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| TRIBUTE TO MOTHER |
| WRITTEN BY "NORA"S DAUGHTER ~ VERNA MAE McGOWAN WOOLARD OCTOBER 1986 |
| FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK THE LORD FOR MY DEAR MOTHER, NORA MAYO McGOWAN. SHE IS ALWAYS KIND AND LOVING. MOST OF ALL, SHE WAS ALWAYS THERE WHEN WE NEEDED HER. IF WE ASKED TO DO SOMETHING OR GO SOMEWHERE, SHE WOULD ALWAYS SAY, "YOU'LL HAVE TO ASK YOUR DADDY." I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND, AT THAT TIME, BUT IN MY LATER YEARS WHEN I HAD CHILDREN OF MY OWN, I COULD UNDERSTAND PERFECTLY WHY SHE DID THIS. SHE LOVED US AND KNEW PAPA, LEVI McGOWAN, SR., LOVED US TOO; SO IT HAD TO BE A JOINT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THEM. WE LIVED ON A FARM AND THE WORK HAD TO BE DONE BY HAND OR MULES. THERE WERE NO MODERN MACHINES IN THOSE DAYS. WE ALL WORKED IN THE FIELDS AND MAMA WAS RIGHT THERE DOING HER SHARE. DURING TOBACCO HARVESTING TIME, MAMA WOULD GET UP AT 3:00AM TO COOK ENOUGH FOOD TO LAST US ALL DAY. MAMA WOULD THEN JOIN US AS WE WENT TO THE FIELDS. SHE WAS NEVER LATE FOR WORK. WHEN THAT FIRST LOAD OF TOBACCO ROLLED UP, SHE WAS RIGHT THERE TO TAKE HER PLACE. TIMES WERE HARD FOR MAMA AND PAPA - - RAISING SIX CHILDREN ON A SHARECROPPER'S PAY. WE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH MONEY, BUT WE ALWAYS HAD PLENTY OF FOOD. MAMA WOULD GO TO THE SMOKE HOUSE, GET A HAM OR A PIECE OF PICKLED PORK, GO TO THE GARDEN AND CROP SOME COLLARDS, PUT ON A BIG POT, AND WE WOULD HAVE A MEAL FIT FOR A KING! MAMA MADE SO MANY SACRIFICES THAT IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO MENTION THEM ALL. ONE STANDS OUT, HOWEVER, AS CLEAR AS IF IT HAD HAPPENED YESTERDAY. MY TWO OLDER SISTERS HAD MARRIED AND I WAS LEFT AS THE OLDEST CHILD AT HOME. I WAS 15 AT THE TIME. WHEN EASTER CAME THAT YEAR, NATURALLY, I WANTED A NEW SUIT TO WEAR. I KNEW WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY MONEY, BUT I THOUGHT MAMA COULD DO ANYTHING, AND SHE DID. SHE TOOK SOME OF HER LAYING HENS, SOLD THEM AND BOUGHT ME A NEW BLUE SUIT AND A PINK, SATIN BLOUSE. LITTLE DID I REALIZE, AT THE TIME, JUST WHAT A SACRIFICE SHE HAD MADE. I WANT MAMA TO KNOW THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET HOW PROUD I WAS, THAT EASTER MORNING, WHEN I WALKED DOWN THE LANE TO SUNDAY SCHOOL. GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU, MAMA. I THANK THE LORD WE STILL HAVE YOU WITH US IN 1986. ~VERNA MAE~ |
| REMEMBERING UNCLE CHARLIE MAMA'S BROTHER |
| I WOULD LIKE TO SAY A FEW THINGS ABOUT UNCLE CHARLIE. I RECALL, WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL, THAT UNCLE CHARLIE WAS A BIG TEASER. HE LOVED TO PLAY PRANKS ON PEOPLE - - HE GOT LOTS OF PLEASURE OUT OF DOING THAT. WE CHILDREN LOVED HIM, BUT WE TRIED TO STAY OUT OF HIS REACH. IF HE GOT HIS HANDS ON YOU, HE WOULD SURELY NIBBLE ON YOUR EARS ! THAT WAS JUST HIS WAY OF SHOWING HIS LOVE FOR US, BUT WE STILL DREADED THAT EAR NIBBLING ! ! AFTER I WAS MARRIED, MY HUSBAND AND I HAD THE PLEASURE OF BEING HIS NEIGHBOR FOR A YEAR. DURING MY CHILDHOOD, I HAD VERY LITTLE CONTACT WITH HIM, SO THIS GAVE ME A CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW HIM AGAIN. UNCLE CHARLIE WAS STILL A BIG TEASER AND IF HE GOT THE CHANCE, HE WOULD STILL NIBBLE ON YOUR EAR. UNCLE CHARLIE WOULD COME TO OUR HOUSE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOONS. WE WOULD MAKE HOMEMADE ICE CREAM. IT WAS HARD TO SAY WHO COULD EAT THE MOST - - ME OR HIM ! OFTEN, HE WOULD GO TO HIS WATERMELON PATCH, PUT A MELON UNDER EACH ARM, COME TO OUR HOUSE AND CALL OUT, "COME ON OUT YOUNGUNS. LET'S SEE IF THESE MELONS ARE RIPE!" WE REALLY ENJOYED HIM THAT YEAR AND IT WAS A REAL PLEASURE TO GET TO KNOW HIM ALL OVER AGAIN. MY MOTHER, NORA MAYO McGOWAN RELATED SOME INTERESTING STORIES TO ME ABOUT UNCLE CHARLIE. BEFORE UNCLE CHARLIE MARRIED, HE AND GRANDPA JOHN WOULD GO POSSUM AND COON HUNTING AT NIGHT. THEY BOTH ENJOYED THIS VERY MUCH. AFTER EVERYONE ELSE WAS IN BED ONE NIGHT, UNCLE CHARLIE BROUGHT HOME A LIVE POSSUM AND TURNED IT LOOSE IN THE HOUSE. YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT A COMMOTION THAT MUST HAVE CAUSED! ! HE AND GRANDPA JOHN ALSO FISHED TOGETHER QUITE OFTEN. THEY WOULD CAMP OUT THREE OR FOUR DAYS AT A TIME. IF THEY CAUGHT MORE FISH THAN THE FAMILY COULD USE, THEY WOULD TAKE THEM TO WASHINGTON, N. C., AND SELL THEM. UNCLE CHARLIE ALSO ENJOYED DEER HUNTING. HE AND MY FATHER-IN-LAW HUNTED TOGETHER A LOT. HE CONTINUED TO HUNT AS LONG AS HE WAS ABLE. UNCLE CHARLIE, EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE NOT WITH US ANYMORE, WE STILL HAVE FOND MEMORIES OF YOU THAT WILL LIVE FOREVER. BY VERNA McGOWAN WOOLARD (NIECE) 1986 REFERENCES TAKEN FROM: HISTORY OF MAYO FAMILY RESEARCHED BY BOBBY RAY MAYO |
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| VERNA MAE AT 15 |
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