Happy 50th Anniversary Lois and Randy!!

I was told to keep my story short and sweet by that mean ol daughter of yours, so here it is.  

Being my second family growing up and definitely my second set of parents, I'm sure if I sat here long enough and reminisced about my childhood I could come up with a book about all the time that was spent at your house, but I will keep it to some of the most memorable to me.  The games, oh the games.  Competitive Lois comes out and the games are on.  Playing basketball 2 on 2 with Wade and I trying to beat Lois and Randy, or playing Horse with the most random shots we could think of to win, those are some of my best memories.  Of course it wasn't just basketball though, learning how to throw a horseshoe from Randy, or playing Dr. Mario for hours, or playing scrabble and making up words only to get shut down by the Dictionaries that are Lois and Randy, it was always a blast at your house.  I'm sure there were times when I got in trouble too, but I don't remember those as well.  

A few other core memories that will be etched in me for the rest of my life would be "helping" Randy work on the Jeep in the back shop before the Colorado trips.  Was my help really needed? No one will ever know.  Also helping Lois peel the green apples from the back yard and staining my clothes just so I could have some pie.  

I couldn't have asked for a better second family, so thank you for being there and helping me grow up.  

Love your favorite neighbor,

- Cody Simmons

I was for sure the bad boy of the group .... the loudest the one in trouble the one with a mouth and not easy I'm sure.... Lois always had the upmost patience with me and looking back she always was looking out for me even more so than the other boys. It's something you don't see when you are young but now as an adult and parent you see things differently. She never once raised her voice or turned me away even tho I'm sure I was a handful and I was never home lol I was always on their porch waiting to start my day. She even stood up to my dad once to protect me even if it didn't work she probably tried more than once and I didn't even know it. She was mom to all of us and even as a grown man she always tried to guide me in the right direction. When I was chasing my dreams to be a tattoo artist she pulled me to the side and encouraged me to keep going and get my license and to be legal and legit and I had no one in my corner supporting me in my family. Everyone told me to get a job and that I would never support myself or anyone as a tattoo artist ... but not her. Alot of people rejected me and gave up on me but she never did ... that's just who she is she's a rock she is the voice of reason .... she is mom. Love you Lois forever your most pain in the butt kid 

Randy was more than a man to us as kids he was a presence he was authority he was short shorts on the basketball courts that wasn't afraid to tell you to shut up or shoot your dog for barking lolol. I was always afraid of my dad but Randy was different you weren't afraid of him as much as you just respected the man. I used to think it sucked that wade couldn't play some nights bc he was tearing apart a jeep or some kind of vehicle and fixing them all night. Now I appreciate bc no one taught me any of that and without wade I would never have a working vehicle. When Randy came home to watch the Hunt for the red October for the one millionth time after work that was our clue to quiet down and let him have his time. He was never angry he never yelled or at least I never heard him yell ... he didn't have to you just knew he worked hard and I'll always remember how much his dimmeanor changed when it was vacation time lol he was the most happy man I've ever seen to pack and prep that RV to leave. I'm sure I annoyed the living piss out of the man but he never showed it. Thank you for everything you did for all of us. The man hated walmart lolol but prolly not as much as dealing with me and my families shannaingans. Everyone would be lucky to have him as a dad. 

-Brian Spitz

I could tell a million stories because each time we were together, something memorable happened. And we were together a lot.

Randy is one of my favorite cousins. Lois is a family friend and was one of my sister Evelyn’s best friends. When Randy was in the Army and stationed in Germany Evelyn asked Lois and Carol Dennis to be his pen pals while he was so far from home. Apparently, they were quite faithful in writing letters because when he came home, he came to spend a great deal of time at our house. Which, by the way, was very fun for me. That summer Evelyn, Carol, Tommy, and Lois celebrated the 4^th of July at the Cimarron River. One of the activities that night was a bottle rocket war. I think Randy and Lois were on opposite sides. It is my understanding that Lois “accidentally” shot more than one bottle rocket right at Randy. I think that was the night that they realized there was a “spark” between them.  (I see what I did there.)

We started seeing a lot more of Randy after that.  He would stay at our house and Lois would come to visit too. Randy was teaching me to play poker on the living room floor. (Randy, I never got any better.) Mother was making breakfast and called us in to eat. I was having way too much fun and convinced Randy to keep playing. Mother knew the best way to break things up was to get Randy to come to the table. I remember it so well. She said sternly, “Randal Dean!”  He immediately replied, “Yes Ma’am!”, and leapt to his feet. That effectively stopped the game.

Another time Lois joined us playing poker on the living room floor. I don’t know what started it, but Lois decided she needed to teach Randy a lesson and started wrestling with him.  He would be very accommodating and let her try to wrap him up in all kinds of wrestling holds. She worked really hard, and he just laughed the whole time. Once she was finished and quite proud of herself, he would quickly break out of her fancy hold and wrap her up like a ball. They are both quite tall and leggy.  I would have to dodge out of the way as those long legs would flail all over the place. They wrestled until Lois was completely worn out and accepted her defeat.

Keith, another very most favorite cousin, and I are just a few months apart in age and we were inseparable at family gatherings. I was overjoyed when Randy stayed in Stillwater instead of moving home to Yukon. One, because I got to see him, and two, Keith came to visit a lot. I was in heaven! So Randy and Lois began taking Keith and I on dates with them. Even when Randy was at work or school, Lois would take Keith and I all over. We often went to float the river or swim in our farm pond. She even let us drive the Maverick. It was much more fun to drive than the farm pickup that was my regular learning vehicle.  It was while floating the river that Randy taught me the meaning of the word “ballast”.  Lois and I would effortlessly float along with the river current even without an innertube.  Randy and Keith would sink.  I was very naïve and I had no idea why they kept sinking.  I proceeded to teach Randy how to float (as if that was the reason he couldn’t stay on top of the water) and he patiently let me try again and again. Finally, he said that the reason Lois and I could float and he and Keith couldn’t was because we had ballast. I was puzzled and asked what ballast was. He took his hands and held them in front of his chest as if he were holding a couple of basketballs and said, “You know, ballast!”.  I finally understood that he meant our natural female buoys. Since that day, I refer to my ability to float as having ballast.

Randy had a black felt cowboy hat that he wore all the time when he first came home. I was a little star struck because he looked like a real live handsome cowboy who would play cards and let me hang out with him and Lois all the time.  One day he showed up with a brand-new white straw cowboy hat. I was devastated and begged him to switch back.  I loved that black felt hat. He said he didn’t have it anymore. A few weeks later was my 12^th birthday. To my surprise, Randy gave me a fairly large box. And in that box was the beloved black hat.  I think I hugged him for 10 minutes.  I still have that hat.

Around this time McDonalds came out with the Big Mac. The marketing strategy included a catchy little song. My sister Joyce and I would sing it in two-part harmony all the time. One time, when Lois was staying with us while Mother and Dad were out of town, Joyce and I were singing that little ditty.  Suddenly, Lois jumped up and said, “get in the car. We are going to McDonalds and you two are going to sing it there.” We were game and off we went to Stillwater. At McDonalds we went to the counter and sang the song.  All three of us got a free Big Mac, fries, and a drink.

I accidentally caught Lois’ bouquet at their wedding.  I was clapping as they ran out of the church, Lois blindly hurled it toward the crowd, and one of the love knots hooked right on my pinky finger.  I was mortified because I was only 12 or 13. It dangled from my pinky finger as I held it out in horror and tried to get my sister to take it. Randy and Lois had a beautiful Irish setter named Brandy and an adorable beagle named Radar. I loved those dogs very much. I don’t remember where they were during the wedding, but they were in the vehicle with the newlyweds as they drove away from the wedding. I thought that was the coolest thing ever.

During the early years of their marriage, they lived in a little house in Stillwater. Lois decided that we needed to can tomatoes during one of my many visits. All was well and good until those whole, steamed tomatoes were peeled.  I was completely grossed out by the way they felt. It was my job to put the whole, peeled, and cooked tomatoes into the canning jars. I was gingerly handling each one with my thumbs and forefingers with a grimace of disgust on my face. For a good amount of time, all the tomatoes slipped right into the jar with no issue. But then came one that didn’t quite go in.  So, with my thumbs and forefingers, I gently pressed down to force it into the jar. The tomato split open and a geyser of juice and seeds jetted out of the opening into the air.  I looked in awe as it shot up into the air and disappeared.   I couldn’t tell where it went.  About that time I heard Lois start to say, “Gross, gross, gross.”, over and over.  I am quite short and apparently the arc of the that stream of tomato innards went right over my head and all down the back of Lois. I didn’t get a drop on me. She had juice and seeds in her hair, on her face, and all down her back and clothes. I still laugh uncontrollably at the memory of her dancing around trying to avoid the detritus while I stared at her in amazement.  She claims that when they moved out of that house years later she found tomato seeds on the ceiling and in hidden places in that kitchen.

For some time, Randy worked with my dad on his water well drilling rig. One part of the drilling process involved a massive bailer that would be lowered into the hole, collect the water and mud, then pulled out and emptied into a designated mud area. That bailer had been mended with dad’s welding multiple times as it would leak from time to time.  Lois was pregnant with Aubrey and was wearing an adorable white maternity pant suit that was a hand-me-down from my sister, Beth. And Lois looked adorable in it. She decided to go to the current well site to give cheer and joy to Randy and Dad as they worked. They were using the bailer as she happily traipsed toward her darling husband so he could bask in her pregnancy glow and stunning personality. As the bailer came out of the hole a very fine stream of Oklahoma red muddy water targeted Lois only (quite similar to the tomato juice in the previous story) and drew countless red lines all over her and that white pant suit.  Dad nearly had a stroke laughing. Every time he tried to tell that story, it would make him double over in laughter.

There are hundreds more stories but I will stop with these. Randy has always been in my life. Lois came into my life when I was in grade school. I loved and hero-worshipped them both separately. It was even better when they were together. I was thrilled when they started dating and told them both that they couldn’t break up because they needed to get married. I was over the moon when he proposed and I knew I would have them together in my life forever. Thank you, Randy and Lois, for inviting me into your courtship, marriage, and lives. You will always be two of my favorite people and one of my favorite couples in the entire world. Congratulations on 50 years of love and building an amazing family. 

All my love,

Ellen (Adkins) Long

Happy 50th Anniversary, Aunt Lois & Uncle Randy!

Fifty years—FIFTY! That’s half a century of love, laughter, patience, and probably a few good-natured “disagreements” over thermostat settings. 😄

We are beyond proud of you both. In a time when marriage can feel like a fading art form, you two are a shining example of what true partnership looks like. You’ve shown us that love isn’t just about the easy days—it’s about sticking together, lifting each other up, and choosing each other again and again (even on days when someone leaves the cap off the toothpaste…again).

Uncle Randy, we’ve never seen someone put away several plates at a barbecue and still look like he’s ready for a jog. And if napping were an Olympic sport? Let’s be honest—you’d be a gold medalist. Watching you live your best nap life on any available recliner has been nothing short of inspirational.

And Aunt Lois—what would our family be without your energy? You’ve brought joy, water fights, and unapologetic silliness to every family gathering. Whether you’re aiming your Super Soaker at JT/Bubba or an innocent 8-month-old, you’ve taught us all that fun doesn’t have an expiration date. You are the storm that shakes things up, and we love you for it!

Together, you two are like the perfect recipe: a little sweet, a little spicy, and a whole lot of love. One is the calm, and the other is the wild spark—but somehow it just works, and we’re all better for having witnessed your journey.

Thank you for showing us that marriage can be lasting, joyful, and full of laughter. We love you more than Aunt Lois loves sneak attacks and Uncle Randy loves a good post-lunch snooze!

Here’s to many more years of naps, laughter, water fights, and love!

With all our love,

 - JT, Jemi, Bri, & Caleb 

Mom has always had a vision of how she wanted her family to be. We were to care for each other. We didn’t always have to agree, but we were always to stay connected and help each other whenever we could. Stopping what we were doing to be there for someone else was one of the cornerstones of our family. And this is what we grew up knowing about family. For us, it was not special or deserving of any more praise than a thank you. It just was. Imagine growing up like that and then going out into the world to see how other families treated each other!

I didn’t value family until I saw how others treated theirs. I was shocked! Life is so hard already. To have family and treat them like so many people do was mind-blowing for me. That is when I realized what Mom and Dad built and what they instilled in us was special and rare.

They were also welcoming to others, and when you became part of the family, you felt at home. Shelby and Cliff are learning that now. They will drop what they are doing to help you whenever you call. Sometimes when you don’t. Not only do you have that love and support, but you are also expected to rise to it. It goes both ways and is a responsibility you are to honor. We all stop and help each other. We all work on a project together, whether that is working on cars or cutting and stacking wood. Everyone has a job. With that mentality, everything is easier and moves faster than if we had to do it alone. That is how life is in this world my parents have built around them.

Don’t get me wrong. It is not always rainbows and unicorns. We are a stereotypical family that gets on each other's nerves. We argue and disagree, but that one rule of banding together when called, codifies the group. Life and family have taught me that life is hard and unfair but it is so much better with love and family around you. The foundation for that lesson was always there for me, paved by my Mom and Dad many years ago.
Love you oh so much, you two crazy people!
- Aubrey

Mom and Dad (or papa and granny, as they are now affectionately called) have always proven to be the model relationship and family unit by which all others should be measured. The amount I've grown as a person under their influence is immeasurable. Mom was a stay at home mom for most if not all my life and was my true "home" I returned to after school each day. Not a day went by that we didn't feel loved and cared for. Back then we walked to and from school as long as weather permitted and Mom would sit on the porch swing reading a book as we returned home each day, greeting us and asking about our day as soon as we approached the porch. Oddly enough this small act became a major anchor for me each day looking forward to walking up the street to see Mom swinging away on the porch reading her never ending supply of romance novels. No matter how lousy the day might have gone up to that point it was like getting a free reset once I saw her there. If Mom was the shelter and shield in which we learned family values of love and solidarity, Dad was the hand and sword who taught us how to fend for ourselves. He taught us that there was nothing wrong with depending on others but the more you could depend on yourself the stronger you became. I remember as a little kid all I ever wanted to do is go out and play but occasionally, dad would make me help him with whatever he was working on which more often than not was maintenance or repairs on one of the cars they had over the years. I always hated having to help bleed brakes and things like that when I could have been running around with my friends but now I couldn't be more thankful for those opportunities to learn to be self reliant. I have had several times now as an adult that I have had to do some repair on the side of the highway in order to get back on the road and had I not learned so much from my dad I don't know how I would have gotten home. Just recently my dad and I just finished rebuilding the transmission in my suburban. It was a heck of a struggle compared to bleeding brakes and changing oil but we did it and I honestly had a blast turning wrenches with him. Long story short when I run into a problem in life no matter what it is I don't look at it as a defeat or a failure, I see it as an opportunity to rise above and over come it. I wouldn't have that outlook if it weren't for the incredible pair who raised me. 

- Wade Adkins

To Randy and Lois, 
First and foremost - happy 50th Anniversary to you both! To accomplish this tremendous feat is a remarkable event to behold, and I am thrilled to be here as a witness for your celebration of togetherness.  

Stories over the span of your time together endure, develop, and grow as your cultivated family continues to bloom. However, as a newcomer to the Adkins Clan (thank you for having me, btw) saga, I have not personally witnessed decades of you. As such, I have developed a few observations and thoughts about both you and how you both operate. 
To begin with, each of you have long-ago cracked the code on what your partner says, means, and does. Entire self-help book industries exist out of the knowledge you each possess about the other. If you get bored enough - it is time to publish and cash in! My guess is that mutual problem-solving claims a massive portion of your success - you both WILL find solutions to any problem in your sphere. 

Additionally, it cannot be overstated how much I admire your shared ability to mold and shape a life through planning, grit, struggle, resilience, creativity, and mirth. By doing the not-so glamourous work of extreme budgeting with the end goal of purchasing the land and building supplies that would one day become The Ranch. Then on The Ranch, build your homestead from scratch using your considerable learned talents and construction skills - even after 20+ years later, your home stands as testimony of your partnership. Seriously, I brag about your construction prowess often...and thank you for allowing me quality jackhammer time during the Rec Room expansion project opening ceremony.  

Your self-reliance is admirable, but your commitment to having fun while doing it is key! What is more, you have instilled this ability to have fun in both of your children - they enjoy the genuine portions of life that were learned first-hand from you. Also, they know how to change tires (and other mechanical maladies), no problems at all! 

While I could easily ramble endlessly about your approach to living and focus on family, I would like to close by saying how much I love being a part of your family and wishing you the absolute best over the coming years.

~ Cliff Williams

I haven't been in the Adkins family as long as others, but, they have shown me a great amount of love and care. They also showed me what a parent's love can truly be like.

 I have received so much help, from both lois and randy, after my 2 kiddos were born and when I needed the most help in many ways. And I'll always be truly grateful to them for that. 

Because of them and their caring nature I get to see my children have a wonderful relationship with their grandparents, something I couldn't have dreamed of before. The smiles on my kids faces, the laughs and them always asking to go see Papa and granny are more precious to me than anything else in this world and It's all because of Papa and granny.

 They have shown me it's alright to mess things up, it isn't nearly as bad as it seems. And that not being good at games is alright, just being together is what it's all about ( and all the smack talk during said games.) 😀

- Shelby Adkins

HAPPY 50th ANNIVERSARY!!!

I met Randy and Lois several years ago while they were in Colorado Springs. I thought they were kind. Years later, I was visiting Aubrey and I wanted to go visit her parents and see the ranch. We stayed there for 2 days. I had so much fun!! They are wonderful people! We played zilch and had fun in their new addition/game room. We had a huge campfire 🔥 and delicious food. I had the chance to chat with Lois while we chopped vegetables for lunch, and I loved the experience. I do not doubt that Lois and I would be great friends if she lived closer ☺️. She took me on a tour of her property with her new ATV. It was so much fun to be there. I got a chance to talk to Randy also. Good folks. I have nothing but happy feelings when I think of them! 🥰 I look forward to seeing both of you again!

Love, Delia Case.

First off, Happy 50th Anniversary to you both!!!

Well the old memory bank doesn't retain like it used to but a few memories that come to mind are the summers when I would come up for a week and Lois would have to entertain Ellen and myself while Randy was either at school or work. We spent a lot of time swimming in the local farm ponds or going out to the river, then of course, there was learning to drive in the ol' Maverick. Lois I know you had a million other things that you would have rather been doing but I know Ellen and myself had a great time and appreciate the time you put aside for us.

Then of course who can forget the notorious bottle rocket fights out on the river when the whole family and friends would divide up and get on each side of the river and see who could reach out and touch someone. :)

Last but not least there was the Colorado trip when we lost the wheel bearing in the Ramcharger. We were out in the middle of a plateau up above a beautiful river in the middle of nowhere. As usual, we took the challenge in stride, we would figure out what we needed to do and continue on with vacation.
So after several calls to find out who had a wheel bearing for a Ramcharger, and we drove to Grand Junction, (it was a nice way to kill an afternoon) returned with the parts, replaced and reassembled, and after spending a day to rest up continued with vacation.

Ahhh fun times, can't beat it!

Anyway, Happy Anniversary and congratulations on 50 of them!!

- Keith Adkins

Uncle Randy:
When I found out I was pregnant with Haven (at 16 years old), Uncle Randy was working on that job out in the mountains for the forestry service, on wildfire watch. Nobody probably knows this, but he wrote me a letter when he got the news. I wish to God that I could find that letter, because I wanted to keep it forever, and I still think about it often. In essence, he wrote in the letter about how life sometimes throws you curveballs, and when those curveballs come, we adapt and make a way, and keep on living.
When I got pregnant, I expected nothing but judgment. Not just from the family, but from everyone. I remember thinking, “Thank God grandma Hazel isn’t here to witness this”. So when I got that letter from Randy, it profoundly affected me. I was not met with judgment, only acceptance, love, and rational encouragement. Those words coming from such an unwavering spirit made me believe that I could get through this predicament and come out okay.

Aunt Lois:
She makes motherhood look easy and fun. She was so excited about having a baby around, you’d never know that Haven wasn’t her own grandson! She brings a creativity and whimsy to parenting that makes it feel attainable and fun even for those of us who never planned to become mothers.
One particular memory I have from childhood is sitting in the RV with Ryan, and Aunt Lois teaching us how to play penny poker 😂

So, all of these things about Uncle Randy and Aunt Lois, taken together, really make them a force to be reckoned with. Uncle Randy, the rational speculator, and Aunt Lois, the loving, nurturing, hilarious matriarch, you just can’t beat that dynamic. They are a love that many people attempt and very few attain. The timeless love story that we all want so badly to believe still exists.

Thank you both for having such a formative influence on me and my family!

AND HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

- Shay Hinds

Randy and Lois were my other parents from ages 3-12 and in my life almost as much as my real parents! I met the Adkins family when Lois became my babysitter. Aubrey and I have been best friends since that time. To pick a single or best memory of them is proving impossible for me. Instead, I'll share some memories. 

1. When I lived on Kingston, Aubrey and I would walk to each other's house. Lois would stand at the end of her driveway, and my mom would stand in ours. They would make sure Aubrey and I had safe passage. They also coordinated to watch us walk to school in kindergarten and first grade.

2. Randy loved Top Gun and watched it every day until The Little Mermaid came out. I always thought it was so funny how often he watched those. 

3. Our parents became friends as well. It's great that Aubrey and I could go play, and our parents would just happily chat away.

4. Lois used to take us on all kinds of adventures. She drove us to swimming, skating, the zoo...

5. Several times a month, I stayed the night at the Adkins house. Aubrey and I would get in trouble for talking and giggling late into the night. Lois would come in the room and say,  "You girls need to stop giggling and go to sleep! Daddy's got to get up early for work in the morning." (Sorry!) We'd try to quiet down and sleep, but it was hard.

6. And don't forget, Randy and Lois had specific chairs in the den. No one else could sit in those chairs. They were molded to fit only them. 😆 

After my family moved to Utah in 1990, I missed having my other family in the same town. Every time we visited Ponca City, I made sure I was able to stop by for a bit. I don't see them often these days, but they are still in my life.

-Janet Israel (MeGee)

Photos!