More Than a Grandad : Biography of Isom R. Plyler

Isom Ray Plyler was born on October 28, 1938, to Isom Frank and Velma Plyler. His family lived a simple life in a little farming town, which is known as Pageland, South Carolina. All of his life, he was very close to his parents, his three older sisters, and his younger brother. His parents struggled to raise all five children and pay their monthly bill. So, when he became a teenager, he found a job working on the Edwards' farm.

There he met a tall, skinny, yet graceful brunette and they fell madly in love with each other. After dating for awhile, she became the love on his life and they decided to get married, on November 10, 1957. As newlyweds, they learned that their new family was going to get bigger. Soon, they welcomed a beautiful baby girl, named Susan that was the apple of his eye. His new wife and baby daughter meant the world to him, so he worked hard to take care of them.

His beautiful daughter was a toddler, when they learned that they were expecting another baby. This time, they welcomed a handsome little boy named Christopher, who immediately stole his heart. As a proud father with dreams, he began saving money for them to move to North Florida. His children were small, when they finally moved to Florida and began their new life. After several moves, he finally bought a house in a small Jacksonville, Florida neighborhood.

It took a little time, in order to rebuild the small house to accommodate their needs. Then, he decided to build a large garage in the back yard, so he can work on automobiles and his other projects. Unfortunately, life began to change for their blue-collar family, as their children became teenagers. He always tried to work hard and raise his children, in the best way he knew.

In December of 1974, my grandfather met me and my brother Thomas, who he loved with every ounce of his being. Soon, he began working hard and doing odd jobs, in order to make extra money he needed to support us. Then, life drastically changed again for everyone in the family, when his son was hit by a drunk driver. As a proud father, he felt helpless and broken by the tragedy that struck his family.