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During those four years, he soaked in every detail. Later, he taught his sons the value of water on a ship \u2014 \u201cBoys, get in, soak yourself, turn it off, and get out\u201d \u2014 though, as William admitted, they didn\u2019t quite master the quick Navy shower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By 1957, just six months before being released from service in Milton, Florida, Dwight and his wife, Vickie Hawkins Sholey, welcomed their first son, Mark. They had been sweethearts since grade school, wrapped up in a small-town love that never let go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After his time in uniform, they settled back in Sewanee and built a life centered around hard work, community, and enduring love. Together, they raised three boys: Mark, William, and Jeffrey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Dwight hung up his uniform, the Navy never left him. He proudly wears his veteran hat and lines his room with flags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe had a short time there, but he was always proud of it,\u201d said William. \u201cHe constantly tells people that he\u2019s proud to be a veteran.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back home, Dwight became a mechanic again, this time in civilian coveralls. He worked at the Hat Corporation in Winchester, eventually becoming a union representative. Later, he opened Sewanee Auto Repair, a little garage that became a town staple for 33 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After retiring, he handed over the keys, and the new owner still keeps the lights on today, upholding Dwight\u2019s legacy and honoring the man who fixed a little more than cars. He fixed what he could in the world around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 89, now in a Winchester nursing facility, Dwight\u2019s memory has softened in some places and sharpened in others. The Navy stories come easily, along with the laughter, the salt air, and the noise of jet engines. The tattoos, though faded, still speak for him \u2014 signs of a life lived wide and well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dwight may have started his journey as a teenage boy looking for more than Sewanee could offer, but he returned with stories, honor, and courage that have rooted his family for generations. His story and his sons\u2019 devotion to keeping it alive remind us that the past is never too far away. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the early 1950s, the Pacific Ocean swelled beneath the might of the USS Midway, the largest ship in the world at the time. With over 5,000 crew members on board, the ship felt like a small city. Planes soared overhead, boots clanged on the metal decks, and young sailors were finding their way into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":24094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24092","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover"],"yoast_head":"\n
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