He had an easy, friendly way that made him almost irresistible. It may sound cold, but in many respects marriage, especially marriages entered into quickly and without a great deal of prayer, are simply a crapshoot. It takes some time. His collapse was not as dramatic or as colorful as his wife’s had been, but it was a collapse nonetheless. His father liked working in sales and his uncle liked working in service. I gradually experienced encouragement with the church that we attend. In seven short, blistering, blurred years, he went from being a locally known DJ in Pasadena to being one of the most popular entertainers on two continents. We can overcome, we can endure, we can triumph, even in the face of extreme pressure, through the grace of Christ. He felt this was his duty and he determined to make the best of it. Caroline had a bounty of amazing gifts, chief of which was her ability to make others … Apart from cases where couples have lived together for years (which God’s word strictly forbids) you don’t know what you’re getting into, and you really don’t even know who you are getting. RELATED STORIES: In his last years, Ernie drank so much that his alcoholic wife (totally smashed herself) once called her son and told him that she was worried about his father’s heavy drinking. You can find out more about which cookies we are using in our Privacy Policy. Betty was artistic by nature and in her early days dreamed of being a celebrity herself, but she soon realized that her husband would be the real “star” of the family, the one with whom everybody wanted to be seen and to schmooze. In the years since Mac's death, Rhonda says she has found renewed purpose through the Bernie Mac Foundation, which the late comedian started a year before his death to promote awareness and research for sarcoidosis, a disease from which he suffered. Not only did he have a great voice, he had studied voice at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. I knew that love will persist, and comfort from others and comfort from above. Married four times, Gunderson has also found time to get involved in local volunteer activities. I would say to open my heart to others and to know that there are comforts that are there, but nothing will ever take it away. Although there were brief respites when their initial love and affection would resurface, those times would quickly pass and the darkness would resume. files (free downloads), go to our Audio Devos Page. You’ve got to look for others and search out love and comfort from others, and thankfully we were blessed to be recipients of that. The movie is based on the inspiring true story of an Iowa high school girl’s volleyball team that rallies together under the guidance of a tough-love coach in hope of repeating as state champions after the death of the school’s star player, Caroline “Line” Found. Caroline was dragged around to her older brother’s and older sister’s sporting events. I’m blessed in many many ways and I hope to just be able to share those blessings. He was good-looking, although not movie-star handsome. While Ernie sang songs such as Amazing Grace and Blessed Assurance, Betty explored transcendental meditation, yoga, and bought her teenage sons sexually explicit novels and in one case a book of nudes in various poses in trees, on the beach, and on rooftops. She was 23 at the time of her death. It rocked our world, as it does with everyone who is hit with that. And then 2011 doesn’t get better; in many ways, it gets worse. Betty, on the other hand, despised traditional styles and values, and leaned hard left in politics, in philosophy, and in style. The record company, and Ernie as well, milked it for all it was worth. Ernie and his wife divorced, and Ernie remarried. Grieving the death of his daughter and wife, Ernie, a former spinal surgeon, was able to provide encouragement to a community in mourning and a volleyball team without its star player. He never pounded the pavement looking for an agent or a break, never camped out at Central Casting, never worked as an extra hoping for a line or a close-up, didn’t do time in a chorus line, and was never anyone else’s second banana. There was no time for the couple to rejoice, though, as Ernie joined the Sicilian invasion. They married in 2012, three years after he had divorced his second wife Slavica, to whom he was married for 24 years. The rest is history. Olympian Kerri Walsh-Jennings becomes ‘Jacob’s Angel’ in youth’s cancer battle, NEW PODCAST: Ted Barrett – Major League Baseball Umpire, NEW PODCAST: Brad Larsen – Columbus Blue Jackets Assistant Coach, NEW PODCAST: Andy Andrews – New York Times Bestselling Author, Speaker, NEW PODCAST: Paige Dimakos – ‘The Draft Network’ Chief Operating Officer, DeMeco Ryans promoted to 49ers defensive coordinator, remains sustained by Jesus, NEW 'TABLE FORTY' PODCAST: Cardinals Manager Mike Shildt & Wife Michelle, Sports Spectrum Daily Devotional: Tuesday, January 19, Justin Fields enters NFL draft 'thanks to God's grace and mercy', Guided by God, Bucs linebacker Devin White leads Tampa to NFC title game, NEW PODCAST: Ted Barrett - Major League Baseball Umpire, THE INCREASE: Letting Go of Expectations - Matthew Boyd. Caroline Slocum Found, beloved daughter, sister and friend, died Thursday, August 11th at age 17. And it was worth a lot! I wish I did get a lightning bolt, a specific moment. Ernie Ford quickly remarried but all his drinking had destroyed his liver, and within a few years he died of liver failure at the age of 72. Eventually Capitol Records compiled a series of his hymns into an album, simply titled Hymns. And more often than not, we prayed that Mom would not come in with a belt after (drinking). Ernie Ford was easy-going, laid back, and not particularly ambitious. Helen soon found herself in conversation with a young man who shattered her image of athletes as loud, pushy and abrasive. It was her first step toward falling in love with Ernie Davis. In those days, it was expected that the variety show hosts would serve as pitchmen for the companies that produced their programs. None of it worked. Another day older and deeper in debt. After a trip to the emergency room her stomach was pumped and she survived, but the rift between husband and wife grew greater still. Almost certainly the man or woman you dated and fell in love with is not the person you will live with over the years. She was very taken by her leaders. The more you question why or talk about what if, you end up totally empty. It will make it even harder. Ernesto Arturo Miranda (March 9, 1941 – January 31, 1976) was an American criminal and laborer whose conviction on kidnapping, rape, and armed robbery charges based on his confession under police interrogation was set aside in the landmark U.S. Supreme … He retreated into a world of his friends, golf, and watching television, and began to drink almost as much as his wife. Leaders and mentors play such a huge role in teenagers’ lives. Ernie Found is the father of West High setter Caroline Found, who died in a moped accident in August. She used sarcasm as a deadly weapon. But like so much in his career he never really sought it; he just sort of “fell into it.” The truth is that Ernie was more of a cultural Christian than a radical born-again, evangelical. And then getting a hold of my two children, it doesn’t get any worse. None of us has walked in his shoes. Brace emerged to the news that his wife had remarried. When you’re younger, you want to do exactly what they were doing. The man who sang so many Christian hymns and recorded so many gospel albums did not seem to have the spiritual resources to keep his own life in order. Then they welcomed two more children after they married — Shaqir Rashaun in 2003 and Me’arah Sanaa in 2006. Married four times, Gunderson has also found time to get involved in local volunteer activities. Shareef Rashaun was born in 2000 and Amirah Sanaa was born in 2001. It was her first step toward falling in love with Ernie … A decorated Marine Corps fighter pilot and mustang, Brace was court-martialed in 1961 for attempting to fake his own … “The Miracle Season” hits theaters on Friday, April 6. Montag is curating an exhibit of Dr. Found… Sadly, about a year ago, Ernie’s daughter passed away from kidney failure. The same charisma that would eventually make him a world-renown celebrity worked its charms on the pretty, young secretary, and after a bit of flirting, he asked her out. She was extremely pretty, very smart, and could have had her pick of any of the unattached men with whom she constantly interacted. Neither of Pyle's parents attended school beyond the eighth grade. So be it.”. He and his family were members of various churches throughout their lives, but they did not attend regularly. Of course, support, strength, and comfort are not Jesus’ primary benefit. Less than two weeks later, Ellyn succumbed to the pancreatic cancer she had been fighting. It will not disappear. While together, the couple did have four children together. And while Ernie was not the hillbilly he sometimes portrayed, he did have a preference for blue jeans, ranches and country life over the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, rhinestones, and avant-garde ways. Richard Melzer does for Ernie Pyle what Ernie Pyle did for thousands of average G.I.s overseas: he describes Pyle's joys and struggles from Ernie's perspective, in candid, straightforward terms. You can still hear this song played on oldies stations, with its famous lyrics, “You load sixteen tons, and what do you get? As I reflect back on it, it was night time. The first thing I would say, it’s a never ending process. There’s no hurry to rush into it. Ernie saw his wife’s drunken rages as “his lot in life” and stoically bore the brunt of her explosive personality. OneCoach: What it takes to be a great volleyball player or coach? Ernie Ford quickly remarried but all his drinking had destroyed his liver, and within a few years he died of liver failure at the age of 72. Every day seems like a Saturday which seems like a pleasant thought, I guess. She said yes without reservation. I still feel it every day and every night. When press and photographers were allowed into their homes they posed for photos that portrayed a wholesome, loving, happy family. What was your reaction when you saw the movie? On June 11, 1969, Bonna shot herself, after first killing her six-year old daughter. But this impressed him all the more and he immediately offered Ford a job with his station. You keep thinking, “How can tomorrow be made better?” Not only for yourself, for those around you. There is a tremendous harvest going on in the world these days, and we are privileged to be a part of it. Spirit of Grace The end result was that most of his listeners actually enjoyed and preferred the Ernie Ford enhanced songs. In the end, it is Jesus Christ who must be our strength, the One on whom we throw all our burdens. And then it was, “How do I tell Ellyn?” who was hospitalized at the time. But the thing that impressed her the most was the nature of the man. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. He was my Little League coach. Ford was not the perfect husband, however. Ernie had always been naturally a nice guy, a pleasant, personable man to whom nearly everyone could relate. I relied awfully heavily on friends and family and the thoughts of my parents and the things they went through as well. It was a shocker to say the least. After 3 years, he remarried; they divorced amicably in 1966. I never really wanted to get angry. It came totally out of the blue. Ellyn died of pancreatic … In addition to his drunkenness, his voice was only a remnant of what it had been, and he had made no attempts to learn the lyrics of any of the songs. During dating and courtship nearly everyone puts on their best face, minds their manners, and behaves quite differently than they will three years down the road. Dr. Ernest M. Found is an orthopedist in Iowa City, Iowa and is affiliated with one hospital. The combination of alcohol, emotional instability, a red-hot temper, depression, and a tendency to blame all her problems on those around her, primarily her husband, eventually made Ernie Ford’s life a living hell. NBC was strongly opposed to it at the beginning, but Ford was determined to do it, and the network grudgingly allowed it. Ernie Ford decided to create a hillbilly persona for a thirty minute program each day. He had no way of knowing that in time, with constant and liberal doses of alcohol, her sharp wit and lively nature would turn on him and everyone else who gave her the least bit of annoyance, and that she would prove a continual source of embarrassment. Marriage to Betty wasn’t so difficult when hundreds or thousands of miles separated them from each other. I’m doing well. Fans have been wondering for the longest time if the beloved comedian’s passing was caused by drugs. Welcome to the real world! “The Miracle Season” hits theaters on Friday, April 6. – Huntington University volleyball player Paige Eakright battles cancer with a strong faith in Christ If she did we prayed her aim would be accurate, because the leather falling on our legs or our backs was way worse than on our backsides. Ernie asked for and was granted custody of Mark, Marlon and Marsha. For a full listing of all articles as audio mp3 Was there a moment where you let the light shine in? Shareef Rashaun was born in 2000 and Amirah Sanaa was born in 2001. Jeffrey Ford writes: Between 1948 and 1954 Dad did five years as a staff announcer at KXLA… signed with Capitol Records in 1949, hosted a national radio series for ABC for two years, signed for a coast-to-coast national radio series for CBS for two years, became the first Capitol act to headline the London Palladium, recorded three number one singles, guest-starred in the first two-part I Love Lucy episode ever filmed… played more than seven hundred live dates in clubs from the Copa to the Thunderbird, became the first guest host for NBC’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge, and signed with the network for his own daily (television) series, to begin in January 1955. But in the nitty gritty of extreme and continual pressure, despite a noble desire to do his duty to his family, Ernie Ford eventually came apart. His real name was Ernest Jennings Ford, but everybody knew him as “Tennessee Ernie,” “king of the “pea-pickers.” He was part comedian, part pop singer, part gospel singer, part television show host, part rancher, part hillbilly, and, well, pretty much part anything he cared to be. I say that because it was a long and arduous decision to go ahead with a feature movie thing. They were married within four months of their first date. Dr. Ernie Found sits in front of his collection of Boston Celtics memorabilia at the home of Doris Montag in Iowa City on Friday, March 17, 2017. "The first thing I did was fly into Iowa City, Iowa, and met Ernie Found," McNamara said in an interview with Metro. In addition to his many talents, Ernie Ford was downright likable, with a charisma that shown brightly through radio and television, as well as in his personal life and relationships. She had never been a particularly restrained personality, and now as a flaming alcoholic she lost nearly all her remaining inhibitions. Ford was stubbornly old-school, traditional, and conservative by nature, as were so many of his contemporaries in that “greatest generation.” He did not approve of marijuana, he did not protest the Vietnam War, he did not like the long-haired look of the hippies, and he most certainly did not believe in divorce. I know he was wounded by those salvos, and yet it was well into the fading years of their lives before I ever detected any pain in his eyes. Although there seemed to be genuine love and affection between the two, in time their polar opposite ways and preferences brought about a growing distance and alienation. He tempers his reports of their growing alienation and frequent clashes with the observation that there were also periods of affection and laughter. She was lying on the floor barely breathing. Ernie tried to cut an album in those days but showed up drunk for the recording session. We started the care but knowing that things were not good. The result is a focused biography, rich in detail and broad in appeal, just as Ernie would have liked it. Played by William Hurt. She was 23 at the time of her death. They were both humans, they both lived on planet earth, but other than that, they could hardly have been more different. When he finally did go to check on her, he found that this time she was true to her word. But niceness is never really enough. She got involved mainly because her brother and sister were involved some in Young Life and her good friends were involved in it. She attended Weber Elementary, Northwest Junior High, and Iowa City West High, where she was to be a senior this year. Ernie’s first experience with the entertainment world was quite modest. Ernie and Sue divorced about 1965 and he remarried. After the thirty-minute program was over, Ford reverted to his normal radio persona, Ernest Ford, and very few people realized that Ernest and Tennessee Ernie were one and the same. Born June 19, 1994 in Iowa City, she is the daughter of Ernest and Ellyn Found. Ernie had borne with his unstable wife for decades but in his later years it became too much. Years later, his sister once told her nephew and niece it was probably too difficult emotionally for him to consider reconnecting with them. Out of nowhere. The program was produced by the Ford motor company (no relation) and in the first weeks, they tried to micromanage every aspect of the programs. Above is, To support SOGM with a monthly recurring donation, click above, Check out our ever-growing list of devotional teachings now available, Schedule an SOGM conference in your church. Although Betty could not see it or appreciate it, Ernie Ford was probably one of very few men who could ever have endured her. There’s so much goodness in the world, we just have to bring it out. Regrettable his first wife died at the age 22 (32) of leukemia, leaving him as a single parent to Sydney and Ernestine. It hit our kids as it hard as it possibly can, as it would anyone. In the spring of 2011, your wife, Ellyn, is diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is probably one of the most deadliest and silent cancers that there is and it certainly was that way for Ellyn. In his early DJ days Ford worked at smaller radio stations, but his life took an abrupt change when a man named Loyal King, owner of one of southern California’s most popular and powerful stations heard his 30-minute hillbilly shtick while driving. Still, the pressure finally did get to him. After 3 years, he remarried; they divorced amicably in 1966. The auto company, seeing Ernie as a valuable asset, reciprocated and made him the highest-paid variety show host on television. Whereas Ernie was affable, polite, and gentle, she was a loose cannon, an unpredictable time bomb, a seething volcano certain to eventually erupt. Even though the song might have been originally sung as a solo, with Ford chiming in it became a duet. I didn’t know what or who to be angry at. She drank at home and she drank in public. (The Gazette) Caroline Found sets the ball in a 2010 match at Iowa City. Ernie and Sue divorced about 1965 and he remarried. She mocked people she didn’t like. It was different, it was lively, and it was an immediate hit. He lost his beautiful singing voice, as well as his motivation to be productive. Ernie’s affability and beautiful baritone voice had taken him a long way. During a new episode of Autopsy, a lot more hints regarding the real cause of death were revealed. It wouldn’t fly today, but the corny caricature worked beautifully in that simpler time. Carolina had been to a Young Life group meeting. Sue claims that Bonna was an alcoholic and was also using “diet pills.” Sue wrote, “Ernie never got over it. Ellyn Slocum Found, 55, devoted wife of Ernie Found and loving mother of Gregg, Catharine and Caroline Found ended her courageous battle with pancreatic cancer … How did faith play a role in this for you? A Young Life camp up in Minnesota that she and others just adored and had a wonderful time. Mack and Ernie…" I'd write out new versions of myself with every new crush. Ernie’s creative mind was always churning, and at one point in his disc jockey career he came up with an idea that would in some ways affect his career for the rest of his life. She not only drank more, she started drinking earlier in the day. A decorated Marine Corps fighter pilot and mustang, Brace was court-martialed in 1961 for attempting to … More than 4,000 students across the state of Iowa attended Line’s wake. His records sold in the millions, and his concerts sold out. Caroline had a bounty of amazing gifts, chief of which was her ability to make others smile. His daughter, Caroline Found, died in a tragic moped accident when she was just 17. One thing they did have in common was that they both drank. She regained consciousness, and cursed her husband, taking up where she had left off before swallowing the pills. It’s August, and you get that dreaded call. It just kind of grew. Nice – but Broken In reviewing his life, one cannot help but admire the many years Ernie endured the eruptions of his volatile wife. HBO’s Frank DeFord told me that time will not heal, but time will soften things. Ernie lost both his daughter, Caroline, and wife, Ellyn, in a span of two weeks. — Helen Viola Jackson's 1936 marriage to James Bolin was unusual to say the least: He was 93 and in declining health, and she was a 17-year-old schoolgirl. Harder on yourself and harder on others. What transpired after that was, in many ways, a miracle. As they aged, new music and new styles emerged and Ernie made no effort to keep up. Ernie Ford was different from many celebrities then and now in that he was never particularly ambitious to make it as a star. Most young people today would have no idea who Tennessee Ernie Ford was or what he did. Published in the Vancouver Sun and Province on 2020-10-02. During this time period, he created a hillbilly twang and style perfected to such an extent that nearly all his audience assumed that the station had hired a new part-time disc jockey straight from the hills of Tennessee. Ernest Cary Brace (August 15, 1931 – December 5, 2014) was the longest-held civilian prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War. I take one day at a time. Ernest Cary Brace (August 15, 1931 – December 5, 2014) was the longest-held civilian prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War. I would ask for help and little by little, guidance would kind of come. For this we must applaud him. He sang the same way he always did, and his audiences became smaller and older. Other faiths have other scriptures, and whether you call it the Torah or the Koran or the Old Testament or the New Testament, it makes no difference. In Ernie’s case, the products were Fairlanes, Thunderbirds, Galaxies, and other Ford models. We often say that opposites attract, and never was this more true than in the joining of Ernie Ford and Betty Heminger in marriage. How do you encourage them on how to get through it? But over some time, we thought a lot about it and talked a lot about it and thought that if some benefit can perhaps come from it — even a single person, that they can improve their livelihood and their way of thinking about things and their way of making decisions — then it would be worth the effort. All religions agree on the basic relationship between God and man and the need for sincere devotion. They had made him a rich man, a famous entertainer who was awarded The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan. A moment where you were going to press on and choose to live? In one hand was the butcher knife (which she had not used) but in the other hand was an empty bottle of Valium, whose contents she had swallowed. How do I remain a faithful and honest person?” She was, frankly, just growing like so many others were trying to grow at that stage of life. Ford made it clear that he needed to do the show his way – just as he’d always done in his radio days. Tell me about Caroline’s faith and how she got involved in Young Life and why that was so important to her? What does life look like today for you and keeping Caroline’s and Ellyn’s memory alive?