This post was sent to me by my brother, Mark, who was best friends with ‘Little Skip’ Kelley who lived on Ranney Street. Here are some of his memories:

I found this last night.  This was my friend Skipper’s dad.  I really like him and June a lot.  June always treated me just like a son.  I practically lived over there as much as possible.  I would eat with them, etc…  I can remember Skipper and I playing at his grandpa’s and just destroying their house but they kept letting us back in.

http://www.semissourian.com/story/print/1469146.html

I remember one day Skipper and I were there and Velma was complaining to Skip’s grandpa about the stairs going up the side of their house to the second floor and the little porch.  She said it was falling apart and if he wouldn’t fix it then she would like to tear it down.  Of course now I know that she was just trying to get them fixed.  Well, they left and Skipper and I just assumed she meant what she said, so we tore the steps and the porch off the house.  Well when they got back home we found out that she didn’t really want them torn off!

Another time when we were at their house and they left, Skipper and I pulled one of their mattresses out of the house and somehow used some ropes to get it up in between two trees that lined their front walkway.  We were going to make a tree house.  I guess we wanted it to be comfortable, because I don’t have any idea why we decided to take a mattress out for it.  When they got home, I don’t remember them getting mad at us, I think they were just shocked that we would and could do such a thing.

Another time they left and we were there, we found some of their homemade wine in their food closet (I remember it had tiny marsh mellows in it) and drank a little bit and then got worried that they might be able to tell so we just added some water.  Never did get caught for that one.

I also remember that they had boxers and Skipper’s uncle lived there for awhile and he had a pit bull.  The Stafford’s had a collie just like the tv show – Lassie.  The Staffords and Skipper and I were always betting which dog could whip which dog.  Of course we were on the boxers side!  Then one day the pit bull got loose and it and the Stafford’s collie did get in a fight and it was not pretty.  The pit bull was tearing up the collie.   Never wanted to see them fight again after that.

I, Darla, also spent time with the Kelleys; in particular June Kelley, Little Skip’s mom. She had a gang of kids and I loved to help her with the babies. It was a full-time job feeding, bathing and diapering those children. June was a lot of fun to be around and she gave me some experience in being a mom’s helper.