Uncle Delmar, A Blind Farmer By Homer Page

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The elderly man is 92 years old now, and he lives in a nursing home. This spring he fell and broke his hip. On some days his memory is poor, but the day that I saw him at Thanksgiving, he remembered everything. He called up images and conversations from 75 years ago, as if they were yesterday. I wanted to tell his story and he wanted to help me. He gave it his all.

Blindness is hereditary in my family. We know at least five generations who have been blind. John Delmar Creech is my Uncle. His sister was my Mother. I grew up around blind persons. They were my relatives. Uncle Delmar was the only adult male who was blind that I knew, and I looked to him to learn what my future might be.

The Creech family and several other clans lived in Lincoln County, Missouri. They were all linked by marriage and neighborly interdependence. The were farmers. Everyone worked hard, and they all helped one another. Uncle Delmar was blind, but he too farmed, and when there was work to be done, he did his share.

The day that I visited him he told me of a fall in the 1920’s, when there had been an especially good corn crop. Teams of neighbors went from farm to farm, harvesting one another’s crop. He was a gifted picker. Everyone wanted him to pick and throw the corn into his wagon. The picker walked along side a wagon, following a row of corn, removing the corn from its shucks on the stalk, and throwing it into the wagon. It didn’t require sight to do this work. He had fast strong hands and the enthusiasm of youth. In the fall, in the corn field, he was as good as anyone and better than most.

Uncle Delmar married Aunt Mary Louise, and they had two sons. Recently they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. They farmed and occasionally worked off the farm. Their children and grandchildren grew up. They cared for aging parents and in turn have received help from their children. Although he is blind, Uncle Delmar farmed. Raised a family, and helped his neighbors. His life is full and rich.

He worked with horses until 1952, when he got his first tractor. His sons drove the tractor until they grew up and left farming. After that he rented his crop land to others. He built fences, maintained his barns, and raised live stock. His grandson, David Creech, tells of his amazement watching his Grandfather drive nails with a hammer. He could not see the nail, but never the less he drove it true and straight.

Uncle Delmar’s greatest gift was raising hogs. He had a way with the animals. A sow is very protective of her pigs, but he could go into the pen and touch the pigs to count them or check their health. The sows accepted his presence completely. He had to be able to touch the hogs to care for them. In order to do this he developed a calming manner. The hogs trusted him, and he successfully raised them for over 70 years. The hogs were his single most important source of income and his greatest pleasure.

My life took a different direction from Uncle Delmar. I went to college, became a teacher, writer, and activist in the disability community, but his example gave me strength. He possessed genuine skill and stubborn determination. He was a kind and gentle man, but he was also proud. He carried his own share of any job. He never begged off because he was blind. His blindness was a non-issue for him. He always found a way to get done what required doing. I saw in him a man who controlled his own life, did as well as his peers, and made no excuses. Even though he is old and nearing the end of his life, he pulled himself together to help me with this essay. It was just one more time when someone needed help, and he did the best he could. I don’t know if I can be as good a man as Uncle Delmar, but if I can, I will be proud.