“ My dad, Cecil Oakes, had retired from the Air Force where we were stationed in Selma, Alabama. He and mother decided to move our family back to Kosciusko, Ms. where Daddy had been born and raised, to help care for my grandparents. He immediately looked for a good Bible believing and teaching church and so we joined Springdale Baptist and in doing so, became good friends with Brother Floyd, Mrs. Effie, Sammy, Tim, Benita and Beth. As a member of the Youth Group there, I have the best of memories growing up with Bro. Floyd planning many activities for our young people and spending so many happy times in their home, spending the night with Benita and trying our best to stay out of trouble… we pretty much succeeded. I met my future husband there and we were both members of the Youth Choir, with Sammy as our Director and Benita as our pianist many times.
Our love and prayer are with this wonderful family, always. And as fellow Believers, our times together will be unending. ”