OP-ED
This past week has been a difficult one for not only me but my family as well. My grandmother, Jean Bonner McWilliams, passed away Monday.
First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who has sent their condolences to both me and my family this past week. Your thoughts have helped us get through a difficult period.
One of the reasons I want to tell her story to you is how she meant so much to not only our family but to the community of our hometown.
My grandmother, or as we called her ‘Memaw’, was born in 1942 to a family of ranchers that will continue on to this day. She graduated from Cross Plains High School in 1960 before attending McMurry University for a brief time.
She would travel to New Mexico during summer trips in the 1960s before meeting my grandfather, who was a horse trainer, at the race horse track where they married in October 1965. This past month was their 60th wedding anniversary.
After years of moving and traveling due to the race horse business, my grandmother and my grandfather made the decision to move back to Cross Plains where their family would have a permanent home.
My aunt, Terry Jane, graduated high school in Cross Plains in 1979 where she continued to live until her passing in 2004. My dad, John Fred, graduated in 1985 and has made a life here ever since, serving as a school board member and working at the family ranch.
My grandmother not only became a member of the community of Cross Plains but soon became a pillar. She worked for over 30 years at the high school in various roles, as an aide and as a study hall keeper, eventually becoming secretary to the high school principal.
It was her work at the high school where I realized not only how loved she was but how influential she became to students in Cross Plains. There is not one story I have not heard of about how she made each student feel important. As my grandfather put it, she saw the best in people.
Where that shined the brightest was with her family. She loved all of her children, nephews, nieces, grandchildren and great-grandchildren with all her heart and wanted everyone to be the best they could be. Which is how a West Texas cowboy became the sports editor of the San Marcos Daily Record.
Before moving to San Marcos, I was at a crossroads where I wanted to be. There was the ranch which has been in operation since the 1870s and was my family’s legacy. It was something I could easily fall back into. But my passion was writing, particularly sports writing because of my deep interest in sports and my ability to tell unique stories.
It was something my grandmother knew too. She, along with one of her old colleagues who coached at Cross Plains for over a decade, pushed me to pursue a sports writing career.
Throughout my journey as a sports journalist, my grandmother has been there for my highs and my lows. Whenever I needed advice in general or I just wanted someone to talk to, she was always there for a phone call that would last for nearly an hour.
She would subscribe to both the Wimberley View and San Marcos Daily Record newspapers just so she could read all of my articles or download an app to listen to me speak on a radio station or podcast. Whatever I wrote or spoke, she made sure to be there to either read it or listen to it.
It wasn’t until I made it home after her death that I realized how much she cared about my writing. While spending time with my family at my grandparents house, one of grandmother’s former classmates and friends came over to visit and send their condolences.
Though I hadn’t seen her in a very long time, my grandmother’s friend immediately recognized me as I greeted her. She grabbed arm and said the words that have been ingrained in my mind for this entire week. “Your grandmother always talked about your writing. I couldn’t tell you how incredibly proud she was of you.” Later I found out through my mom that my grandfather made a personal request that I write her obituary.
It’s that love and care I want to continue bringing when writing about both San Marcos High School and Texas State. Located in a place butted up against two major cities where San Marcos gets pushed to the back by the major newspaper companies, I have made it my job to make both the Rattlers and the Bobcats the focus of our sports page because I know how much it matters to everyone in the community, particularly highlighting the athletes.
It’s going to be a tough road ahead for me personally, but I know the community I have built up within San Marcos will be there to pick me up whenever I’m down.
I know I’m going to dearly miss my grandmother, especially our long talks. I know one day I will see her again but for now, my focus will be carrying out her legacy and reputation that will keep her spirit alive and well.
