Some call it coincidence, but the McKnight family calls it a miracle. Their efforts, combined with TammyвЂ™s effort to upload a photograph of the headstone to Find a Grave, have allowed Ronnie to connect with his fatherвЂ™s family. But now this! The entire chain of events that brought these two families together began when Sharron and Ronnie purchased a grave marker for Jimmie Don. Ronnie had been searching for information about his fatherвЂ™s family for much of his adult life and had come up empty-handed. Try to imagine how I felt when Ronnie answered my question and replied, вЂњYes I play guitar and taught myself.вЂќ We had found our Ronnie. It is truly the greatest gift I have ever received. Only a handful of us inherited this gift, including myself, having taught myself to play guitar. It was considered a gift, and a slowly fading heritage to our family since not many inherited those talents. The first question I had to ask was if he could play the guitar? It may seem a silly question, but our family has for generations played guitar, including his mother Wanda, and his grandfather, John Austin.

Missing was the expected hesitation of talking to a stranger.

Randy described his first phone call with Ronnie: вЂњEven though we had never met, it was like talking to someone you had known your whole life. For Ronnie, вЂњthat picture and pictures of my father, were the first time I had seen their faces.вЂќ Imagine searching for one side of your family for 50 years вЂ“ knowing they were out there somewhere, and then learning they had been searching for you as well! Randy recalled, вЂњIt was one of the happiest days in my life to ship the picture of Trellis to Ronnie, his grandson.

The family kept a framed picture of Trellis in his uniform, his purple heart medal, and also a photo of Jimmie Don at age 19. He learned that Trellis served in WWII at was wounded at Iwo Jima. His aunt told him stories about growing up with his father and stories about his grandfather, Trellis. They exchanged phone numbers, and Ronnie was able to connect with family members for the first time. Jimmie Don McKnight вЂ“ Photo credit: Randy Hooker.Trellis McKnight вЂ“ Photo credit: Randy Hooker.For those who donвЂ™t believe in miracles, this is proof they still exist.вЂќ

Her reply was the biggest surprise this family had experienced in a long time.В Not only did she know the McKnight family, but she was married to Ronnie Lee McKnight, son of Jimmie Don and Sharron. He asked if she knew anything about the family of Jimmie Don McKnight or his father Trellis Lee McKnight, also listed onВ Find a Grave. Randy sent a message to Tammy through Find a Grave. What are the chances of her being able to help, maybe 10 or 20 percent at best?вЂќ Having spent nearly ten years myself trying to find Jimmie DonвЂ™s wife and son, I couldnвЂ™t let that one slip by. I noticed the name of the person who had taken a picture of the grave marker was вЂњTammy McKnight.вЂќ She had joinedВ Find a Grave just 3 months prior. Who purchased the grave marker? It most certainly must have been purchased by someone who knew Jimmie. Randy clicked on the hint, and to his surprise, there was an actual headstone.В Randy recalled, вЂњUpon reviewing the memorial for Jimmie, there was the photographed headstone.

Find a grave log in