Mrs. Semones’ mother moved in with Mr. and

Mrs. Semones’ mother moved in with Mr. and Mrs. Semones following her release from the hospital. Mrs Semones said she believes that the home is the place for special care of family members. “I was brought up in an atmosphere where we loved each other and cared for each other,” she said. “You care for your loved ones in your home; you don’t shovel them out.”

Rappahannock Best Decision

The Semoneses moved to Amissville in 1966, two years after an industrial accident caused Thornton to lose a hand and a leg. He had to undergo a series of operations. The move to Rappahannock was a decision the couple never has regretted. "We wanted to find a place for ourselves... to be independent,” Mrs. Semones said.

They selected a home on Route 211, a “horrible looking” piece of property at first, Mrs. Semones recalled. She added, though, that the place they would make home from then on had a picture-perfect view of the nearby highway. “Let me live by the side of the road and be a friend of man. That’s how I really feel,” Mrs. Semones offered.

Previously, the family had lived in different parts of Virginia, wherever Mr. Semones’ contracting work for the highway department would take them. Until the move to Amissville, they considered Radford, Va. home, where they had lived for 16 years.

Former 4-H’er, Scout Leader