EAST LIMESTONE — Three friends. All three have the same job. All three recently became grandparents in the same week. All three babies are boys.
It’s safe to say there is plenty to talk about when Shirley White Cahall, Linda Pigg and Ivy “Toby” McCune get together this summer. They just wrapped up another full year as East Limestone school bus drivers.
Landon Eugene Ledford got the delivery ball rolling.
The grandson of Shirley White Cahall and husband Thomas of Athens, and Morris White of Dundee, Fla., Landon arrived May 12 in Winter Haven, Fla. He is the son of Shirley’s daughter Tonya Ledford and husband Gene of Haines City, Fla. Gene’s parents are Royce and Lynn Ledford of Frost Proof, Fla.
Easton Gant Simpson was the second to be born, May 15, at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence.
He is the grandson of Linda Pigg and husband Jimmy of Athens, and the third child of Linda’s daughter Margo Simpson and husband Jason of Florence. Easton has two big sisters, Kinsey, 8, and Jacey, 3. His other proud grandparents are Carl and Joan Simpson of Greenhill. Connor Alexzander McCune entered the world on May 16 at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children.
He is the grandson of Ivy “Toby” McCune and husband Gene and the first child of the McCune’s son Matt and wife Sonja of Athens. Sonja’s parents are Ray and Marie Ezell and Larry and Brenda Wigginton, all of Athens.
As any parent knows, babies don’t arrive with plans or instruction manuals. They don’t always arrive as scheduled. Landon, Easton and Connor are no exceptions.
“The Friday before Landon was born, Tonya had difficulties so we knew she was close,” said Ivy McCune. “Then Connor was due next after Landon but Easton decided to jump the gun and started his arrival without being induced.”
McCune said although the pending births had been their chief topic of conversation since early last fall, no one expected the babies to be born so close together. “As the due dates kept getting changed around we began to ask each other, ‘wouldn’t it be something if they were born on the same day?’” she said.
While that didn’t happen, three births in five days were enough to set off a texting and photo opp frenzy. “Each one of us was going to take off. Shirley went to the hospital with me before she went to visit her new grandchild in Florida. Linda went to Florence to be with her daughter and new grandson. Texting was our way to keep up with what was going on,” said McCune.
Good for words and well wishes. Not so good for photos. “When we were able to get together it was nice to have pictures we could hold and pass around,” said McCune, who has been through this before with the two children of oldest son Sidney and wife Christy.
While still on what McCune described as “Cloud 9,” the friends are spending as much time as possible with their new grandsons. Shirley is in Florida to stay a month with Landon, daughter Tonya and husband Gene. Linda goes back and forth to Florence to visit Easton and his parents and older sisters. Ivy pays frequent visits to Connor and new parents Matt and Sonja.
The three are already talking about getting their new grandsons acquainted. If all goes well, it could be this Christmas.
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June 29, 2009
Local school bus drivers share grand experience
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