In Memory of Mattie Lee Dilbeck
November 25th, 2008 by 
John Dilbeck
Today, instead of affiliate marketing, I’m going to talk about Mattie Lee Dilbeck, my Mom.
In memory of Mattie Lee Dilbeck
Mom died on Friday evening, November 21, 2008, and it was a difficult day for several reasons.
Before I talk about her death, I want to talk about her life.
I am one generation from the farm. Mom and Dad both grew up on farms and worked very hard when they were young, and that’s something that probably made them stronger when they were old.
I don’t know how many stories I’ve heard about plowing fields behind horses and mules under the hot summer sun or picking crops when their fingers were so cold they could hardly move early in the fall mornings.
My Mom was the oldest in her family and Dad was the youngest in his.
Mom and her younger brother, Floyd, used to work together to plow the fields when they were young because it took both of them to manage a plow. Mom collected arrowheads they found in the fields and I still have a few of them, now.
Mom was born on November 6, 1920, and was a child of the Great Depression. As a result, she recycled and reused everything. She was a master at getting full use out of something and discarded it only when it was completely used up.
She was a master at getting the full value of coupons and spent years clipping and passing them around to her friends and relatives, easily saving several hundred dollars per month in foods and household goods, which was a useful skill when money is tight, and it has always been tight in our family.
Mom had to drop out of school before finishing high school to help on the farm. It was only when she was in her mid-20s that she learned of the Berry school in Rome, Georgia. Even though she was about ten years older than her schoolmates, she went back to high school at Berry Academy.
For the next few years, she worked her way through the school and one of the things she loved was baking for her fellow students.
While there, she saw Henry Ford when he visited the school and - if memory serves - she made a short speech for him and his friends.
When she graduated, she was Valedictorian of her class and this was a great accomplishment for her and is something she valued her whole life.
After Berry, she moved to Chattanooga and started studying nursing at Erlanger Hospital.
In those days, nursing students could not be married (for whatever strange reason) and she was less than a year from graduating when she met Bill Dilbeck. Mom’s sister Geneva told me that it was a love that could not be denied.
Mom was an honest person her entire life. She told the truth, even when it was inconvenient. Some of her classmates told her to get married and just lie about it. That was what a few of them had already done. Mom would not do that. She quit nursing school and was married in December 1950.
Mom and Dad moved to the Atlanta area. My grandmother, Cornelia Godfrey, was sick and I think Mom helped care for her. My memory is vague about some of this.
Cornelia died shortly before I was born, so I never knew her. I’ve been told that I missed a very good person.
I was born in 1952 and my brother, David, in 1957.
While going through Mom’s papers yesterday, I found a two page receipt for the hospital stay and services when I was born at Georgia Baptist Hospital. For delivery, doctor’s fees, anesthesiologist, surgical, miscellaneous, and a room for three days, the grand total for my birth was $74.20, paid in cash on July 4, 1952, when they brought me home.
Dad wanted to call me Firecracker, but Mom put a stop to that. It’s a shame, because I like being called Firecracker.
I won’t go into a lot of detail. The highpoints…
David was born in December 1957. I don’t know what he cost.
We moved to Vero Beach, Florida in 1960, because of Dad’s arthritis. He worked hard managing several thousand acres of citrus crops during the early 60s.
We were close enough to Cape Canaveral that we could watch the rockets of the space program launch on TV and then rush outside to see them streak upwards into the sky. When the first Saturn V launched, we were amazed to be able to read “USA” on the rocket from about 70 miles away without even using binoculars.
After going through a hurricane in 1965, Dad decided that was going to be his first, and last, experience with those storms and we moved back to the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
Dad was hired back at his old job at Mullins Brothers Paving Contractors in East Point when we happened to run into his old boss in a restaurant while looking for a place to live. Dad never even had to look for a job. How’s that for a sign?
They bought a house in southern Fulton County and Dad worked at Mullins Brothers until he retired in the early 1970s. Mom worked as a power machine operator at several factories and worked even harder raising a couple of cantankerous sons.
Dad had been raised in eastern Tennessee and Mom in north Georgia. When he retired, they split the difference and bought a house - the one I’m in this morning - in Murphy, NC. That way, they’d be able to visit both branches of the family fairly easily.
Dad was about seven years older than Mom, so she had to work when they got here. She worked as a power machine operator for several years and then was hired on the Older Americans project by the USDA, where she worked in a tree orchard for several years.
By this time, I had moved to Murphy to help them out because Dad’s health had started to decline. Even so, he could outwork me any time he wanted. I taught computer programming at the local community college.
When Mom retired, she signed up for college, because it had always bothered her that she never was able to finish college and dropping out of nursing school had been one of the big disappointments of her life. A couple of years later, Mom graduated with an Associates degree in Business Administration, and then she retired.
Life went pretty well for both of them for the next few years.
In the summer of 1991, just a few days after going to watch the Independence Day fireworks, Dad died in his favorite chair of a massive heart attack. One minute, he was getting ready to go work in the garden and the next minute he was gone.
For the next 17 years, Mom continued to live here. She was an active gardener and loved flowers and herbs. She could tell you more than I ever wanted to know about any flower or plant in her garden and around the property.
Mom spent over 30 years studying our family history and easily knew more about the Godfreys and Dilbecks (our direct branches, at least) than anyone else on the planet. Much of this research was done before the Internet, and it required writing many letters and visiting many places to find the information she needed. I’ve put a small portion of what she learned on my Genealogy page or Genealogy Overview page.
I have boxes of records - mostly hand-written - that Mom collected during her genealogy research and we’re lucky that she compiled a good bit of it into a couple of books that she had printed for our family. Several of us have copies of those books.
We lost a great family historian when Mom declined to the point she could no longer do the genealogy research she loved so much.
Mom was always learning something. She has dozens of books about birds (she loved hummingbirds), flowers, gardening, cooking, and many topics related to her religion.
Mom was friendly and could talk to anyone.
She was a loving parent, loyal friend, devout Christian, and would do anything she could to help someone in need.
Mom was always scrupulously honest, even when it was not convenient for her.
She taught me how to read several years before I entered first grade and encouraged my education throughout my life.
In 2001, on Halloween, she started bleeding and couldn’t get it to stop. I took her to the emergency room. A few days later, on her birthday, she was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Weeks of radiation and chemo preceded surgery in Asheville, NC. What was expected to be a stay of a few days turned into over six weeks in two hospitals. The cancer surgery was successful, but she suffered nerve damage that left her in constant pain, and unable to walk or care for herself.
They wanted to put her in a nursing home in Asheville, but after talking it over with Mom, I said, “No.”
My daughter and I brought Mom home and I cared for her - where she wanted to be - until August 2008. It was a lot of work, but I would make the same choice today. She helped me when I needed it, and I have been happy to return the favor when she needed my help.
In August, her health suddenly declined and she had to be hospitalized. A week later she was moved to the nursing home attached to the hospital. Her health continued to decline and she found it harder to communicate as the weeks went by.
The last couple of weeks were frustrating. She was losing weight and strength. After her birthday, it was difficult to communicate with her. It seemed that she understood what she was hearing, but could not complete a sentence.
On Thursday, November 20, 2008, I started running a fever and throwing up. All the yucky side-effects of getting sick. I was planning to visit her Friday afternoon, but was sick enough I had to call the nursing home and ask them to tell her I would not be able to make it.
Late Friday afternoon, Mom’s doctor called and told me that Mom’s systems were failing and he didn’t think she’d live longer than a day, if that.
I called my brother, daughter, and ex-wife and told them. David would not be able to get there before Saturday morning, but Dena (my daughter) and Kathy (my ex-wife) went to the nursing home to be with her. Of course, I was too sick and they would not have let me in, anyway.
Dena called later Friday evening and said Mom was asking about me. She held the phone to Mom’s ear and I was able to tell her I love her and told her that everything would be alright.
Later I learned that David and my cousin Jacque also had a chance to talk to her.
Unfortunately, we could not understand what Mom was trying to say, but Dena said she smiled when listening to us, and we can only hope she understood what we told her.
I fell back asleep.
Sometime Friday evening, November 21, 2008, I’m still not exactly sure what time, Kathy called and told me that Mom had died.
It has been a very sad weekend and I’m sure today and tomorrow will be sad, too. Mom’s funeral will be this evening, and we’ll go down to Coal Mountain, Georgia, tomorrow to bury her with Dad and her family.
She’s better off than she was. She has always been an active, friendly, and talkative person, but it was very difficult to understand what she was trying to say the last 10 days, or so. Most visits consisted of talking to her, helping her sip some Sprite or juice, and holding her hand. Now and then, I could understand what she was trying to say, but it was getting more difficult.
I posted some photos of Mom on my Facebook account yesterday so Dena could try to make a CD that we can show at the viewing. We don’t have many photos of Mom, and I lost many when a harddisk crashed a couple of years ago. But we do have a few.
This should be the link to the public gallery, if you are interested:
Mattie Lee Dilbeck Photo Album
One of my favorite photos of Mom should be visible at:
Mattie Lee Dilbeck - this is the same photo that is shown at the top of this post.
There is much more that could be said about Mom, but I’m going to stop here. I’m still feeling bad and I think I’m going back to sleep for awhile.
Some of the details here may not be entirely accurate. My memory is not completely reliable on some of these details, and I’m still really foggy about what has happened over the last weekend. At least I’ll be well enough to attend her funeral and burial.
I’ll be getting back to work later this week, but the next few days will be family time.
Townson-Rose Funeral Home created a memorial page for Mattie Lee Dilbeck, should you wish to visit it.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, try to help someone or a family who is hungry this holiday season.
All the best,
JD
| 3.3 (2 people) |
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 at 9:13 am and is filed under Friends and Family, John Dilbeck, Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 25th, 2008 at 9:30 am
John, It’s hard to find the words to say at a time like this. For what it’s worth, I was proud to “listen” to you tell me about your wonderful mom. Love. MiMi
November 25th, 2008 at 9:38 am
[...] I wrote a little about her this morning: In Memory of Mattie Lee Dilbeck. [...]
November 25th, 2008 at 9:49 am
[...] I wrote a little about her this morning: In Memory of Mattie Lee Dilbeck. [...]
November 25th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I’m sorry to read this bad news, John, and even sorrier that you couldn’t be there for her last few hours. I’m glad you were able to tell this story, though. It seems odd to me because I did the exact same thing hours after my dad passed away in June 2002. And now there’s something else that connects you and me; your mother passed away on what would have been my dad’s 77th birthday.
My condolences to you and your family. I wish you comfort during this time.
Mitchs last blog post..Stuff You Probably Missed
November 25th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Big John,
I’ve read your entire article about your Mother and copied it. i am very touched by it.I will be sharing it with my family and two very special friends. We of course want you to know that you and your family are in our thoughts. I will pray that the Lord will lift the clouds of grief as soon as possible and fill your heart with beautiful memories of the good times you had with your Mom. You have told a wonderful story of her. You are a blessed man to have had such a loving mother. And, you are a good man and most of all, a good son. With all the encouragement I can offer, please be in constant rememberance of the Lord, and know that He is with you always. You are truely the salt of the Earth.
Bless you Brother. Walt B.
November 25th, 2008 at 11:06 am
[...] I wrote a little about her this morning: In Memory of Mattie Lee Dilbeck. [...]
November 25th, 2008 at 11:13 am
[...] I wrote a little about her this morning: In Memory of Mattie Lee Dilbeck. [...]
November 25th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Thank you for the kind wishes, Mitch. I appreciate it.
It was hard not being with Mom the last few hours, but Dena and Kathy did a very good job of caring for her, comforting her, and being with her. Mom was always afraid of dying alone in a nursing home and that didn’t happen. Her friends visited and the staff could not have been more helpful or supportive.
Today is the first day I’ve been able to really sit here and use the computer since Thursday and I felt compelled to write something about Mom. That’s all I’ve been doing for the last seven hours.
I think I understand something of what you felt when you wrote about your Dad after he died. Sometimes there are stories that need to be told during the moment, or closely following.
Yes, another connection. Your Dad’s first day and my Mom’s last day.
Thanks, again, Mitch.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I want to thank Dr. Henry Meinecke and Dr. Robert Moreland and their staffs for caring for Mom for the last few years. Your care made it possible for her to spend more time at home and enjoy her independence as long as possible.
Additionally, I want to thank everyone at Murphy Medical Center and their associated nursing home for the excellent care you provided during her last stay and during her earlier rehabilitation and surgeries. Your attention to caring for her made a very difficult part of her life much more bearable and even enjoyable on occasion. You were able to care for Mom after her condition deteriorated to the point where it was impossible for me to care for her at home and I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life.
Thanks to the staff at Townson-Rose Funeral Home for making her funeral and burial as easy as possible and for working with my daughter and brother to see that Mom’s wishes were followed as closely as possible.
Thank you, too, to all her friends in the Murphy area who enriched her life and shared her interests.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Thank you, MiMi.
I appreciate your support and kind words.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Hi Walt,
Thank you for the very kind words and for thinking of my family and me during these difficult days.
Indeed, I am very fortunate to have had such loving parents.
I hope you and I will have the opportunity to meet in person in the near future. I’ll be looking forward to it.
November 25th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
John, this is a beautiful tribute to your mom and my heart goes out to you and your family. I think it is wonderful that you treasure so many memories of her and any mother would be very proud of that. We had a cousin at Berry who also studied nursing at Erlanger. Her name was Dorcus Elledge. Maybe they were friends as it seems to be about the same time.
You will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Ohme (Joan4’s sister)
Nancy Tate Hellamss last blog post..added another Thanksgiving Prayer
November 26th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
JD, my heart goes out to you at a time like this. Memory is a beautiful gift and good memories of a good mother are so precious.
Thanks for sharing that story in the way that you did. I believe that it will touch many hearts.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your loved ones at this time.
Wayne
November 27th, 2008 at 4:39 am
John, What a wonderfully written tribute to your mother who sounds like she was a lovely lady. It was a very emotional and beautiful read.
After I lost my Dad who was the centre of my world, it kept me going to know that I was so very lucky to have had him in my life even if his time here was cut short. Not everyone in this world is blessed with wonderful parents. The more love we have from those people in our lives, the harder it hurts when they are gone but I wouldn’t give up all that love up for anything.
I hope you find some comfort in your time together with your family in the coming days. One of my favourite sayings is ‘to live in the hearts of those you love is to live forever’ and it sounds like your mother has a very special place in all of yours.
Joannes last blog post..Affiliate Marketing Success - Why It Works
November 27th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I’ve opened a new account at PhotoBucket.com to upload all the photos I have of Mom’s funeral, after the funeral, and Mom’s Burial.
I haven’t had time to add the captions or identify anyone, yet, but I’ll get to it over the next few days.
I’ll be uploading yesterday’s photos in the next hour or so.
You can see them at my johndilbeck PhotoBucket page.
I hope you will find something to really be grateful for today and share it with friends and family.
Happy Thanksgiving Day to you, even if you don’t live in the USA.
Act on your dream!
JD
November 27th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
John,
I’m getting this news late. I thought I was subscribed — now I am.
As you know, we share a lot in common, especially in caring for our moms. After reading your wonderful tribute I see that our moms had a lot in common, also. Family history really stood out, as my mom also was a prolific researcher and I have over 20 Rubbermaid buckets of her research to prove it! Mom will be 89 in a few days, and I know that some day I’ll be facing what you are now. Just wanted to tell you that when the family goes home and the business is settled, if you ever want to talk some more about your mom, I’ll be happy to listen.
November 27th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
John, my heart is with you my friend. So sorry I didn’t see this sooner. There are no words to express my thoughts for you in your loss. Your Mother sounds like a wonderful person. May God be with you my friend.
Ray
November 28th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Good morning, Nancy,
You’re absolutely right, I do treasure most of the memories of Mom.
I’ve heard Mom talk about nursing school and know several of her friends from Berry and Erlanger. I think I remember her talking about Dorcus - the name really sounds familiar and it’s not a very common name.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers; they are much appreciated.
All the best,
JD
November 28th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Good morning, Wayne.
Thanks for the kind words and support. I appreciate it.
I’m happy to share my brief recollections of Mom. She was a loving and supportive person, and my brother and I were lucky.
All the best,
JD
November 28th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Good morning, Joanne,
I am happy to hear that some of what I was feeling came across when you read it.
I’m sorry to hear about your Dad, but I agree with what you say. The pain of loss will pass and the memories of all the good times will last.
It’s one of the reasons I celebrate only birthdays, and never the anniversary of when someone I loved died.
Yes. Mom has a special place in all our hearts.
I did find comfort with my friends and family.
When I was originally writing about Mom, here, I’d type a bit, cry a bit, type some more, cry some more, and I was about cried out when I finished. That gave me just enough time to get ready for the funeral.
At the funeral, the burial, and during the drive back and forth to the burial, I was surrounded by family and it made all the difference. Even though we were sad about Mom, we had a very good time sharing stories, memories, and talking about all that was going on in our lives.
Life goes on.
My oldest granddaughter just finished high school and is about to start college — a very big transition.
My youngest granddaughter turns 12 today and really, really wants to be a teenager, but she’ll have to wait one more year. Happy Birthday, Katie!
I spent yesterday with family and had a great time.
Even though I miss Mom a lot, we spent much more time smiling and laughing rather than feeling sad.
I think that comes more easily when we are at peace with each other. I know that there was nothing I left unsaid or undone while either Mom or Dad were alive and I have no regrets. I miss both of them, but I think of them with a smile, and that makes all the difference.
All the best,
JD
November 28th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Good morning, Nancy (Oram),
Yes, we do share a lot in common. It’s good to hear that our Mom’s had interests in common, too.
Mom loved genealogy. She cared about her family and had dozens of cousins and more aunts and uncles than I can remember.
It sounds like her genealogy research is not as organized as your Mom’s is, but I’ll be working to organize it a bit better over the coming weeks.
When your Mom turns 89, give her an extra hug from me and all the people who will read this. She’s too old for her birthday spanking(!), but an extra squeeze and kiss is much better than a spanking and a pinch, any day.
Thank you for the offer to talk. I may take you up on it.
I’m feeling much better than I expected, and the entire funeral process has left me happy and ready to start this new stage of my life, rather than feeling sad and moping.
A loving family makes a lot of difference, and I could not be luckier than I am.
All the best,
JD
November 28th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Good morning, Ray,
Thank you for your kind words and good wishes. They are greatly appreciated.
It’s not a problem that you didn’t see it sooner; we’re all busy people with more to do than we can ever get done.
Mom was a wonderful person. She had times when she drove all of us crazy, but each of us does that now and then.
All the best,
JD
November 28th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
hi john,
i was just surfing looking for ideas on how to make some money from home when i ran across a site that mentioned your loss.
out of plain curiosity, i read your story, and i must say i was very touched as well as saddened by your loss. it would seem that you belong to a very caring and fortunate family. your mother was a very lucky woman to have received such love from her family, and from the way you wrote about her, your family was extremely fortunate to have had such a loving caring and dedicated mother.
here’s hoping that the examples you and your family have shown will prompt others to show the same kind of love and caring to their own family members and friends.
wishing you and yours a rapid recovery from the grief that is so apparent from your story.
November 28th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Good morning, Bridget,
I hope you find some good ideas for making money at home. If not for my home business, there would have been no way to stay home all the time and care for her when she needed it.
I highly recommend at least a side business where you can earn some extra income from home.
I’m happy you found your way here and I could share part of what I feel and remember about Mom. We may not have had much money, but we loved each other.
There were days when any of us might not be speaking to one or more of the others, but it never lasted too long.
My brother and I went through a stage when we didn’t have much to say to each other, but that was a long time ago.
If you, or anyone else, read this, my only advice is this: If you’re angry with someone you love, get over it. Forget and forgive. Find areas of common interest and develop good memories. We all do things we wish we hadn’t done and some are more serious than others.
Still, forgive and forget. Hug instead of fighting. Help each other become a better person. You’ll be glad you did.
I’m still a little sad and I know I’ll miss Mom, but the grief is gone.
Thanks for the kind words.
All the best,
JD
November 29th, 2008 at 3:17 am
Hi John,
I’m glad you got a chance to put your hearts memories into words here. You are such a loving devoted son… she will always be near you in heart and spirit, I believe love is truly forever. She will be missed. You have a wonderful and interesting family. Thank you for sharing your life’s journey. Your friend always, Cat
November 29th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Good morning, Cat,
Thank you for the kind words of support. I appreciate them.
Yes, Mom will be missed. Just yesterday evening, while I was reheating some Thanksgiving leftovers, I started to go ask Mom what she wanted. Then I remembered. It felt strange for a moment.
I agree that love is forever.
I’m looking forward to working with you when I can get my schedule straightened out and catch up on what I didn’t get done over the last week or more.
Thanks, again.
JD
December 7th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
John,
I really loved your mother too. I remember being in class with her and I thought she was so sweet. I really admired her for going back to school. When we were in school at TCCC, it was a very happy time in my life and I will always remember you being my teacher and Mattie.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Good afternoon, Brenda.
Thank you for the kind words. Mom always liked you, too.
I’ll always remember you as one of my best students. I haven’t seen you in awhile and hope you are doing well.
All the best,
JD
December 12th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
My deepest sympathy for your loss. I know all too well how hard it is to lose Mother. My own passed 6 years ago, Dec. 15. We also lost my Mother-in-Law 3 years ago. I was a primary care-giver to each. I have not yet reached the point of being able to talk about either of them without revisiting my terrible sense of loss, so I admire and respect what you have done here. My heart goes out to you.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Good afternoon, Janelle.
Thank you for your kind words and support. I appreciate it.
I can’t speak for anyone other than myself, but I felt I had to write about Mom and tell my friends some of the many things that made her special. I have had quite a few friends who read what I wrote here contact me via phone, card, or email and share their thoughts and feelings about her.
These conversations have helped me work through most of the grief, but I know it’s an on-going process and takes longer with some of us than with others.
I think about Mom and Dad a lot, especially now that I’m living here alone in their house. I miss both of them, but think of them mostly with affection rather than sadness.
Writing about it has helped a great deal.
When I first started writing this, it was for myself and maybe my brother and daughter. Then, I realized I wanted to share it and rewrote it for this blog. I’ll probably rewrite it, again, and post it to one of my websites where it will have a permanent home.
I’ve had others tell me that writing about the loss of a special person in their lives made it a bit easier to deal with. Some shared what they wrote, and others kept it private.
Thank you, again.
All the best,
JD
December 29th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I was struck by the similarities of your Mom’s background and my own. I was born in 1926, remember the Great Depression well, was married in September 1950, had my first son in 1953, second in 1954, and third in 1957.
Small world. Big coincedences.
Jack Payne´s last blog post..Simple Quirk in the Law Enables Anyone to Become a Con Man
December 29th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Good evening, Jack.
Welcome to our discussions.
Those are some striking similarities. I wonder how much our families have in common.
You don’t tend towards being a pack rat, do you?
Mom wouldn’t throw anything away. She’d use it up, recycle it into something else, and then use it up, again. She always blamed it on the Depression.
Thanks for your comment.
Act on your dream!
JD
February 16th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
How sad, sorry to hear about your mom. I can relate because I feel the same way when mom passed away 3 years ago. It is really painful, until now I still couldn’t believe that things happened in just a blink of an eye, especially when I was not beside her during that very moment, I didn’t got the chance to say I love you for the last time and say sorry for all my mess.
Don’t worry I’m sure your mom is with you and watch over you all the time, talk to her I know she listens, just the way I do.
Google Shadow´s last blog post..Skyrocketing Your Profits with Google Shadow
February 17th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Good morning.
Welcome to our discussions. Thank you for the kind words.
Yes, it is more painful than I would have expected. I think missing that last chance to say “I love you” is a good reason for taking the time to hug our loved ones every chance we get. If we let them know we love them regularly, missing that last chance isn’t as important. Don’t you think?
I hope you’re feeling better about it now.
All the best,
JD
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Johnnie, I’m so sorry about your loss. Ms Mattie and I were library-mates. I would pick her up at Grizzly Bear, and from there we would go to libraries all over. Mostly we went to Young Harris, but there were also side trips to Chattanooga, Cleveland, TN, Ellijay, GA, and she would keep up a steady stream of conversation, talking about her younger life and about what she had found that week in her Dilbeck & Godfrey searches. My grandson and I would fix our “library lunch” of egg salad sandwiches, and he would always bring something special for Ms Mattie, a cookie or a banana, something that he could give her special.
She was a very special lady, and we are blessed to have known her.
Rose Birdwell
June 3rd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Good afternoon, Rose.
Thank you for sharing your memories of Mom.
She loved going to the libraries with you. That was very kind of your grandson to bring her something special.
Yes, she was a special lady, and I still miss her. It makes it a little easier when I hear stories, such as yours, from her friends.
All the best,
JD