The Best Couple - John & Barbar Kauffman
Bruce and I met in 1984, married in 1985 nearly two years later, and were soon set to inherit his Grandparents house in Waxahachie by 1987. I didn’t know a soul there except the holly roller types I had met through his Assembly of God family, but I recall getting myself lost roaming the streets and coming upon a garage sale that would change my life forever.
It was the coolest of a victorian home owned by John & Barbra Kauffman. We immediately hit it off and Bruce and I shortly thereafter visited their Forreston, Texas old Masonic Lodge Hall transformed into the best fantasy world of cool stuff with Barbra’s unbelievable vintage clothing time warp upstairs.
From there we spent many afternoons in their Forreston paradise where time stood still and evenings at their home talking, laughing, watching old movies, listening to John DJ spinning records for us, eating simple dinners always with a vanilla ice cream finish, chess and more chess. John had initiated Bruce into his world of chess with all of it’s local characters and study of humankind.
The Kauffman’s taught us about art, music, junk business, life, and love. They were no greater mentors for us in learning about the best ways to live, knowing $ would always be there through hard work, the power of positive thought, and LOVE.
These 2 loved each other as much as humanly possible and then some. They met as John was playing drums on the travel circuit and Barbra, was traveling singing, having been discovered by Tennessee Ernie Ford. The 2nd day after meeting they were to go their separate traveling ways, but made the decision to chance it all and stay together. After 62 years of marriage, 3 children, several homes, a music career, then a later career of building and maintaining the Forreston Vintage Market, Barbra & John were only apart for 2 days within all of those years.
The memories we have of these two would fill a warehouse and hardly a day goes by that we don’t think of them .
John passed then Barbra lived yet mourned every day until she too left the planet a few years later to join Johnnie for the next dance.
I have been remiss in keeping up with my beloved writing, but today is our 38th anniversary and I found this photo of John & Barbra.
We have made it through all kinds of good, bad, challenges, adventure, and achievements, but the greatest achievement every day is loving each other and sharing life with all that it brings.
John and Barbra held the secret to true love. Every day, Bruce and I work to achieve just a smidge of what they shared.
We are so lucky to have known them and have each other to share all of the shit and sparkle of life and LOVE.