One of the saddest auctions I have ever attended, was the one of Mr. and Mrs. Jess Parvin an elderly couple who lived near Manchester, OK. When they were a young married couple, they had a baby that died when it was a just few months old. They never had any more children and mourned their loss the rest of their lives. Mrs. Parvin had diabetes and had to have both legs removed a few years before she died. The minister of our Byron Christian Church, Vernie Havorka, made house calls to the Parvin home often. Jess told him they stopped attending church because of Mrs. Parvin’s handicap. Vernie told them if they wanted to attend services at Byron, our church members would see that Mrs. Parvin got into the church for services. The Parvins were willing to try this suggestion, so when the Parvins arrived for church. Jess alerted someone that they were there and several men went out to their old pickup and picked up Mrs. Parvin who had been placed in a wheel chair and carried her up the steep steps and into the church for Sunday services. They were made most welcome by the members. Although she was wheel chair bound, Mrs Parvin still made Angel Food cakes and other baked things. She did much of the housework from her wheelchair as well. She knew she was slowly dying, so she baked things and froze them for Jess to have after she was gone. Not long after she died, Jess brought one of her delicious angel food cakes to a church supper. I almost cried, thinking about her making it to be eaten later. Now that is what I call “Love” Not long after Mrs. Parvin died, Jess was killed, when his pickup was struck at an intersection nine miles east of Byron. Jess had no family, but felt like the Byron Church members were his family. He had a will drawn up for the Church to be the benefactor of his meager estate when he died. The Parvin’s old rambling house was full of antiques for the church people to ready for auction. Among the possessions for auction, was an old antique doll that I am sure belonged to Mrs. Parvin when she was a young girl and then the saddest thing I have ever seen at any auction was a tiny pair of soft cloth baby shoes that was in the drawer of an old treadle sewing machine. Most assuredly they belonged to the Parvin's deceased baby. I almost lost it right then and there. The prospective buyers rummaged through their personal belongings like vandals It upset me so badly that I did not stay long. I only hope the person who bought the doll and those precious baby shoes treated them with the love and respect they so deserved.

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Created December 28, 2020

Updated: 15 June, 2021

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