David Morrow
Salvation Experience
I was born in Maud, Oklahoma, June 5, 1933. My father, Joseph, had moved there from Texas and my mother Florence (Ritchie) Morrow had come from Arkansas. My father was a poor (but honest) carpenter/farmer, as were so many Americans who were struggling to survive at that time of the Great Depression. To make matters worse, in the 1930’s the State of Oklahoma, which had held out so much promise to homesteading settlers, was plagued by huge dust storms, which became increasingly severe each year. Devastation of the land was followed by bankruptcies, which swept across the land. You would find it interesting to learn more about that phenomenon. My father took Mother and me to the beckoning land of California to find work when I was four. The climate and air agreed so much more with Mother that we soon migrated to the Central Valley of California. John Steinbeck wrote a famous book called “The Grapes of Wrath” which describes the great migration of poor people like our family to California.
We settled in Turlock. In time Dad was able to buy twenty acres with a small, one bedroom house. He acquired a small bunkhouse from the neighbor across the road and pulled it onto our property. Although it had no water or heat, it provided sleeping quarters for my brother, Don, and me until I went away to college.
I was always busy as a boy. We had cows to milk, eggs to collect, and wood to chop. About a quarter of our twenty acres were planted in eucalyptus trees, and Dad, Don, and I spent much of our “spare” time chopping down the trees (to clear the land) and cutting up the wood to sell.
A neighbor who lived beyond us stopped by and gave me a ride to school with his sons. Another nearby neighbor family invited me to ride with their family to attend Vacation Bible School, and it was at this time that I was introduced to Christ and accepted Him as my Savior. The VBS was run by the American Sunday School Union, an organization that I am grateful for and have continued to support to this day, as it was through their ministry that I found Christ. Finding Christ was the most significant event of my life. I began attending the little country church with these neighbors, and in time my parents began attending and accepted Christ also.
At Modesto Junior College I joined Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, an excellent organization which contributed greatly to my Christian growth. I became president of the group. When they went on a two week camping trip to a remote part of Catalina Island during the summer, I could only go for one week, as I had to work to save money for my next semester.
I completed my undergraduate education at Fresno State College (now California State University at Fresno), where I majored in Social Science, which consisted of Economics, History, and Sociology. Again I was involved with Intervarsity, and it was there that I met Beverly Camp. Bev played piano for Intervarsity and somehow I found myself leading the singing! Before I left for graduate school Bev and I were engaged.
I was fortunate to obtain a full scholarship through the Ford Foundation to attend the one year graduate program at San Francisco State College (now University) to become a teacher. Through my church I was put in touch with a family near the College who rented me a room inexpensively, and because of my scholarship and all of my summer jobs (picking peaches, grading them, working in the cannery, and going door to door selling Watkins products) I graduated debt free (but flat broke!) Bev and I were married July 6, 1956, after I graduated. One month later I was drafted into the Army and had to leave for basic training at Fort Lewis, Washington. Bev was able to join me after six months, and my military assignment kept me at Fort Lewis the entire duration of my active duty. Our first child, Francine, was born in Washington.
After my tour of duty ended I was hired as a high school history teacher in Ceres, where I became head of the department. While in Ceres our family attended Mountain View church seven to eight miles west of Turlock. There I assisted in the leadership of the church as Chairman of the Board of Deacons.
Tragedy struck our family while we were there when our first born son, Stephen, died of sudden infant death syndrome at approximately the age of two weeks. Stephen is buried in the children’s area of the Ceres Cemetery, near my parents. Bev is also buried there, as I will be.
In Ceres we had a team teaching approach, and when I applied for a teaching job in the Bay Area, my experience in team teaching (and also as department head) were the two factors which resulted in my getting a job. After a year at the old Foothill High School in Hayward I was transferred to the brand new Marina High School in San Leandro. I was there from the day it opened until it closed, eighteen years later.
During my time at Marina I continued my education, obtaining two masters’ degrees: one in Education and the other in Counseling. Subsequent teaching at Arroyo High School in San Lorenzo and at the San Leandro Adult School rounded out my working years.
Our family attended First American Baptist Church in Hayward, where I was Moderator of the Board of Deacons. Beverly was in charge of Christian Education. To facilitate spiritual depth and provide an opportunity for interaction and support among the members, Bev and I began a small group Bible study in our home, which we led for many years. In 1977 we realized the programs of the church were inadequate for our children, and we began attending the Neighborhood Church (now 3 Crosses Church) in Castro Valley. They had a many-faceted, robust youth program, which we felt would be a better fit for our family. I continue to attend that church to this day.
Almost incomprehensibly, our second son, Tim, died in his sleep at the age of 50. Now I had lost two sons. The grief I experienced from this loss, and continue to experience, would be unbearable without the assurance from the Lord that I will see my sons again.
Then, a year later, after a very fulfilling marriage of 57 years my dear wife, Beverly, succumbed to Alzheimer’s, a condition which had plagued her for ten years. My widowed brother, Don, moved in with me. I was grateful that I still had my daughter Francine, son Brian, and daughter-in-law Jane and their families.
Even though my life seemed over, much to my amazement, God brought Jean Braine into my life. Bev and I and Jean and Ray had been friends for many years, having met at Neighborhood Church in the late 70s. Ray died the year following Bev’s death, and somehow God orchestrated that Jean and I spend some time together, as I had briefly helped care for Ray in his last months and Jean and I had some business dealings together. We were both members of the Gideons, as well as the Challengers adult Sunday School class. Everyone was surprised – including us – when we were married in May of 2015. Our marriage has been such a blessing for both of us!
Serving God in any way I can has always been important to me. One of the prominent values I have had throughout life has been to cherish the friends and family God has given me. A manifestation of this value has been the fact that, along with my wife, I have kept in touch with many people that we met along the way – going all the way back to grade school. For many years Bev and I attended the annual Ritchie family reunion in Oklahoma. It has only been a few years now since those ended. I still have friends whom I made in grade school all the way through high school. Our annual Turlock High School class reunion is a highlight of my year when I see some of these dear friends. Each church we attended added a wealth of new friends whom I still treasure and try to maintain contact with. Friends and family are among my most valuable possessions.
Key Scripture
God never promised that life would be easy. In fact, Christ told us to expect that life would be hard. But He did promise never to leave us. And He has been true to His Word. I can say with the Psalmist “The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.” (Psalm 118:14).
A passage that has been so meaningful to me throughout my life is Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Looking back over my long life of trusting in the Lord, I can attest to His faithfulness to me.
To those who come after me I would say receive Christ early In life, as soon as you learn about Him. Then follow Him where He leads you. Look for His direction, and He will not just lead you but be right with you all along life’s difficult journey. With Him, you can handle whatever comes your way.
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