Why Miss Daisy?

In early 2008, Trudy’s parents (Dave & Dolores) decided to retire. After over 50 years of marriage, they wanted to move away from the cold, snowy winters of Northeast Ohio and move closer to us and a warmer climate. Dave had always been an outdoorsman and loved to hunt/fish. He looked forward to moving to East Tennessee and spending his retirement hunting and fishing in the mountains of Tennessee.

Unfortunately, his retirement didn’t go quite as planned. He developed cancer, followed by a stroke that took away his speech only a year after moving to TN, and we lost him in 2015. Before he died, I promised him I would continue to give Dolores a hard time (joke & cutup) as he had always loved to do. I also promised to always look after her.

Around 2005 we met another couple that had retired here from Illinois. Ken & Sue had joined our group of friends, and we began spending many weekends eating out and playing games together. Unfortunately, Ken passed away in 2010, leaving Sue alone in TN. Sue quickly became a very close family friend as we made sure to involve her in everything we did. She and Dolores also became very close, spending many days shopping and crafting together. Sue became much more than a friend; she quickly became family!

Over the years, it was rare for Trudy & me to go somewhere without Dolores & Sue. One day I joked with them that I was driving my “Miss Daisies”! Of course, that stuck, and our “Daisies” could always be found in the backseat of one of our vehicles. In 2017, after we bought our first RV, I laughed and told them that I would call it “Miss Daisy.” So, our first “Miss Daisy” was born. It started as a joke between family members but has become much more. Truly it now is more in honor of them both. They have added so much to our lives; I can’t imagine calling it anything else.

We lost Sue on April 1st, 2023. She passed away suddenly and has left a massive hole in our hearts! Our backseats will never be the same!