WAR VETERAN Celebrates 96th Birthday
W
by Brooke Ezzo | photos courtesy of Renee Davis
hen you’ve stormed the beaches of Normandy carrying artillery pieces next to hundreds of men in your unit and lived to tell about it, celebrating another birthday is a piece of cake.
And that’s exactly what Clifford Stump
enjoyed this year as he turned 96: good company and good cake.
On June 13, Argyle resident Renee Davis
and many others gathered at a VA center near Dallas to spend time with Cliff
and hear his stories. The week before,
Renee simply reached out to the Argyle
community via Facebook to see if anyone would like to write him a birthday card. The reactions were overwhelming.
“It was such a neat response,” Renee said. “Everyone really chipped in, and it was
neat to see it happen. He was definitely happy with the turn out.”
Residents made homemade cards,
banana bread, and cookies, as well as
a large gift bag of goodies for Renee to take to the birthday party. Even County Commissioner Dianne Edmondson gifted a court proclamation recognizing Sergeant First Class Cliff Stump on his 96th birthday as an honorary Argylian.
Coast Guard veteran and Robson Ranch resident, Brian Burns, members of the Roll Call organization, and Oklahoma resident and 82nd Airborne veteran, Ben Powers, and his wife. Cliff hasn’t been feeling himself lately due to being in quarantine and not having any family in the area, so the birthday party brought him a lot of joy. Renee is a teacher in the Eagle MountainSaginaw district, and every year they host a big veteran’s event. Through this event, she was connected with a veteran organization called Roll Call. The organization brings together veterans each month for lunch and fellowship. They also provide other volunteer opportunities for those in the community who wish to give back and spend time with veterans in our area.
“Everyone really chipped in, and it was neat to see it happen. He was definitely happy with the turn out.”
“It made his day; he was very happy,” Renee said. “We weren’t allowed to go inside for obvious reasons, but it was fun because he sat out on the porch, and we bombarded him with questions.”
The birthday party attendees included Renee and her husband, Scott,
Besides the monthly luncheons, which have been postponed due to the pandemic, the
organization has two other ways to get involved. Mail Call is a program where people can send birthday, get well, thank you, and special occasion cards to veterans. Befriend-a-Veteran is a program that allows volunteers a chance to visit with veterans and help them in any daily needs they may have. From Roll Call’s Facebook group, Renee is able to see what veterans have birthdays coming up or who might not have any family close by and needs a friend. This organization is how Renee met and befriended Cliff Stump. “I just want to say that I can’t thank everyone enough for stepping up,” Renee said. “I knew they would. Our community is a great community full of givers. A huge thank you to everyone for making his day.” To learn more about Roll Call, visit www.Roll-Call.org. JULY 2020 | LANTANA LIVING | 19
