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BRENDA, BORN 11/11/41..GRADUATED UNC-G-G..
1964..DEGREE IN HISTORY, WITH TEACHER'S
CERT. FROM More… GRADES 7 - 12...ADDITIONAL COURSES AT UNC-C FOR ELEM CERT...TAUGHT
6TH GRADE IN RALEIGH WHILE RAY FINISHED
N.C. STATE AND 4TH GRADE IN CHARLOTTE
HAVING A SON, MARK, SOMEWHERE IN THERE.
WE NOW HAVE A LOVELY DAUGHTER IN LAW,
3 LIVELY GRANDCHILDREN--7, 4, AND 18 MONTHS.
AND 2 GRAND-DOGS, 2 GRAND CATS AND 3 GRAND
GOLDFISH. MY OTHER 'CAREER' OVER THE YEARS
HAS BEEN CAREGIVING..RAY'S MOM AND ONE AUNT REMAIN ON RAY'S SIDE AND ONE GREAT
AUNT REMAINS ON MY SIDE.....MY CHERISHED
AUNT MILDRED, MOM'S OLDEST SISTER, PASSED
OVER AT ALMOST 96 YRS. LAST SPRING..SPENT
ALMOST EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT WITH HER
FOR YEARS, IN MY ROOM, THE BLUE ROOM, AT HER
HOME WHERE SHE REMAINED UNTIL SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE SHE DIED. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT, BUT ALSO WONDERFUL, TO HELP
HER SONS PACKUP THE MEMORIES. HER HUSBAND,
ONE OF THE FIRST HIGHWAY PATROLMAN IN
N.C., TOOK ME TO GET MY DRIVER'S LISCENSE,
WHEN I WAS 18...MY DAD JUST COULDN'T..
OF COURSE, WE ONLY HAD ONE FAMILY CAR.......
BUT DAD ACTUALLY LET ME DRIVE, FROM THE TIME I WAS ABOUT 12, TO WORK WITH HIM,
RIGHT DOWN TRYON ST....AFTER MARRYING
THAT RED-HEADED ONE ///THAT MARGARET JENKINS PICKED OUT TO GO WITH US AND PHIL NORMAN TO THE SCIENCE FAIR IN RALEIGH///
SHE SAW RAY IN THE CAFETERIA T.V. HISTORY
CLASS...THE SET UP THAT MS. WILLIE SHORE
WAS VERY UNHAPPY WITH..SO THAT'S HOW RAY AND I CONNECTED////ANYWAY I TAUGHT SCHOOL AWHILLE...BUT STAYED HOME WITH MY SON...FOOLED AROUND WITH FLOWERS, WHILE
HAVING THE LITTLE BLK./WHT. T.V. TURNED ON, ON THE CARPORT........CATCHING THE GOINGS
ON ABOUT WATERGATE...SOME HISTORY THERE..
THEN I MET A DOCTOR'S WIFE, A DUKE BOTANY MAJOR, AT A PLANT NURSERY, WENT TO HER HOUSE TO CONSULT, AND THAT BEGAN 25 PLUS
YEARS OF LANDSCAPING FOR HER FRIENDS,
MOSTLY DOCTOR'S WIVES. MANY WONDERFUL
FRIENDSHIPS DEVELOPED FROM THAT.
WHEN MY SON MARRIED A REALLY FINE LADY,
///WHO HAD HER CAREER FIRST, IN ORDER TO
DEVOTE HER TIME TO HER FUTURE CHILDREN///I TOOK TIME OFF FOR THAT WEDDING AND THE
RECEPTION....THE LATTER WAS 'SOMETHING ELSE'
.............I DIDN'T KNOW MY SON AND HIS LOVELY
COULD DO 'DIRTY DANCING.'..ANYWAY SHE SAYS
WE'RE SO MUCH FUN..AND GREAT BABYSITTERS
THAT WE CAN MOVE IN WITH THEM WHEN WE'RE
OLD..REAL OLD..WE'RE JUST MIDDLE AGE NOW..
MY SISTER AND I HAD FUN HELPING WITH
OUR BROTHER, 14 AND 12 YEARS YOUNGER
THAN US..HE MARRIED ANOTHER LOVELY LADY
AND HAD TWO DAUGHTERS AND 2 GRANDSONS.
THE ELDER DAUGHTER DIED OF A RARE ILLNESS
AT AGE 28, LEAVING A 16 MONTH OLD. THAT HAS BEEN THE MOST DIIFICULT TIME OF MY LIFE..I.E.
MISSING THAT FULL OF LIFE GIRL. SHE PACKED
SO MUCH IN TO HER 28 YEARS...AND I'M GLAD
SHE DID. //////PACK IT IN.. YA'LL//////
ON HIS SIDE AND A GREAT AUNT |
