I’ve been to a funeral and Family Gathering. My great Aunt Gladys passed away at her home in Tennessee and was buried in the family cemetery in Kentucky. She was 92 years old. Born the 9th child in a 3 room shack on a poor Kentucky dirt farm but went to college and was a teacher until she got married. Loved my Daddy when he was a little boy and having a very hard time after his mother died. Raised a family pretty much on her own as her husband was either away in WWII or working and making a career. Never learned to drive a car but served as a reliable and dependable volunteer Gray Lady in her local hospital until over the age of 90. Lost her brilliant and hard working husband to Alzheimers years before he died in 1992. Lost her oldest and some say most beloved son in such a cruel and tragic way. Loved all animals – birds, cats, dogs… my alpacas even though she never did make it to come see them she always asked after them when we talked. She was over 90 when she adopted her last dog and it worried her what would become of Sweetie Pie if something happened. Which it did but she had a plan and Sweetie Pie has a new home with my Aunt Jean and Uncle Billy, who are already completely captivated by that littlest survivor of this wonderful woman. Played Canasta with a passion and a reputation for being in it to win.
There were more than 60 of us, her relatives, there at the Gathering to bury her in the little old cemetery up on Pap’s hill, her old farm home. Every one of us had memories of her love and her sometimes tart tongue to share with each other and laugh a little and cry some too. I don’t know if there is another life after this one; she believed there was and it was a great comfort for her in these last few months as the surprising cancer ended her days so abruptly so I certainly hope she was right and is reunited with the many loved ones she hoped to see again. By anybody’s definition she was a great Christian. She lived her life by the high standards she found in the Bible but she never judged or condemned those of us with less certainty. Gave me my first “grown up” Bible when I was a little girl – I wonder what I did with it? It was white leather with my name imprinted on it in gold and it the pages were edged with gold and it zipped with a little cross for a zipper pull. I thought she was very elegant when she would come back to visit the home folks!
Just a housewife. Yeah, she was. But she was a lot more than that too. I hope I got a few of her genes in me.
