including myself, and waiting on customers. It was a sit-down coffee and donut shop too.

When they both retired, they moved Up North to Tawas City, MI, which is on Lake Huron, and there they did a lot of fishing and boating.

Randy with his Wyatt grandparents, (Granddad and Mama Lura) and his baby son, Tommy

L to R: Robert Wyatt, Lura Wyatt, Tommy Wyatt, and Randy Wyatt

This is at his grandparents home in Marmaduke, Arkansas. We drove down there so they could meet their new great grandson, Tommy,  at 5 months old.

Granddad and Mama Lura with Cindy and Tommy, in 1977

A younger version of Randy's grandparents, Robert and Lura Wyatt, both born in 1902

Randy's grandparents from his mother's side, Mama and Papa Huckaby

Leona Huckaby and Millage Huckaby

 These grandparents are also from Marmaduke, Arkansas. They used to be farmers.

One thing I noticed right away about this precious couple when I met them was how they were always saying sweet things to each other.

Mama Huckaby and Aunt Ruth (Randy's mom's aunt) adoring baby Tommy

One thing we remember about Aunt Ruth is that she always patted people real hard on the back to show her love for them. I was a little worried about her burping Tommy.

Aunt Ruth patting Tommy, as you can see her hand a little bit up from his back 

This is what made Tommy a tough little boy. Aunt Ruth is his great great aunt. This was in 1977.

This poor lady lived with crippling rheumatoid arthritis for most of her life and never complained.

 Mama and Papa Huckaby with their grandson Randy and their great grandson Tommy

Papa Huckaby was born in December of 1895, so he was 81 years old in this picture.

This is taken in front of their home in Marmaduke, Arkansas. Mama Huckaby had a condition in her left leg where she was unable to bend it.

Mama Huckaby had four daughters and Phyllis (Nadine) was the youngest. Her oldest daughter was born from her first husband who died. Then she married Papa Huckaby and the other three daughters were born to them.

Mama and Papa Huckaby with grandson, Randy

Randy's mom and dad (Nadine and Red Wyatt) with his older brother, Barry

Randy's mom and dad (Red and Nadine Wyatt) with their first son, Barry

Phyllis (Nadine) Wyatt, maiden name Huckaby, was born on May 8, 1924

Barry Wyatt, Randy's older brother, born in December of 1943

Randy's dad, Vowell (Red) Wyatt, born on September 11, 1925 

Randy's very first time deer hunting when he was 15 years old and he got a nice buck

This was at his house on Joel Lane in Flint, MI, close to the donut shop his parents owned.

Randy playing guitar in his high school graduation robe, graduating in 1970

He has always loved guitars his whole life and actually learned how to make them when he was in his 60s. His older brother, Barry, also plays guitar and they both also like to sing.

Randy 

Randall Lee Wyatt, born on June 26, 1952

Randy  

Randy 

Randy

Randy 

Randy

Randy and baby Kimmy with his best lifelong friend, Marc Benzing, who now lives in Florida

This picture was taken in Flint, MI. in 1979.

Steve Wyatt, Randy's younger brother on top, and Randy on bottom, with Randy's bass boat

Tommy with Uncle Steve and Aunt Anne and his Grandma Wyatt at our house

The Wyatt gang at Randy and Cindy's house

Sitting: Mama Lura and Granddad Wyatt

L to R: Steve, Randy's dad holding Tommy, Anne (Steve's wife), Randy's mom, and Cindy

Tommy in front of his Grandma and Grandpa Wyatt's old fashioned TV in around 1980.

Tommy with his Grandma Wyatt snoozing

Cindy and Books

This brings back memories of my life when I was in my 20s and 30s (in the 1980s and 1990s). In the days before the internet and youtube, I read books all the time from the Sword of the Lord, many by John R. Rice and Oliver B. Greene and many other great preachers, like Monroe Parker, Tom Malone, Lee Roberson, and Curtis Hutson.  Books are everywhere, in the bookcase and on the table, along with my glass of ice tea which I drank in those days. The books really helped me to grow in my Christian walk with the Lord.

Christian Articles from some of these Preachers of the past

Grandpa Wyatt (Red Wyatt) and baby Tommy Wyatt in 1977 

He was pretty excited to have his first grandson after already having 3 granddaughters from his oldest son and wife, Barry and Sharon Wyatt.

Randy's mom, Tommy, and Cindy on Tommy's first birthday (She was a very happy grandma.)

Tommy with his Grandpa Wyatt

This was back in the days before computers so our livingroom was acutally pretty without a lot of computers and cords laying around.

We got our first computer from Radio Shack in the late 1980s. It was a big clunky slow computer, but we were amazed by it. It was like an exciting event. We felt like we were real high tech. There was no internet or cell phones though. I remember our old fashioned telephone that was attached to the wall. Now in 2023, I wonder how we ever lived without computers and the internet. It sure is a different culture we live in today. The world is always changing, that's for sure.

Cindy going for a walk with Tommy and Kimmy, showing what our driveway looked like in those days in 1979

Cindy and Randy with Tommy, Kimmy, and our niece, Kelli Wyatt in red (Steve and Anne's baby girl)

 This was on Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's (Randy's parents) house in 1980. Kimmy's dress is one that I made for her. I loved sewing clothes for my little children.

Poor little baby Kelli went through a really rough time when she was a baby and spent a lot of time in a Children's hospital. Thankfully, through much prayer, God miraculously healed her and she eventually became in good health.  

Randy's dad (Red Wyatt) in front of John F. Kennedy Space Center 

Tom on the far right as a BMX racer when he was a kid in the 1980s.

Tom was also the state champion BMX racer for four years in a row. 

Kimmy, the BMX racer

Kimmy saw how much fun Tommy was having and decided to follow in his footsteps and do some BMX racing herself. Just like her brother, she gave it her all and did her very best.

Even I (Cindy) got into the fun and rode once in the Mother's Day race for mothers at our local track, and got first place. I wasn't near as fast as my kids though or jumped in the air on the hills.  It's a lot harder than you think to go over those hills and jumps and sharp corners. All the mothers were slow, though, that's why I won.

Randy used to work as a volunteer at the local track. He worked the starting gate and did staging and corner marshalling. 

Tommy, Kimmy, and Jenny

This was Kimmy's first piano that she had when she started playing piano at 11 years old, a 100-year-old oldfashioned upright that had at least a dozen keys that didn't work until Randy had a brainstorm idea and fixed it with shoe strings.

Later on, the man who came to our house to tune our upright piano, who is also a great pianist, heard Kim play and offered to sell us his 50-year-old  brown baby grand piano becausse he thought she was talented and wanted her to have a nice piano to play. He said he wasn't selling it to anyone else, only to us. So we saved and scraped until we came up with the $600 to buy it. It took up about a 1/3 of our small living room, but it was worth it. So the Lord provided.

Even though we were poor, those were fun days, and God always supplied our needs. As Kimmy was learning the piano, she taught her sister, Jenny, how to play too. That's what you call two for one piano lessons.

Kim played the piano all the time, nonstop: she loved it.  She also played flute and Jenny played the trumpet.  There was so much music going on in our home. It was such a blessing to hear.

Jenny was so happy to get the big dog she wanted so bad. They were selling them at the grocery store and whenever we were in that store, she would always say how she liked it and wanted it. I was so excited to give that big dog to her, as I got a chance to shop there without her once and bought it for her.

 The second piano we got, the old brown baby grand, with Jenny and her Christmas present. It fit just perfect in the corner of our small living room. It was 50 years old, but it had a great sound. We all loved that piano.

Kim Wyatt Peters Gospel Piano Music 



Tommy (3rd from the left) at his Christmas program at Columbiaville Baptist Church

Tommy receiving his Awana awards at Columbiaville Baptist Church

 Jennifer (3rd from the left) at her Christmas program at Columbiaville Baptist Church

Tommy at his Christmas program, 4th from the left, at Columbiaville Baptist Church

 Tommy and his Grandma Wyatt

This was taken at their home on E. Carpenter Rd., Flint, MI in the Kearsley school district.

This is the house Randy was living in when we were dating, and we were both working at the donut shop at that time.

Randy with his gear all packed up when he went on a 200 to 300 mile bicycle excursion through the Appalachian Mountains in the 1980s

He also used to do cross country skiing in the Hog Back Hills near our home. 

Randy with Tommy and Kimmy

The red guitar is the first guitar that Randy bought for me (Cindy) when we were first married. I loved that guitar. We used to play duets together. Randy played the chords and I played the melody with guitar picking notes. 

Randy in 1976 or 1977 when he was going to Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, MI, a college started by Dr. Tom Malone

Jenny, Kim, and Jim, when Kim was home from college and Kim and Jim were dating in 1999

This is our house when it was built for us in 1975 for $25,000.

We have been very blessed to have lived in this house for 47 years now (in 2022). We have since added a detached garage that Randy and our son, Tom, built in the early 2000s. Tom was an experienced builder from his occupation of building houses.

It has been a really nice place to live, in the country in a nice quiet neighborhood with a small store nearby, and only 10 minutes away to the nearest town.

All of our children were raised in this house since they were born and now it is just Randy and Cindy again, along with our two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

It's also a blessing that it has been paid off for quite some time now. The only thing we have to pay to live here is property taxes, though we have paid for major home repairs, like new windows and a new roof.

Our jeep that we had a lot of fun in before we had kids. It was a 1976 CJ5.

Randy with our jeep

This was our 1975 Ford pickup truck. It had a huge span stick shift on the column, so it was really hard to drive. I drove it, but I was not too fond of it.

Randy, 23 years old in 1975

This was taken right after we moved into our new house. We got to pick out all the colors of the carpet and we had beautiful red shag carpet in the livingroom and hallway..

Cindy with Heidi, our St. Bernard puppy we had right after moving into our house and before we had any kids

 

Grandma Wyatt (Cindy) and Tyler in the middle at Cedar Point riding on the junior roller coaster for little kids 

This was such a fun day with Tyler that I will never forget. I remember holding his hand so tight and never letting go that day so I wouldn't lose him. We went with Tom and Niki and Jennifer. Jen wanted to ride the big roller coasters with Tom and Niki, so Tyler stayed with me and we went on the kiddie rides together. We had a great time together. That was the last time I ever went to Cedar Point.



Jennifer Wyatt Richter's Family

Jim and Kim Wyatt Peters' Family 

Tom and Nicole Wyatt

Randy and Cindy Wyatt 

       

Cindy with her first newborn child, Thomas Robert Wyatt

Robert is the name of his Great Granddad Wyatt. I couldn't stop looking at him. It seemed like such a miracle. I was 21 at the time. He was born on January 2, 1977 at Lapeer Regional Hospital in MI.

It was om a Sunday afternoon and I remember my parents came over to our house to give us a bassinet for the baby and I was in labor, but I thought it was false labor because it was 3 1/2 weeks before his due date, even though my water had broke. But they persuaded us to go to the hospital and sure enough it was real labor, not false. He was born at a little past 11:00 that evening.weighing about 6 lbs. 8 oz. 

Tom Wyatt, class of 1995 

Cindy with her second precious little baby, Kimberly Michelle Wyatt, born on May 7, 1979 at around 7:30 p.m. at Lapeer Regional Hospital, 10 days early weighing about 7 lbs. 8 oz.

The thing I remember the most with Kimmy's delivery is that I went 3 days without sleep because evey night I was in labor and then it was off and on in the daytime. I've never been so tired in my lfe. I guess that is part of motherhood, losing sleep. Children are well worth it though.

Kim Wyatt, class of 1997 

Sweet baby Jenny, my third baby, and the baby of the family.

Jennifer Lee Wyatt was born on June 1, 1982 at about 2:00 in the afternoon at St. Joseph Hospital in Flint, MI. I was dreaming that I was in labor and I woke up at 2:00 a.m. and I was in real labor. Jenny was one week late, weighing about 8 lbs.12 oz. The longer my babies stayed in the womb the bigger they were.

Jenny was my only baby that was bald. Tommy was 5 years old at the time and he used to always rub her head.

Jennifer Wyatt, class of 2000 

Cindy's older sister, Brenda Byers, class of 1972

Brenda passed away at 49 years old in 2003

Cindy's younger brother, Frank Byers, class of 1977

Sweet little Maghan Byers, Frank's daughter, in her dance costume, born on January 30, 1989

Cindy Byers, class of 1973

1973 was also the year I got married on December 8 to the love of my life, Randy. We met at the donut shop which his parents owned and where we both worked.

1973 was also the year my high school jazz band went on a trip to Europe.

Cindy riding a bike on the streets of the Netherlands on our jazz band trip to Europe

Bicycles are a major mode of transportation in this country even to this day (2022).

Randy and Cindy at wedding 

Randy and Cindy's wedding at Bentley Baptist Church in Burton, Michigan 

Pastor James Morris was the pastor that married us. This pastor really means a lot to Randy as he was the person who led him to the Lord in 1973.

Back in the days of newspapers instead of internet

Cindy's mom and dad, Edsel and Jean Byers

They were married on February 14, 1953 (Valentines Day). Edsel was 24 years old and Jean was 23 years old.

Cindy's dad passed in 1990 at age 62, and mom passed in 1996 at age 67. 

Getting married on Valentines Day was very fitting for them.  They always seemed to be in love for their entire marriage of 37 years. I remember when my dad worked third shift they always were in the side mud room smooching every night before he went to work.

My dad worked very hard to support his family as a machine repairman at GM in Flint, MI. My dad had to drop out of high school after the tenth grade because it was after the great depression and he had to work to help support his family (his mom and dad's family). But even though he didn't graduate, he still tried to better himself with a higher paying position as a skilled tradesman at GM by taking some college math classes.

My mom was a homemaker and did a lot of things with her children and was always there for us. Two things my dad always wanted to do for us was to take us on vacation once a year, usually sightseeing and camping, and to give us a nice Christmas. 

I appreciate both of them for giving me a good childhood. With all the terrible things going on in the world today with child abuse, abductions, molestations and sexual abuse, and the awful things that children are being exposed to in public schools about homos being normal and being a transgender is fine, encouraging kids to change their gender, it makes you feel grateful for having a normal childhood. But I do feel very sorry for all the children in today's wicked world. 

My dad (Edsel) sight seeing on vacation

My dad loved maps and kept them in a drawer right next to his living room chair. Whenever we were over, he would always get his maps out and show us all the places he has been and where he was planning on going. When I was a kid, I'm sure our family went to every single tour attraction in Michigan, the UP and LP, as well as some down south, like Mammoth Cave in Tennesee and some NASA Space centers and museums. We also took a few trips to Louisanna to see my Uncle Milton.

Edsel Byers

Cindy's dad was a medic in the US Army during the Korean war time.

The top photo was taken in front of my grandparents home, Frank and Maud Byers, in the city of Flint, Michigan. I still remember going to their big old fashioned 3-story house. My grandma died in her 70s when I was 6 years old and my grandpa died in his 80s when I was 9 years old, both in the 1960s.

L to R: Edsel Byers (my dad), Frank Byers (my baby brother), and Frank Byers (my grandpa)

My baby brother, Frank Byers, was born in 1959.  My grandpa, Frank Byers, was born in 1880. After having a whole slew of grandchildren from his 8 children, his very last one, my little brother, was named after him. My dad was the baby of his family and my grandpa Byers (his dad) was almost 50 when my dad was born. That is why he was so old when my brother Frank was born.

My grandpa Byers used to be a carpenter. My grandpa Morse, from my mom's side, died before I was born in his 50s from a heart attack.

My dad really loved his parents and talked fondly of them. He always called them "Ma and Pa," kind of like Little House on the Prairie. My grandpa was actually born in 1880, so he was alive during Charles Ingalls' lifetime and he lived in the horse and buggy era. 

Cindy at 2 years old birthday party 

Cynthia Denice Byers, born November 1, 1955

Cindy

Cindy

This must have been taken at my grandparents home, being that the chair looks ancient.

Cindy's family when she was a kid standing in front of her grandparents home in Flint, MI

Kids L to R: Brenda, Frank, and Cindy Byers

Mom and Dad: Edsel and Jean Byers

This same area today (2022) is filled with gangs and shootings, but it wasn't back then in the 1950s and 1960s. Flint, MI now is one of the most dangerous cities in the country with a lot of crime and murders.

Sisters, Brenda and Cindy

Cindy with her mom (Jean Byers) holding her and older sister Brenda

This was at our house on Way St. in Burton, MI. We had a swing set and a sandbox.

Cindy and Frank playing store with their Christmas present

I actually grew up to love grocery shopping.

Cindy's little brother, Frank Byers

Frank Byers

This was in the first house our family lived in when my siblings and I were born. It was a small two bedroom house on Way St. in Burton, MI right by the railroad tracks in our backyard.

My sister and I used to go up to the fence where the railroad tracks were and talk to the train conductor if the train was stopped.

When I was 7 years old and Frank 3, we moved to our house in Davison, MI (a suburb of Flint,MI),and that is where my parents lived for the rest of their days until passing away. We lived in town and could ride our bike or walk all over town without being worried about getting abducted. Those were the good old days. We also always walked to school. We lived in a subdivision that was full of kids our own age and so we had lots of kids to play with growing up. My favorite was playing baseball. Sometimes my mom would come out and play with us and she was a real slugger and could hit it way farther than any of us ever could. It was sure a different day and age from what the world is like today.

When we first moved to Davison in about 1962, the old train station was still there, which has now been transported to Crossroads Village, a tourist attraction in Genesee, MI that has historic buildings.

The only restaurant in Davison when we moved there was Whitey's, famous for fish and chips. It was established the same year I was born, 1955, and is still going strong today (2022). We still go there. I remember how for awhile our family (my parents) went to Whitey's every Friday night for all you can eat fish and chips. Today there are lots of other restaurants, as well as lots of fast food resaurants, but Whitey's is still my favorite.

My sister Brenda and my dad, Edsel Byers

Cindy's mom and dad, Edsel and Jean Byers (in their 30s)

This was taken in the early 1960s shortly after we moved to our house in Davison, MI. Notice the old fashioned TV, which is the first TV I remember having as a kid. Our whole family used to watch The Beverly Hillbillies together when it was a currently running show. They didn't have remote controls in those days; we'd have to actually get up and go to the TV to change channels.

Cindy and David, my saxophone  schoolmate, at our first Solo and Ensemble in 7th grade

We sat next to each other, or close to, in band all the way from 5th grade to 12th grade. We also lived in the same subdivision as kids and did a little sledding near our homes. 

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France

David (top) and Cindy (bottom) playing their solos on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France in 1973 

The director is Mr. Robert Longfield, who is now a well known composer and arranger of concert band and orchestra music. He was very young when he was our dirctor (in his early 20s), and had already arranged much of our band music. He was also my private saxophone teacher, as he was also a saxophonist.

I really loved playing the saxophone and being in band. I loved marching band too, which also went on a lot of trips. We marched in a parade in St. Lous, MO, and at a televised Detroit Lions football game. I was so scared I was going to mess up and it would be on TV. I was only a freshman, so was inexperienced too. That was back in the day when they actually had marching bands during halftime,  We went to a lot of competitions too. Fun memories!

Cindy in 7th grade with her mom and dad after going to a band awards ceremony

My parents were very supportive of me when I was in band and bought me a nice beginner saxophone when I was in 5th grade and a good more expensive, advanced saxophone when I was in 9th grade.

My mom was at all the concerts and events and my dad went to all of them when he wasn't working. I remember whenever I played somewhere, the first thing I would do is look for my mom in the audience or mom and dad. She used to record everything on one of those old fashioned cassette players. Those cassette players were really popular back in those days and they didn't sound the greatest; it was fuzzy sounding.

My parents let me practice all I wanted to unless my dad was sleeping. I'm sure it was annoying to my siblings though.

My dad (Edsel), Frank, and Brenda

My dad, Edsel Byers, getting ready to walk in a parade with other veterans in Davison, MI.

The car is a 1969 Buick Electra 225 and was the car I learned to drive with. Cars were really big back in those days.

 Cindy's Uncle Milton Byers

This was a very close uncle of mine from Monroe, Louisana, who used to come up to Michigan quite often and he always enjoyed going to church with me. He was so friendly he could talk to anyone he just met like he already knew them, like the people he met at church. He could talk about anything or any subject. He was quite knowledgeable. He was my dad's brother. He never had any children of his own.

He was a US Navy career man for 25 years and was a Pearl Harbor attack survivor. He always had a lot of stories to tell.

After retiring from the Navy, he had a small farm in Louisana and was also a US Postman.

I was very blessed to have such a wonderful uncle, especially since both my parents died kind of young. Uncle Milton died around 80 years old. One of the funny memories our family has about him is how he always used to say "down in Monroe" everytime he wanted to tell us something about it.

This is the sailboat we bought with our inheritance from my Uncle Milton in the early 2000s. We had a lot of adventures in this boat, some scary, like getting caught in a very bad storm. 

Poetry about sailing and also the storm

Cindy and Uncle Milton

Uncle Milton with his great niece, Maghan, (Frank's daughter) at Cindy's parents' home.

Cindy's mom (Jean Byers) with newborn baby Tommy.  

This was her second grandchild, the first one being Tracy from my older sister, Brenda. Tracy is pictured below.

Tracy (my mom's first grandchild. Brenda's girl) Cindy, and Tommy

Tommy with his new airplane he got for Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Byers' house

I used to sew his flannel shirts and overalls when he was little. It was so much fun. I loved sewing.

Cindy's mom, Jean Byers, at her house in her own chair she always sat in

Cindy's dad (Edsel Byers) loved his lawn tractor, even though his yard was a small city lot.  He even later got a bigger lawn tractor than this one.

The funniest memory we have about my dad's bigger tractor is when one day when Tommy was about 10 years old he was on his grandpa's tractor in the garage and he drove it right though the garage,  My dad started yelling, "Hit the brakes, hit the brakes!" My mom and I were sitting in the kitchen, and my mom jumps way up out of her chair. It was like a huge door that was fastened tightly shut, so it was easy to fix.

My dad, Edsel Byers, at our house

Cindy's mom, Jean Byers, opening her Christmas present at our house

This was when she was a widow. My dad died 6 years before her.

Kimmy with her Grandma Byers

Cindy with her two daughters, Jennifer and Kim when we were going to Emmanuel Baptist Church in Flint, MI on Richfield Rd. in the 1990s.

Andrew James Pedley (A.J.) with his newborn son, Tyler, born May 19, 2004

A.J. sadly passed away unexpectantly from a drowning accident on August 10, 2012 at the age of 28.

Cindy with her kiddos, Tommy, Kimmy, and Jenny

The picture on the wall is an original oil painting that we had for many years.

Cindy and her kiddos on Thanksgiving

Cindy with her sweet little boy, Tommy

I sure love him.