When I drove past 611 South Sprigg a few months ago, I thought the Rose Bed Inn Bed and Breakfast was looking a little ragged, nothing like when Wife Lila and I watched Laurie and Rocky Everett get married there on a cold October day in 2003.
Several folks tipped me off that the place was doomed, but I didn’t get there until September 13, when it was all over but the shouting.
Sarah Yenesel did a nice recap of the history of the 110-year-old building in the Sept. 16, 2020, Southeast Missourian. I love it when someone else does that heavy lifting so I don’t have to.
The Rose Bed in 2003
Rose Bed Inn 10-18-2003
The B&B was attractive in 2003. The grounds were well-kept, and the interior was nicely furnished, a perfect venue for a wedding.
The Inn during happier times
Here’s a gallery of photos from the night Laurie and Rocky got married. Click on any photo to make it larger, then use the arrows on the right and left side to move through the images.
For the record, I’m sure Wife Lila took most of these photos. I shot presidents, a Pope and the Queen of England, but I never had enough nerve to tackle weddings.
Wife Lila called me in Cape to ask if I had taken my big drill bits on my last trip north. She and Neighbor Bill wanted to make a paper towel holder since she had run out of napkins.
I started to say, “Why not….” when she interrupted and said, “NO. NO, I am NOT going to make one out of a plunger.”
My Frankenstein solution
For background: when I saw how much towel holders cost, I decided to Frankenstein a cheaper solution. Before I gave it much thought, I was walking through Dollar Tree looking for something else.
Suddenly, I saw the solution to my problem. The plunger cost me a buck, and all I had to do was saw off enough of the handle to get it to fit under my cabinet.
Maybe it’s not laziness that’s the mother of all inventions. Cheapness ranks right up there with it.,
Wyatt Perry at going-away party before heading off to the Marines 07-14-2012
The van was packed, and we were ready to head back south to Florida after spending the Christmas holidays with our families in Cape Girardeau. Wife Lila got the word that Sis-in-Law Dee Perry was getting ready to add to the John Perry family.
She said “Florida can wait.”
Only after William “Wyatt” Perry arrived on December 29, 1993, could the wheels start turning.
The visit every parent fears
John said that when he looked out the door and saw the coroner standing there that it was going to be bad news. Wyatt had been killed in the pre-dawn hours in a car crash. He was 26.
Wyatt’s obituary
Perry family members who have served in the armed forces
William Wyatt Perry of Cape Girardeau died Monday, March 16. He was 26. Wyatt was born in Cape Girardeau on December 29, 1993. He was raised in Jackson and graduated from Jackson High School. He proudly served in the United States Marine Corps where he received an honorable discharge.
Wyatt chilling in Florida June 11, 2009
Wyatt was the baby of the family and with that came the privilege of having many nicknames. He was lovingly known as Wyatt Earp, Gah-wy, Prince Harry and Bjorn Ironsides. Though a man of many names, be was also a man of few words. He was kind, compassionate and had an amazing smile and laugh.
Wyatt with his Dad, John, 6/24/2009
He was serious and silly, and kids adored him. He was always the “cool” uncle. His joy in life was spending time with his family and riding his Harley. His leading lady was his Australian Shepherd Hot Mess Bess.
Perry family 9/5/2001
Wyatt is lovingly survived by his parents John and Dee Perry, Grandmother Fern (Maw) Douglas, brothers Drew and John David Perry and his sister Laurie (Rocky) Everett, all of Cape Girardeau. He also leaves behind his nieces and nephews Madison and Gavin Perry, Fletcher Everett, Ashlynn Perry as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins. He wi1l be greatly missed by all.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents D.L.(Paw) Douglas Jr., William G. Perry and Lucille Perry.
Memorial visitation will be held Saturday, March 21 at 11 :00 AM until service time at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.
Memorial service will follow at the funeral home at 1:00 pm.
In memory of Wyatt and in lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to VFW Post 3838. 1049 N. Kingshighway Street, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.
Remembering Wyatt
We were usually 1,100 miles away from Cape, but we still managed to snap a lot of photos of young Wyatt. Click on any photo in the gallery to make it larger, then use the arrows on the left and right side to move to other photos.
A bunch of the Class of ’66 folks who came to Cape for their 70th Birthday Party reunion (because lots of them turned 70 in 2018), were hardcore Capaha Park Pool Rats (a description coined by Terry Hopkins).
They thought they’d take advantage of being in town to congregate at Jack Rickard’s house at the base of what used to be the Mississippi River traffic bridge.
Pool Rat Memories
Just about the time the pool was razed, I asked some of the former lifeguards and swim instructors to tell me what they remembered of their swimming days in the middle and late 1960s.
Many of the pictures in this gallery will be on exhibit at the Cape Girardeau County History Center across from the courthouse in Jackson. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 4. The exhibit will be up until around the end of October.
Some of the prints are available for purchase there.
Click on any of the photos to make it larger, then use your arrow keys to move around.
