A wonderful friend

I will miss her laughter and caring ways.

When I was extremely ill in the mid 90's, she came to my country home with other church ladies to bring food to me. I wasn't able to cook my own meals and depended on others at the time. I barely knew this woman who would become my close friend. I remember her red hair and infectious laughter.There was no ignoring her deep bass voice.

She brought chicken and fried potatoes that day. Or maybe that was another day, but she brought food for me

Though I barely knew her, she offered to spend the night with me if I needed her.

She was that kind of person. I was to learn that she often took food to her shut in neighbors and friends. She visited friends in nursing homes and hospitals. It was a lifetime of sharing and caring, I later learned.

She made fabulous homemade dumplings and fried pies that she shared with others.

Overtime our friendship grew and we began to spend more time together. I recovered from my illness and we began sitting together in church services.

For a long while, we made a Friday night trek to McCormick's Restaurant, then to Wal-Mart for a shopping spree. That was after her husband died of a heart attack in their home. We were both widows so we shared that common bond also.

We were different. I was reserved; she was not.

In her younger years, she was a pretty redhead who turned the eye of many young men.

I know that because I've seen old photographs of her and listened to her

She told me about her first real date where she wore hosiery for the first time.

She didn't know how to dress properly so a couple of her older friends told her what to wear and how to act on that date.

She confided that It bothered her that she wasn't as academically educated as others were, but believe me, she was educated in so many other ways. She was knowledgeable about politics, religion, and current events.

She wasn't afraid to voice her opinion either. She was against abortion, homosexuality, or social issues she believed contradicted the Holy Bible. She was a Christian woman who lived her faith.

She knew a lot about the medical field too.

I told her that she had "missed her calling."

She should have been a licensed nurse. Indeed, she served the role of a nurse during an era when rules were more relaxed. As a nurse's aide she served as a physical therapist and also worked in doctors' offices. She was quite familiar with medical terms and treatments.

Our almost daily phone calls continued for many years.

If I failed to make contact, she would call or leave a message, asking, "Have you forgotten your poor old friend?"

We talked about our children, grandchildren, recipes, church, friends, and community events. She would call to tell me a "funny" or a joke and we would both laugh outrageously.

I was not, of course, her only friend. She had many close friends and family members she treasured and kept in contact with.

Each of us will miss her presence.

As the soloist at her funeral sang last Wednesday, "She has a new address now."