(written by Tanya Wilder, June 18, 2009)Her body finally gave way this morning, and as she has told all of us for many a year now, Grandma died, "right here in my chair."
She'd had a restless night, and when my aunts and cousins got her up for the morning, it was evident she was struggling to breathe.
Ten children, eight of whom still live...Around 30 grandchildren...Numerous great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren...a woman of great faith....the best biscuit and gravy maker in the world...as strong as the mountains that surrounded her all her life...had the prettiest dahlia gardens in all the mountains...loved the hummingbirds who flocked to her feeders...possessed a dry humor and a cute little chuckle til the last day of her life...loved all her family through thick and thin....raised everything from a bountiful garden to baby groundhogs...when a neighbor was sick or died, folks called on Grandma for strength...spent days upon days on the ground in the mountains picking galax to sell for money to buy herself a few things...could squirt milk from the cow's udders straight into your mouth...never touched a drop of alcohol...as beautiful in passage as in life...
Other than my own mom, the most influential and loving woman in my life....
(With her second son, Rhonda Shook, in the photo above_
(Posted by Tanya Shook Wilder)
1 comment:
Just discovered your blog. Outstanding work. I'm a descendant of William Mastin Michael, a brother of your Larkin Michael, and I am currently researching the Michaels of North Carolina and elsewhere. Happy to share data with anyone interested in genealogy. Bill Smyer
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