Our memories of Robert “Pa Bob” Gay on his 127th birthday

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Our memories of Robert “Pa Bob” Gay on his 127th birthday

25 Jul

Pa Bob Gay relaxing at home after church

Born about 17 years before birth and death certificates were required by North Carolina’s vital statistics law in 1913, Robert “Pa Bob” Gay could only rely on his mother, Arie Gay’s memory, and other family members recollections for his day of birth.

On three different occasions Pa Bob used a different date of birth. For his US World War I Draft Card in 1917, Pa Bob wrote that he was born on April 5, 1896. Also, Pa Bob used April 5, 1896 as his date of birth to treeapply and receive a Social Security number in 1956..

Pa Bob used 1895 as his year of birth for his January 3, 1915 marriage to Ma Lillie.

Pa Bob chose July 25, 1896 as the authentic date of his birth. That was the date he celebrated and the date that the family knew about. It was also the date that Arie Gay, Pa Bob’s mother, gave to the enumerators who gathered census data in 1900.

On this day, we are sharing our recollections about Robert “Pa Bob” Gay.

Bishop Robert J.”Rob” Gay, is the oldest living child of the late Robert “Pa Bob” Gay and the late Lillie “Ma Lillie” Parker Gay. Uncle Rob fondly remembers being chosen to receive Pa Bob’s name.

David “Uncle Dave Gay, is the youngest child of the late Robert “Pa Bob” Gay and late Lillie “Ma Lillie” Parker Gay. Uncle Dave recites the words to a song Pa Bob would sing en route to meet his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Bishop Ronald Gay, son of David Gay and the late Mary Whitehurst Gay, recalls Pa Bob’s sense of humor and his efforts at explaining what being a man meant.

Dr.Eunice Gay, daughter of the late Lucille Gay Blow, talks about Pa Bob as a religious man.

Herman H “Morris” Gay, son of the late Lucille Gay Blow and the late Vance Newton, Sr., tells about Pa Bob’s joy in gardening and giving.away the vegetables.

Alice Vines, daughter of Freeman Vines, Sr and Arie Gay Vines, talks about Pa Bob and the family gatherings.
Freeman “Bro” Vines, Jr., son of Freeman Vines Sr. and Arie Gay Vines, shares his knowledge of what the world and society was like for Pa Bob and Ma Lillie and what kind person Pa Bob was.

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Edith Gay Barnes, daughter of the late Herman Gay and the late Danny Ruth Dupree Gay, remembers the special thrill it was for her to travel to Pa Bob’s house as a child.

Dr. William Gay, son of the late George Gay and the late Alice Hemby, was the first child in the Gay family to be born in the red house on Stantonsburg Road. William recounts how he acquired a distinctive musical habit from Pa Bob.

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Robert J.”Bud” Gay is the son of Robert J. Gay, Sr. and Mary Spain Gay. Bud vividly tells about the emotion-packed times Pa Bob would meet them after they arrived home in North Carolina from Connecticut.

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