Full Circle: This Is Our Story

By Louise Studstill

How is one supposed to cope with being left a widow after fifty plus years of marriage to a wonderful man? That was the question in Louise's mind in the days following her husband's passing.

During the several years of his prolonged illness, Ray had, as best he could, tried to prepare his wife to be self-sufficient. So, after she proved she could handle things on her own, Louise decided she could carry on and decided she would never remarry. She had one cat for companionship and that was sufficient. Thoughts of getting a dog for added security quickly disappeared; dogs require way too much care.

Imagine the shock when this "self-sufficient" lady found herself the owner of a little red dog with soft brown eyes. Then, as if that were not enough, a good friend from the past suddenly appears in her life, a man she had known for over forty years.

Read about the inspiring ways in which Jim and Louise reconnected after so many years and how a little dog "helped" get them together. You will be blessed by their love, faith, and commitment to each other and their ministry. This is a testimony of how a second marriage brought fulfillment and happiness to a couple and how their adult children quickly became a unit.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512738216

Louise Studstill

Louise became a Christian at age twenty-five and has served for many years as church pianist/organist and Sunday School teacher. For many years she cared for a critically ill spouse, whose death left her with the resolve not to remarry. God had other plans, however, and reconnected her with a man with whom she had been friends for over forty years. He, too, had cared for an ill spouse for many years and, after her passing, resolved that he would not remarry. This book is a testimony of God’s goodness and His desire to bless us with “second chances.” This account tells of the joys experienced in this second marriage as well as a restored ministry for this couple. Louise resides in Plant City, Florida where she continues with church ministry and teaches private piano lessons.

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© 2016 Louise Studstill.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-3819-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3820-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3821-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016905859

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/6/2016

Contents

Foreword

Special Thanks

Introduction

Jim’s Early Years

Louise’s Early Years

Jim’s Move to Tampa, Florida

Louise—Growing Up

Family Life for Jim

Family Life for Louise

Full Circle

This Is Our Story

Jim’s Homegoing Celebration

Afterword

Churches Where Jim Served

Favorite Jimmyisms

O Christian Man

To Jim, who made my life happy for five fun-filled years. He was a blessing to all who knew him. Jesus truly did, as the song says, lead him all the way.

I also dedicate this writing in memory of my first husband, Ray D. Sullivan, and Jim’s first wife, Marie C. Studstill. Our years with them spilled over into our marriage, and their memories were always a part of our life together.

Foreword

It is such a joy to read this book and the legacy of passion and Christian service. I came to Plant City in 2000, serving the forty-two churches of Shiloh Baptist Association. As a missionary, I first knew her as Louise Sullivan and witnessed her and her family’s devotion to the Lord. My wife, Joyce, enjoyed a much closer relationship with Louise and Ray during that time. There was always a special bond. Since Joyce and I share eight years of marriage after our former spouses had passed, we have a deep appreciation for Louise and Jim’s journey. I had the privilege of observing the joys of Jim and Louise’s story firsthand as they served at Springhead Baptist Church, Turkey Creek First Baptist Church, and other special services. The book is a close personal life journey of our friends. Their testimony speaks to all of us through their faithful service and relationship to the Lord and each other. It becomes even more precious to look at it through the passion and life experiences of the author’s heart.

The author, Louise Sullivan Studstill, shared her life and Christian journey. As I read her story, I felt a deep privilege to enter into the life and reflections of this beautiful Christian woman. I marvel at the faith and faithfulness Louise shared even through the losses of two wonderful Christian husbands. Louise shares a legacy, revealing the blessings of her life and her faith. She even reflects the joys of both Ray and Jim speaking about her in heaven as they look back on their story.

I am reminded that as the years went by, not only did the story of their lives unfold, but the story of our changing American and church culture made tremendous transitions too. The churches, music, conferences, and singing events remind me of the rich Christian traditions so many of us remember. It is such a joy to read of these events and the special people who made them so beautiful.

Jim’s first church after seminary was at Turkey Creek First Baptist Church. As a part of the journey, he served at Lebanon Baptist Church and Springhead Baptist Church in our Plant City area. He fulfilled his ministry in the last part of his journey while serving with Louise again at Turkey Creek First Baptist Church. It is a story precious to the heart of God.

Dr. Danny L. Morris, Sr.

Director of Missions

Shiloh Baptist Association

Special Thanks

My son, Chuck Sullivan, has helped me so much. He has patiently proofread, corrected spelling and punctuation, and offered many helpful suggestions.

Thanks also to Jim’s brother, Charles Studstill, for information about the Studstill boys’ early life, and to sons, Tim and Brian Studstill, for much-needed information about their family life.

Introduction

During the five short years Jim and I were married, we often talked about writing our story. We found it quite interesting that after a forty-two-year friendship, we were now married. Many things transpired during those years, and then we got together. How on earth did that happen?

Unfortunately, we never got around to writing our story together. As best as I can without Jim’s help, I will fulfill our plans to write our story. In order to do that, I must write his story as well as my story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed living it.

Jim’s Early Years

W illiston, Florida, is a small town located about fifty miles west of Gainesville, Florida. The location is extremely picturesque, peaceful, and serene with beautiful green rolling hills. Enhancing this pristine landscape are stately homes of ranch style or Victorian architecture. Many of them would remind one of the famous mansion South Fork, made famous by the television series Da llas .

This area is not just beautiful but very rich in farmland and pastureland. The miles of rail fences surrounding the countryside also protect large herds of cattle, horses, and other animals. Just to ride past this captivating scenery makes you feel like you are part of a hit movie. I mean, John Wayne could come riding around the bend at any moment. It never hurts to have a good imagination in a setting such as this.

This is the beautiful setting for the town of Williston. It was here that James A. Studstill was born on April 2, 1934. He was born to Minor Studstill and Freda Mae Roach Studstill. He was also blessed to have two older brothers, Charles and Harry.

Jim came into the world as a rather hefty little guy. He weighed in at about eight and a half pounds and continued being a hefty boy for a while. When he was born, his parents couldn’t come up with a suitable name. Big brother Charles took care of that, however. His name is James, Charles declared. No one seemed to disagree with this choice, so James it was. Of course, he needed a middle name, so his mom took care of that and named him Arvie. Now no one was quite sure where she got that name, but there was speculation it might have been from a relative. Jim always surmised she may have named him after a nearby pond by that name. It really doesn’t matter because that little one became James Arvie Studstill. As he grew, however, he did not like the name Arvie, so he became James A. Studstill. It wasn’t long before some people were calling little James, Jimmy. This infuriated Charles. "His name is James," he protested. Eventually his protests were overruled, and baby brother was affectionately known as Jimmy.

Life was difficult in those days, not only in Williston but everywhere else. Jim’s dad, Minor, worked at various jobs to support his family. He was a store owner for a period of time. He served as constable, and he was a Standard Lumber grader. Jim’s mom, Freda, worked equally as hard to raise her own family as well as several brothers and sisters. Freda was barely twenty when her parents died, and her younger siblings had no place to go except to live with her and her family. This placed a tremendous responsibility on this young woman, but Freda was all about helping people. This was what she needed to do, and she was committed to doing it to the best of her ability. She not only fulfilled her commitment, but she did it with dedication, love, and grace.

While Mr. Studstill performed at public work, Freda oversaw a farm and raised a houseful of kids. Fortunately, there were farmhands living on the property. They not only helped with the farm responsibilities, but they were built-in babysitters as well. Of course, Freda’s three boys did not realize this until years later. When asked if the farmhands kept watch over them, all she would commit to was, Well, maybe. She was a very wise woman.

Little Jimmy grew fast and, since he was the baby, he was greatly adored. Being the youngest was probably a great asset to him. It kept him from getting into a lot of the boyhood situations that Charles and Harry got into. For instance, there was Devil’s Den. Just the name of it was enough to frighten even the bravest soul. Not Harry and Charles. They frequented this strange place often. No one was quite sure about its origin, but many thought it was created by the Indians. It consisted of a huge hole in the ground with steps that