Blain married Lori Dillon September 28, 1997 and on September 22, 1998 had a beautiful baby boy. They named him Seth Langston Dillard. I felt so honored to have anything this wonderful named for me by giving him my middle name.
Blain’s longtime best friend, Scott Patterson, married them. They graduated from high school together and became life-long friends when they were both living in Charlotte. Blain went on to graduate from N.C. State while Scott graduated from Roanoke Bible College that is located near Elizabeth City, North Carolina
They had a small wedding with only Lori’s parents, B. J., her Mom and Gerald, her father, Calvin Neal and his wife, Jean, Barbara and I. It was a beautiful event after which we all went to the Japanese Steak House in Crabtree Valley Mall for a celebratory meal. Calvin, Gerald and I split the check as a gift to Blain and Lori.
Figure 55 - Pictured left to right: Pastor Scott Patterson, Lori and Blain Dillard at wedding.
They left for their honeymoon in Australia on December 7, 1997, and returned on December 22. I am told that Seth was conceived in Australia and if so, what a wonderful event. I am sure it will remain in their memory for as long as they live.
All of Seth’s grandparents were there on September 28 for Seth’s birth. There has never been so much happiness in one place I was fortunate to be assigned the job of taking pictures for the trip home. How exciting that was for me. He is the finest young lad I have ever seen and I will always love him. My main regret is that my Mom passed away before his birth. She would have loved him to death.
On February 22, 2001 Blain and Lori had another surprise for us, a new boy named Caleb Denver Dillard. Caleb was named after the Biblical Caleb and was given his maternal grandfather’s middle name. I feel sure that Gerald felt just as proud about this honor as I did when Seth was born. It is simply a great feeling.
Since Blain and Lori have never been accused of quitting, they proceeded to have yet another boy on January 18, 2003. They named this one Luke Scott Dillard. I am proud that they continued to stick with Biblical names for all their boys.
Luke was and is the sweetest little boy I have ever seen. This is not to take anything away from Seth and Caleb, but Luke is the baby and a great one at that. Barbara and I enjoy keeping him so much, because he is so loving. He climbs on my lap and squeezes my neck so hard it hurts. I remarked to him on one occasion that this would get him anything I have.
Of course, we have kept Seth and Caleb a lot and they are really great boys. Since Barbara and I have gotten up in age, it is difficult to keep up with them. On one occasion, we took Seth to a shopping mall in Raleigh, N.C. and he got away from me and was so fast I couldn’t begin to catch him. Lucky for us, a kind gentleman saw our plight and blocked his route. This was so scary. If anything happened to any of those boys because of us, it would be a tragedy we could not get over.
Figure 56 - Blain & Lori with Luke, Seth, and Caleb (L to R)
Figure 57 - Blain & Lori's Home in Cary, NC - 206 Poplar Branch Ln.
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