In l993 our mother,Viola (Munsey) Poynter married Raymond Dance, founder of the Dance Truck Company. When they were married, she was 75 and he was 82. R aymond had a brother who lived in Florida, so after visiting with him, Raymond and Mother decided to build a home there. However, being away from their families (Raymond’s daughters lived in other states and Mother’s children all lived in Somerset), they decided to move back to Somerset.

 

They thought that a log house in the country would be a nice place to spend their final years doing what they enjoyed: gardening, fishing, and enjoying nature. The house logs were ordered from Pineville, Kentucky, and the local contractor, Orwin Kunaphfel, soon began building the foundation for the cabin.

 

The construction went well, and Raymond and Mother visited between their houses in Cincinnati, Ohio; Burnside, Kentucky; and Florida, getting their household goods ready to ship to their country dream home. Soon, the cabin was almost ready, and each visit to the cabin brought Raymond and Mother closer to living their dream of country life, such as catching a big catfish in the spacious pond that they had had built!

However, these dreams were never to be for either of them. On April 10, l995, after visiting their new log cabin and just two days before their furniture was to arrive from Florida, a semi-truck hit their tan Cadillac as Mother pulled out from a stop sign. Mother died instantly, and Raymond received injuries that required a lengthy hospital stay. Without

Mother to encourage him, Raymond never fully recovered, and he died in a rest home on December 22, 1995.

 

Now we want to share the love and beauty of their cabin with you. Let’s play a “What If’ game. What if you had visited Raymond and Mother? This is a small scenario of what would have happened. Mother would have greeted you at her cabin door and welcomed you with a very friendly smile that always made her eyes twinkle. In a heart felt warm manner, she would have said, “Come in and make yourself at home.”

 

As soon as she had seated you in the best seat in her modest but comfortable living room, she would have offered you something to drink and eat. If you were lucky enough to have visited on a day when she had made some of her famous fried dried-apple pies, the delicious, tempting aroma would have made you say yes to her invitation to have one. Also, when invited to another one (for she surely would have offered you another one), you would have eagerly accepted, desiring more of that crispy, flaky, warm crust and that smooth, husky dried apple filling, enriched with real butter. And, if Raymond had joined you in this mouthwatering treat (which he surely would have!), upon licking his fork clean, you would have heard his infamous words, “My, that sure was tasty! Honey, can I have just a little more.” (Raymond was diabetic.) And, what if you and Raymond could have had time to converse? Well, it would not have taken you long to have sensed his contagious love for life! Even at age 85, he would have engaged you in a very interesting and intelligent conversation, such as how young people should get a job so it will teach them responsibility. No wonder he made a fortune in his truck business! Also, you would have admired his determination to keep active as he would have helped “Mother” take the dishes to the sink despite an obvious handicap from a recent hip fracture.

We miss them so much but understand that Raymond and Mother would have wanted us to pursue their dreams of enjoying their country cabin, and we do. We have festive holiday dinners here that are warm family gatherings where we relax by playing a game of pool, cards, or ping pong. Together, Raymond and Mother enriched us with their very positive lives. Their powerful influences on us will remain until we die, and we are thankful.

Four of the five Munsey children now own the cabin.

 

Donald lived in the cabin until he built his home, and he just recently moved out of the log cabin in July of this year, 2004. We children have not attempted to furnish this cabin as Mother would have because we don’t really know what her plans included, except that she and Raymond wanted to enjoy the simple country life: fishing, gardening, canning, rocking on the porch, entertaining friends and families, and giving thanks each day to God for His blessings. The major furnishings in this house that belonged to Raymond and Mother are patio pieces, which are in the sunroom. The lovely authentic- looking gas stove and its matching wood burning mate in the sunroom were purchased for use in the log cabin, and we have left them as Mother intended. We children have been truly blessed, and I hope that you will also have the opportunity to be blessed by visiting Raymond and Mother’s cabin. As Mother used to say, “Don’t be too long in coming back.”

The children of Viola Dance and the stepchildren of Raymond Dance