Name
Diane Smith

Age
78

How long have you lived in Baytown?
74 years; in 2021 I moved out of state with my daughter, my only surviving relative. She was also ready for a change.

Most interesting fact about you
I’m an amateur writer — short stories and novelettes, poetry and derivative works — and retirement now gives more time for this fascinating hobby.

Background
My entire family was from Mississippi. My father settled in Goose Creek after WWII. After retiring from Enterprise Products following 20 years, I operated my own pet-sitting business for six years. It truly was the best job I ever held. I kept 155 dogs and a few cats, and made good friends along the way.

Goals
I said in 2019, ‘If I have a goal now, late in life, it’s simply to move to a cooler climate.’ Goal accomplished in 2021! After doing some research and finally selling the family homestead, we headed due north and didn’t stop until we were only 60 miles from the Canadian border. We had to quickly learn about installing automobile block heaters, placing weights in the trunk for traction, purchasing the right kind of snow boots, equipping the car with a survival kit, and learning how to drive in deep snow. In Baytown, 4 inches shut the town down. Here, we deal with 4 feet. Blizzards are nothing if we keep the larder stocked, and we are free from the fear of hurricanes and the stings of fire ants and wasps!  

Challenges
We suffered a strange set of coincidences for 27 years. We lost a member of our family every nine years, like clockwork. My husband Larry passed in 1991, my father in 2000, my son in 2009 and my brother in 2018. My husband was the victim of a homicide. I lost my son to alcoholism. He had been unable to cope with his father’s death. After court appearances and several interviews with the local victim’s advocate, Click2Houston news and KTRK-TV news, I came to feel as if my story was only filler for their programs. Nothing was done, or could be done, about the seemingly endless rounds of appeals that Larry’s murderer was granted. That sense of helplessness, coupled with the grief over my son’s death, made each day a torment. I had, as my son once told me, ‘a memory on every corner.’ The only solution was to move. I have found peace of mind and a sense of well-being in my new environment. I’ve also found a greater sense of security, because I have never publicly let it be known where I am. It may sound melodramatic, but I had been very outspoken against Larry’s killer and done what little I could to speed his execution. He had Larry’s wallet and all our information. Should Larry’s killer be paroled — and this is in the realm of possibility — he cannot find us. Meanwhile, I fight against privileges he still enjoys, aided by misguided European support groups, and against his publishing a book touting his innocence. Other than that, the State of Texas can tend to its own machinations without me. I’ve made peace with the concept of never receiving justice.

Happiest or saddest moment
Despite my deep roots and attachment to the town of my birth (I precede Baytown, as I was born in Goose Creek), the happiest day to date has been leaving the old home behind, without a backward glance. My quest is to move forward, and this I’ve done since 2021. In addition to never knowing what the weather is going to do, to my daily activities, everything is new and fresh, with endless possibilities, new faces and the friendliest people I’ve ever met.

Advice
I hope to inspire other young widowed women to realize that they have it within themselves to meet life’s hardships, knock them down, step over them and go forward. Change is the only constant in the universe. Prepare to meet it and twist it to your advantage. I have proved that, even in old age, it’s possible.

Currently reading or watching
My favorite books have always been biographies and historical fiction. Currently I’m reading “Young Woman and the Sea” by Glenn Stout. I’m hoping for a fourth season of “Leverage: Redemption.”

Favorite thing to do in Baytown
I miss all the various Baytown restaurants, especially 888! We finally got a Taco Bell here, which soothes my craving considerably. Favorite thing to do here is sit on my fifth-floor balcony, making macrame plant hangers and watching the horses cavort in the meadow nearby. Life is good.

The post Moving forward despite tragedy appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I come from a family of veterans, but it’s my brother’s journey that truly lit the fire in my soul. He served eight years in the Army. He was willing to sacrifice everything for what he believed in. But when he got out, he was damaged.

“He saw so much, and he never wanted to talk about it. I would catch him rocking himself to sleep at night. Then one day, he just up and left. I’d get in my car and ride all night looking for him, and I’d always find him under a bridge with homeless veterans he’d met. This went on every day. He’d leave, I’d bring him home, clean him up, feed him, but he’d go right back out there.

“I fought tooth and nail with the VA to get him help, get him benefits. I don’t know, I think they’re just overwhelmed with so many veterans needing assistance. But these people fought for us. They sacrificed so much, including their mental health in a lot of cases. When they come home, they should have something to come home to.

“Lioness Touch is my answer to this urgent need. It’s a nonprofit committed to restoring dignity, and providing housing and hope for homeless and elderly veterans, as well as displaced veterans who lack identification and need a safe place to rebuild their lives. We’re still in the development phase. But we’re working hard to establish transitional homes where veterans can heal and rebuild. We want to launch job-creation and empowerment programs that honor every individual’s gifts. And we want to build a network of community outreach and holistic care that meets people where they are, providing support and care tailored to their needs.

“Our slogan is: You fought for us. Now let us fight for you. Everyone deserves a chance to start again, with love, not judgment. We’re not trying to give a handout. We’re trying to give a hand up.”

— Danquole “Shaun” Robinson

For more information on Lioness Touch, check the website.

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Sky Allen McSpadden proudly served in the United States Navy for nine years, based in Jacksonville, Florida. For five of those years, he was stationed aboard the USS Halyburton, a period of service that took him across the world — to places like Greece, Spain, London, Africa, Bahrain and the Seychelles. His recruiter told him he’d see the world, and he did.

Sky deployed three times to Somalia, where he actively engaged in anti-piracy missions. One of his most memorable deployments was in 2009, when the USS Halyburton played a key role in the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips after he was taken hostage by Somali pirates. Sky was also aboard the ship during the filming of the movie “Captain Phillips,” starring Tom Hanks — an experience he never forgot.

His time in the Navy gave him a deep sense of pride. But when his sea duty ended and he was assigned to shore duty, things changed. Life behind a desk couldn’t compare to the thrill and purpose he had found at sea. Eventually, Sky made the decision to return home.

After returning, he met the love of his life. Together, they bonded over their shared love of animals. They competed in dog shows, trained dogs at home, and built a life centered on care, companionship and love.

On the morning of April 15, 2024, Sky passed away in his sleep — just days before a trip to Colorado, where he and his wife were to hold their wedding ceremony. His sudden passing left a profound void in the lives of those who knew and loved him.

Sky was not only a sailor, he was an artist at heart. One of his paintings depicted a solitary sailor with his sea bag, preparing to head out to sea. That image inspired a mural now being painted on our building in his honor. It serves as a tribute to his service and a way to keep his spirit alive in our community.

In his memory, we wear bracelets that say “Sky’s the Limit.” Friends and family carry these bracelets on their own travels and adventures, posting and sharing photos wherever they go — continuing Sky’s journey, one memory at a time.

— Karen Hefner, proud Blue Star Mom

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“I was 23 weeks pregnant when Ari was born. She was a micro preemie, and weighed just 1 pound, 4 ounces. Because her lungs were very premature she couldn’t breathe on her own, so she was intubated. Then they did a trach, and then a G-button for feeding. She was in the hospital for a year and a month.

“When we were finally able to bring her home, she was on a ventilator 24 hours a day. They taught us how to change her trach and her G-button. They prepared us for emergencies, like if we had to give her CPR.

“There have been some scary moments. I’ve seen her heart rate go down to 25, where she’s turning purple and blue, her eyes rolling backward because she couldn’t breathe, and you think she’s already gone. She’s been in and out of the hospital, sometimes days, sometimes weeks. But she keeps bouncing back.

“Healthwise, she’s doing really well right now. She’s not on the ventilator. They’re talking about taking out the trach maybe next summer. That would be awesome. That would be a big, big step for her.

“She still has a long way to go. She just learned how to walk about a year ago. She still doesn’t speak. She still has to learn how to eat orally. She’s actually scared to eat. So she has to go to occupational therapy, physical therapy, eating therapy, speech therapy.

“She also was diagnosed with autism. She’s not used to big crowds, and loud noises scare her. She gets over-stimulated. So we keep her at home most of the time, especially right now with cold and flu season.

“She mostly watches Ms. Rachel, who does sing-along songs and teaches things like ABCs. It’s her favorite character. Although she just turned 5, her brain development is like a 2-year-old. She still doesn’t really know how to play with toys. She mostly just throws them because she doesn’t understand.

“It’s been a long journey. My mom, my sister, our close friends, they have been there for us throughout everything. And most of all, God has been there for us.

“There are moments when your faith is put to the test, when there are things you don’t understand. But I was told at a certain hospital that I should go ahead and just disconnect her. Because she was never going to have a normal life. That she was going to be bed-bound. Like, why would I want her to suffer? But we kept our faith. And with everybody just being there for us, that’s what’s kept us going.

“My hope for her? I definitely want her to be able to eat one day. For her to have that experience of sitting down to enjoy an actual meal. And I would love for her to speak. I would love, love to hear her call me mama.”

— Myriam Mejia

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“Buffalo Bayou Kayak Tours posted on Facebook that they were looking for guides. They wanted someone who knows stuff about nature and history. And I was like, that’s kind of up my alley. I’ve been an information buff the majority of my life. And I love nature. I love history. So I applied.

“The only kayak experience I had was one time at a customer’s home. I have a pool business, and they had left a kayak floating. I paddled around for about 10 minutes, and it was a lot of fun.

“I’m now probably close to 400 miles paddled on the bayou. I give tours to a variety of people. Some are born and raised Houstonians who have never seen the bayou from the perspective of the city’s founding fathers. Others are from around the U.S. and the world. I’ve given tours to people from the UK, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and many other countries.

“Sometimes I’m the first representation of not just our city, but our entire state. That’s probably my favorite part, being able to give an idea to strangers of the kind of people they can expect to run into while they’re visiting, and to help them understand what the city is all about.

“Something I hadn’t picked up on until a few years ago is that talking is really a skill. Just the ability to be efficient and engaging with what you say. I can talk to anyone. It doesn’t really matter who they are or what their background is, I can find some kind of common ground with them. And I can kind of get them where they need to be by the time our conversation ends. I call it my superpower. It’s something that I’ve been trying to use for good, to be productive. It’s my favorite thing about me now.

“On the kayak tours, whenever I bring people down to Buffalo Bayou, it’s kind of hard to gloss over some of the big issues facing the city, like homelessness or the pollution and trash that’s visible as we paddle around.

“If we get flooded, like when Hurricane Beryl came through, the bayou is almost overfilled. So the trash is at the top of the water. Then, as the water slowly subsides through the weeks because of a lack of rain, a lot of that trash gets stuck in the trees along the bayou. Right now, things like paper and bags and tarps and other homeless litter is not just floating in the water, but literally all over the embankments.

“I felt it was important to do something, to try to make a difference. So I had this idea to create clean-up events. We send volunteers out on the bayou in kayaks with bags to collect whatever trash they can grab.

“In the process of starting it up, I met a nonprofit called District 1 Decontamination Unit. It’s a group of individuals who focus on cleaning up litter in their area of Houston. They’re a driving force behind our clean-up efforts.

“We schedule the events for the first Sunday of every month. We have groups join us, like Boy Scouts or university organizations, but it’s open to anyone.

“I’m 33 this year. I have two young kids. This is something that I can feel proud of, to show how much I care about the city. Instead of just sitting around mad that nothing is getting done, I’m helping out. That’s one of the things I feel most at peace with, something that makes me feel better and other people feel better.

“Anything I can do to keep that momentum going, not only for me but for others, for the city, that’s what I hope to do.”

— David Urias

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“I was kind of embarrassed about liking to draw when I was a teenager. I didn’t want to tell my friends, ‘Hey, when I’m not hanging out with you guys, I’m in my room drawing Disney dogs.’ I figured they’d think I was weird.

“As I got older and explored more, I gained confidence. I stopped caring what people think and focused on what I enjoy.

“When I got into painting on canvas, pretty much all I did for two years was people’s pets. They weren’t that great, but it’s how I learned painting techniques. I didn’t want to be typecast as a pet portrait artist, though, so I told people I wasn’t going to do it anymore.

“Now that I’m in my 30s, I’ve gone back to being a kid again and paint what I like. I always loved to draw animals, so I started painting dolphins, whales, frogs, turtles and panda bears. I used to watch old horror movies with my grandparents, so that inspired me to paint Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein.

“I’ve had good luck selling my originals. They usually fly out the door the day that I post them. And I’m continually amazed and thankful when someone pays $200 of their hard-earned money for something I did. Especially right now, when the economy is terrible and people are struggling. I work, too. I have a full-time job outside of this to help pay bills and put food on our table. Art is a luxury, not a necessity. So anytime someone buys from me, it blows my mind.

“When I was a little kid, my mom plastered brown packaging paper on my bedroom walls. She made it so that I could paint or do whatever I wanted. Even with my brothers and sisters, she ensured we had space to be ourselves, to express ourselves.

“I feel so fortunate that I found something as a child that I loved, and that I took care of it and nurtured it. Some people find things when they’re kids that they could be passionate about, but they don’t stick with it. I feel lucky that I have art in my life.”

— Jamie James

Follow Jamie James on Facebook, jamiiejames on Instagram, and JamieJamesArt on Etsy.

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Returning outside after a dinner break, her grandson’s excited shouts alerted Laura to Clark’s presence high in a neighbor’s tree. The bird was making fearful sounds because of a dog below. “It was the first dog he had ever seen.” Despite attempts to coax him down, Clark didn’t budge. “Remembering that he responds to the color white, I grabbed a roll of paper towels, prompting him to fly to another nearby house and away from the dog.”

“With permission, I rolled his cage into their yard and resumed my coaxing efforts. Clark eventually settled in the tree for a nap, adding to the chaos of hurricane recovery as I fretted about losing him in the dark. No one had lights, and spotting him would get harder.”

When Laura stepped into a pile of fire ants and began trying to shake them off her feet, it scared Clark into flying toward home and landing in her neighbor’s tree across the street.

“He could see from his perch that we were rolling his cage home. All of a sudden, he made this loud noise that usually comes right before he lands on my shoulder. This time, he landed on our RV camper. As my husband went to get his fishing net, Clark climbed down to his cage. He put himself in and shut the door. Then he started eating and looked at me like nothing had happened.”

“Thank God he came back before dark. It was a nightmare, but we learned a huge lesson. Now I’m on super alert because I know he has a taste of the outdoors and flying high.”

Clark is quite the chatterbox. Among his phrases are, ‘What are you doing?’, ‘C’mere, baby,’ ‘Thank you,’ ‘Ouch,’ and ‘Kitty Cat,’ while calling the family’s cat, Elvis.

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“It was a tough thing to go through. But finally, as I was recuperating, the doctor wanted me to do some physical therapy. He asked what kinds of sports I liked. I named half a dozen things, because I’ve always stayed active. When I mentioned I’d been bowling a few times he said, ‘That’s what I want you to do.’ It was good exercise, using different muscles. So that’s where it started.

“The first game I ever bowled was a 69, and I said, ‘This will never do. I can do better than this.’ I’m very competitive. So I joined a Tuesday ladies league. That was in 1962, when you could bowl three games for about a dollar and a half. It was a lot of fun. And I’ve been bowling regularly for more than 60 years.

“I feel like I’ve made some contributions along the way. I really enjoyed the coaching aspect. I taught bantam, junior and senior bowling classes, and I was a bowling instructor at Lee College. I’ve met so many interesting people. Bowling has meant a lot to me: friendship, camaraderie, participation, challenge, competition. It’s been my second home, so to speak.

“These days, I normally bowl just on Mondays. But I’m also filling in on another night for a lady that had surgery. I used to bowl a lot more often. Except, Saturday was for doing the washing, mopping and catching up on chores at home, and Sunday was for church.

“You know, everybody’s life follows a stream one way or another. I’m just glad mine went this way. I don’t plan to stop anytime soon. As long as I don’t wake up with a tag on my toe, I’m going to bowl.”

— Dot Sitton, 89

During her career, Dot bowled numerous 200-plus games and 600-plus series. She was president and secretary of Baytown Women’s Bowling Association, and served in other roles on local, state and national levels. Dot received the Hall of Fame Award from Baytown’s combined women’s and men’s bowling association. She also is fondly remembered as the longtime bowling lanes DJ for Rock ’n Bowl and Kikker Bowl nights.

The post Bowling life helps keep her young at heart appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“My husband and I used to work in the refineries, and we made two decent paychecks. But they didn’t last for anything. We struggled buying diapers and formula. So it started with asking people to donate things like that for moms and dads and grandparents taking care of young kids. Now it’s grown to all sorts of food items and necessities. And the response has been great. The community is showing they really care. Whatever goes in the box belongs to whoever grabs it, whoever needs it. A lady across the street says it helps her every single day to feed her kids and have diapers for them. That’s what it’s all about. It’s made an impression on my kids, too. They get excited seeing people drop off stuff, and they have a better appreciation for those needing help.

“There are times when we all just sit down and cry. We really miss our little girl. But through this whole experience, I feel like we’ve gotten so much closer to God. I hope nobody else has to go through what we’ve gone through. I hope I bear all the burden and all the hurt and all the sorrow and all the grief for any other mother. Maybe this is not the testimony that I wanted, but I feel like this is going to help somebody else later on down the road.”

— Roxanna Castillo

The Alicia’s Blessings box is located at 1003 E. James in Baytown. It’s available 24/7 for drop-offs and pickups.

Roxanna also wants to highlight the importance of water safety for young children. A great resource is Teresa Rising, who we featured in a story several years ago. She’s a certified master instructor with Infant Swimming Resource’s Self-Rescue program.

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“I’m not a fast learner or academically gifted or as talented as other people here at Lee College. But I try very hard.

“I failed a math course last semester. I tried. I even got help from a professor, but I still failed. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to fail college. People might expect me to drop out or not be in college at all. But I’m going to change that perspective, that expectation, for people like me with autism or any other kind of disability.

“I’m very thankful for the disabilities department here and my tutor, Ms. Claire. She’s an amazing person. She helps me with my class assignments. She’s always encouraging and supportive. She motivates me when I may be exhausted or discouraged from life as a college student. And she always reminds me how unique I am compared to other students.

“Being a college student isn’t easy. But it’s worth it if one day, I’ll be on that stage graduating. I’ll be able to say, ‘I made it.’ I want to do it for myself. But I also want to do it for my parents. They always made me feel special, and that I can do anything I put my mind to. I want to make them proud. My dad won’t be here to see it, but I know he’ll be looking down on me when I cross that stage with my diploma.

“I love sports, and I’d love to become a coach one day. Or maybe a motivational speaker. Inspiring and motivating people is something that I always try to do. To keep that fire burning.

“I try to share positive quotes with people. I try to encourage them in whatever they’re doing. I think it’s important. Because sometimes, we all need that. Especially nowadays. I think we’re in dark times. We need more people who like to help you up when you’re feeling down.

“Some people may think that if you’re autistic, you can’t go anywhere, you can’t do anything with your life. I want to prove those people wrong. Being autistic is challenging. But it’s also a gift. It isn’t going to stop me from being the person I want to be, or helping the people I want to help.”

— Roberto (Berto) Nunez Jr.

Related:

• Sports families boost student with autism

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