In the half century that I've been alive, I have only been to two funerals that had over 100 people there. Big Ken's funeral was one of them. His grandkids called him Grandy. He certainly was a grand man - standing 6'4" he was a big man but gentle by nature. He was quiet, not a big talker, but when he did talk, it was insightful, and ususally made YOU think, sometimes for hours after you had spoken with him. I called him Uncle, but he was really my cousin by marriage. He touched the lives of so many people - and it was amazing to see just how many in the church that day we were all paying our respects. Words that describe Big Ken are humble, honorable, devoted to God, teacher, coach, mentor - the example he set is hard to emulate, but I try daily. Big Ken made you think about your life choices and why you were making them. He would offer advice, but it was never judgemental. Big Ken was an icon who made a big impression on my life. He loved his garden too! ...
How do I sum up Aunt Mary? Aunt Mary or “Mamie” as we all called her was my grandmother Wilna’s older sister. When Nana passed away, Aunt Mamie became our surrogate grandmother - she welcomed our family with open arms when we would come down to visit. She never had kids. But we were ALL her children. She was a cantankerous woman in her old age who was no nonsense. She was matter of fact, direct and did not beat around the bush. She was the oldest of all the siblings of my grandmother's generation. Aunt Mary LOVED her garden. I swear when I’m out in the yard, Aunt Mary is out there with me guiding me (along with MOM). She was a golfer - and I remember her going out golfing with us in her 80s - which blew my mind. She was always up for a challenge! Aunt Mary left us all a little piece of her things when she passed on. I have a pair of king and queen chairs with a marble table. She allowed us to tell her what in her house we would like after she was gone. When Christy and I were having issues getting along when I was in my 20s, she gave me the advice that just because you are sisters doesn’t mean you think and believe the same things. It is OK to be different. Her and Aunt Bec had that same type of issues in their lives. Just because you are different doesn’t mean you can’t love each other through the differences. Aunt Mary taught me to give grace and not be so black and white about differences with my sister. This was impactful. The funniest memory of Aunt Mary was when we were at the River when we were little, someone made a joke, and Aunt Mary got so tickled, she wet her pants. We all howled! When I go back to Athens, I like to drive by her house. Mom and Dad lived with her when we first came down from Detroit back to the south. Aunt Mary was the BOMB! I miss her to this day.
