Shirley Anne Mcmurray - Breaking the Chain: Life and Times of a Convict through the Eyes of His Daughters

BREAKING
THE CHAIN

LIFE AND TIMES OF A CONVICT
THROUGH THE EYES OF HIS DAUGHTERS

Shirley Anne McMurray
and
Melinda Leigh Alkire

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

BREAKING THE CHAIN

Life and Times of a Convict through the Eyes of His Daughters

Copyright 2012 by Shirley Anne McMurray and Melinda Leigh Alkire.

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-7646-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-7648-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-7647-5 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 12/30/2011

Contents

Dedicated to The Grandchildren

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT A man who most would classify as dysfunctional and a menace. Many called him a drug-addicted criminal who defied societal rules and norms. He was shunned by the so-called normal people in society, idolized and called the toughest man alive by the gangsters in town, and chased by women who called him the best looking man to put on a pair of boots. But I called him Daddy and loved him with my heart and soul.

No matter how bad things became, he was my hero. My love for him was unconditional and innocentthe kind of love that can only be experienced by a child for a parent. His life shaped the person I have become today. As strange as it may seem, I thank him for every experience he subjected me to and wouldnt change any of the events that he exposed our family to because I now have a story to share. Many who read this may believe the events are made up or fabricated, but those who knew him will understand. This story could never have occurred with just any ordinary person as the main character. My father was so unique and intelligent that no one could figure him out, yet they tried. He was not in a gang nor considered a gangster per se. He ran solo in a style of his own that no man could duplicate.

On the day my daddy died, my husband made a statement that brought to light the way my daddy impacted others: The minute he took his last breath, the earth stood still on the streets of Fresno, California, and the game will never be the same without him. I am proud he is my daddy and must write the story about our familys life to allow for just a glimpse of the notorious and infamous life of Larry Owen Azlin.

Young Love

ON MY MOTHERS SEVENTEENTH BIRTHDAY, she and Larry Owen Azlin eloped and went to Las Vegas against her parents wishes. She remembers wearing a green, velvet dress and that he wore a pin-striped suit with shiny, black Stacy Adam shoes. He was six foot; she was just a few inches above five. His dark complexion, wavy, black hair, and green eyes contrasted with my mothers fair complexion and blonde hair. Petite in stature, she weighed just ninety pounds the day they married.

In telling me about their early days, my mother proudly mentioned that all the girls in high school flocked around Larry. My mother adored him and stated, I felt as though I was marrying a teen idol. My mother came from a family that struggled financially; my fathers middle-class family did well. After they were married, he drove her to the home of his sister, who also had recently married. Daddy left my mother there for a week while he partied with his friends. She also told me that they didnt consummate their marriage until they had been married for seven days. A virgin at the time, she was on edge about the big night. Their relationship was unconventional from the very beginning and continued for years to come.

Her wedding day should have been a sign to Mama that she had married a man who would show her a lifestyle that could only be explained as different with a plot sordid enough to be on the big screen. Mama explained to me that she had been in love with Daddy since she was a small child and had often admired him during her years in junior high and high school. She felt a boy like him would not have anything to do with a girl from the other side of the tracks. At one time, her family lived in a tent with dirt floors. Her family picked fruit to sell and lived on the profits.

Popular and strikingly handsome, Daddy was actually shy and a loner. When he chose Mama, she felt as though she had just been saved by Prince Charming. She told me a story of one of their dates when he reminded her, Bring your scooter pie. So she brought a scooter pie cupcake on their date. She told me how he laughed all night at her while she was embarrassed by his forward way of approaching her for more than a cupcake. She was a virgin and remained that way until she married him. At least, Daddy knew she was a good girl and saw the qualities in her that she may not even have seen in herself.

My mother was a loyal wife. The townspeople called her foolishly in love because she never gave up on Daddy no matter how much he put her through. She stood by his side regardless of the personal cost that could never be measured; she worshiped him until the day she died. He put her through things that most normal women could not handle, yet she stayed and endured the madness for twenty years. She would go toe-to-toe with any person to defend her husbands reputation

She was certainly not a typical mother and was known for carrying a pistol in her purse just in case things went sour anywhere she went. I remember the day she entered a convenient store to buy some snacks for me and my sister. She blatantly laid her pistol on the counter as she attempted to find her wallet that she thought she had misplaced. The checkers eyes widened and my mother politely stated, Oops, that was not meant for you. We left the store happy. Mom had no real reaction, as this was a mild infraction compared to the life to which she was accustomed.

People in my parents crowd often remarked, There is no Larry without Paulette, and there is no Paulette without Larry. Even with a separation in place, no one dared to disrespect either one of them as an unspoken bond remained. When their love was good, it was really good; but when it was bad, it was horrible. When I turned seventeen, the age Mama was when she married Daddy, she said, Honey, if you fall in love and it dont come easy, and your heart is in pain more often than not, get out and fast. My mother knew she would never shake the hold Daddy had on her, and she really had no identity without him.

If my mother loved someone, it was a love she would die for. But if she no longer cared for a person, she wasnt afraid to let it be known publicly to the persons face and to the point. Mama was a beautiful woman with long, blonde hair, a perfect tiny body, and green, catlike eyes. Her smile melted hearts and her wit and humor made the hardest of the hardest laugh till they begged her to stop as she was making their tough guy image seem weak. She always pumped Daddy up as a man who had the potential to conquer the world. Even when he was shunned by society and classified as a junkie, she was his biggest and most loyal fan who never gave up hope. I believe she is the main reason others could recognize his talents since she was known for telling detailed stories about the perils of his life and the subculture we lived in. I dont remember that she ever belittled my daddy. Somehow, she always found his strengths. Even in the midst of the storms of our lives, Mama always had Daddys back.