Eulogies For Audie Hopewell Cemetery
I am able to share the full text of my recitation, but Jo Ellen spoke using the briefest of notes. I’m unable to provide all of her beautiful tribute to her mother-in-law. However, I will share that which I recall. Scripture: In comforting His disciples, Jesus spoke: "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:1-3) Eulogy by Wayne: A few days into this life and weighing as little as two pounds, Miss Audie was visited by her grandfather, who told her mother "You best love her all you can now, because she’s too little to raise." She came into this life at a disadvantage, but she overcame it, and, at ninety-four, in spite of being "too little to raise," she’s outlived her siblings by many years. A few months ago, Miss Audie was hospitalized and gravely ill. As I entered her room to visit her, Pat greeted me and said they were just talking about me. That’s when I learned that it was Miss Audie’s wish that I speak at her funeral. Of course, Pat had to translate her mother’s utterances, as many of you know how over the course of the past few years Miss Audie’s vocal cords gave out and intelligible speech for her was no longer possible. I squeezed Miss Audie’s hand and assured her I would be honored to help in whatever way I could. She smiled, approvingly. "When it comes to funerals, Mother’s never had much use for preachers," Pat told me. "But, she says you’re a good man. And, she wants you to say some kind words about her." Saying something kind or something nice about Miss Audie comes naturally, as she was in some respects like a mother to me, especially in my youth. Her son, Tony, and I became best friends shortly after my family moved back to Pontotoc in 1953. Pat and Tony’s dad had died several years before I met either of them. Though, it had to have been a struggle for Miss Audie to provide for her two children, I never heard her complain. I didn’t give much thought to how she managed when I was young, or when Tony and I were stalking birds of the neighborhood with our B-B guns, but as I got older I grew to appreciate her money management skills. Pat grew up to marry a Grenada boy, Bob Abel, whom Miss Audie loved like a son. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard Bob say, "Mrs. Austin can stretch a dollar further than anyone I know." That ability to stretch a dollar allowed her to send both of her children to college and later build a new home adjacent to the one Pat and Tony grew up in. For transportation, Miss Audie got around on foot most of her life and relied on coworkers to help get her to work. She didn’t own a car until the late sixties and then only after Tony and I had graduated Ole Miss. Miss Audie was an extraordinary seamstress and spent many years working in the furniture industry in Pontotoc. My mother always told me that Miss Audie could sew anything, and she used to make dresses for Pat and shirts for Tony. She even made a wool shirt for me that I liked so well I’d still be wearing it today, if I hadn’t outgrown it. When her grandchildren came along, Miss Audie loved sewing for them. In fact, I think she enjoyed sewing for her grandchildren and great grandchildren as much as she enjoyed sharing with anyone who’d listen about what great grandchildren she had. Miss Audie truly loved her family, and if I were to dare suppose what she saw as her purpose in life, I’d say it was to provide and care for her family and see to it that her children prospered. Several years ago Miss Audie became interested in sewing beautiful doll clothing which Jo Ellen will speak about. I’ve seen the doll collection she once kept in the living room of her home, and it’s awesome. If, in America, we honored our own artisans and craftsmen as do some Orientals, Miss Audie would long ago have been declared a national treasure. She came into this life, like the rest of us did, unable to speak, with limited communication skills, and entirely dependent upon the provision of others. She departed this life in much the same manner. Somewhere after the beginning and long before the end, she developed a strong sense of independence that she never fully relinquished, even as she became more dependent upon the care provided by her daughter. Pat, your family is grateful for your devotion to your mother. Thank you! Tony and Jo Ellen your family is grateful for the love you’ve shown to Miss Audie through the good times and the sad times. Thank you! And to you, her grandchildren and great grandchildren, your presence gave her great joy and probably contributed to her long life, thank you! Miss Audie, today, your family, your friends, and I, all say our formal goodbyes to you. We believe you to be in a far better place than here with us. We love you and expect to see you just as soon as our LORD permits. Eulogy by Jo Ellen: Jo Ellen spoke of the love that Miss Audie held for all of her family, drawing comparisons between the various attributes of Miss Audie and that of the "Virtuous Woman" found in the book of Proverbs. She noted that Miss Audie not only loved her two children, but she also loved the spouses of her children. "She never took sides or spoke behind someone’s back," I remember Jo saying. "When I first met Mrs. Austin, I was astounded to learn that she got up every morning at four-thirty, made her breakfast, and before going to work most mornings spent time sewing. She worked all day as a seamstress, and, when she came home, she found time to sew some more at home." "She learned to sew as a young girl. Her dad made caskets, and he put her to work sewing the linings for the caskets. Mrs. Austin started to work early in life. Her mother said ‘you could give her a handkerchief, and she’ll soon turn out a bedspread.’" "Mrs. Austin could study a manufactured item of clothing and go home and make one just like it, only make it better." "She sewed beautiful clothes for her grandchildren and after they grew up, she began making beautiful clothes for dolls." Joe Ellen commented that about the only attribute of the virtuous woman of Proverbs that didn’t seem to apply was the one stating, ‘She clothes herself in fine linen and purple,’ noting, "Mrs. Austin saw that her children were dressed well when they left her house, but she kept her clothing simple." Closing Prayer: Oh LORD, it’s never easy to watch a loved one slip into Eternity. In our selfishness we would keep them with us. Yet, we too long to be with you and know you have prepared a place for us, even as you’ve prepared a place for Miss Audie. LORD grant your loving-kindness and your mercy upon us, as we strive to adjust to a life without our loved one and friend. Give us peace. In Christ’s name. Amen.
Barbara Hospitalized With Chest Pain Over the past couple of weeks, Barbara has experienced pain in her chest, characteristic of pain associated with a heart attack. I am somewhat prone to dismiss any pain my wife describes as less significant than my own, so my "doctorly" advice was to take something for the pain, and, if after an hour, the pain persisted, then a trip to a doctor or an emergency room would be in order. I was sensitive to the fact that men and women experience different symptoms when having a heart attack, and I felt more frequently occurring symptoms should not be ignored. Barbara suffers mild allergies to certain pollens and airborne particles. Convinced she needed to see a family doctor about a worsening sinus condition, she made an appointment. I told her to be sure and mention her recent chest pains, as well. I could have accompanied her to the doctor’s office on Tuesday, but having planned to take off a couple of days at the end of the workweek, I chose to try to cram a week’s worth of work into three days. I was one hundred forty-five miles southeast of Pontotoc and had stopped to eat a fast food hamburger when my cell phone rang. "I’m on the parking lot," Barbara explained. "My chest is hurting and my left leg is tingling. I don’t know whether to go back inside the clinic or drive to the emergency room." "You need to go straight to the emergency room," I stated. "If there’s something wrong with your heart, they’re better equipped to treat you than the clinic." A few minutes later, I contacted Dot Bell and explained Barbara’s situation. Dot said she would immediately go to the hospital to check on Barbara. For the next hundred miles, I raced toward Pontotoc exceeding speed limits by as much as twenty-five miles per hour. "If a state trooper stops me, perhaps, I can get an escort to the emergency room in Pontotoc," I reasoned. I only saw one trooper, and he had someone pulled over on the opposite side of the four-lane. Nearing the Natchez Trace crossing of Hwy. 41, I called the hospital and learned Barbara was about to be transported by ambulance to the regional hospital in Tupelo. "She’ll be in room 3343," the doctor told me. "You may get there about the time the ambulance arrives." He was right, for Barbara was rolled into the room about five minutes after I arrived. Within the next hour, the cardiologist came by to discuss her case and tell us Barbara was scheduled for a heart catheterization before eight the following morning. Several family members came to the hospital Tuesday afternoon. I chose to stay in the room with Barbara, overnight. I was prepared for a night of interrupted sleep, but I wasn’t expecting the night to go as badly as it did and never had more than an hour’s sleep without an interruption. Barbara was fine, but the aides and nurses kept checking on her. Expecting an early visit to the cath-lab (medical jargon), Rayanne arrived around seven-thirty Wednesday morning. Anna came over after dropping off a paper at college. Many friends and family members called throughout the morning to check on Barbara. Shortly after eleven o’clock, Barbara was taken to the cath-lab. About an hour and a half later a nurse called our room to let us know Barbara was still waiting. Twice more, about an hour apart, we were informed Barbara was still waiting. Finally at ten minutes before three o’clock we were informed that Barbara was in the cath-lab. Fifteen minutes later a nurse called to tell us the procedure was over and there were no blockages. Barbara’s cardiologist came by shortly after she was returned to her room and told us that sometimes other conditions produce symptoms that mimic those of a heart attack, mentioning problems with the esophagus and acid reflux. He also wrote Barbara a prescription for an ulcer medication. While we were all glad to learn that Barbara’s heart is in great shape, we know that’s only one item we can remove from the list of possible concerns. The other good news we learned was Barbara would be discharged later that afternoon. Rayanne stayed with us until Barbara was loaded into my car for our return to Pontotoc. Approximately thirty hours after being admitted to the emergency room in Pontotoc, Barbara was back at home, hardly worse for the wear. In a couple of weeks she’ll see her family physician. If chest pains are still occurring, I’m sure there’ll be doctors performing other tests, hoping to determine the cause.
Prank Update Corley And Steen The following is largely fictional. As part of a prank by Glenda Corley to convince Brother Joe Steen his prank had gotten out of hand, this article was published in Bro. Joe’s last copy of Ridge Rider News. "Ryan Fuoss, VISTA worker with Pontotoc County Habitat For Humanity, had hardly settled into his rented mobile home in Pontotoc before being evicted, the victim of a strange turn of events." "When Ryan first came to Pontotoc, a few weeks ago, Barbara and I allowed him to stay in our home until minor repairs to a mobile home owned by the First Methodist Church of Pontotoc were completed. The Methodist Church donated use of the mobile unit to Habitat for Humanity as living quarters for the new VISTA employee." "The repairs were made by Habitat’s construction supervisor, Brother Joe Steen. Being something of a practical joker, Brother Joe, as he is affectionately known, conceived the idea of billing the church for the repairs he made. Surely, he had no idea his practical joke would backfire." "The pastor of the church was furious when he saw the bill, but, after a cooling off period, decided the bill should be paid." "Your editor doesn’t have an exact quote, but he understands the declaration was along the lines of this, ‘The church was quite generous to Habitat for Humanity in allowing the VISTA worker to move into our mobile unit at no cost to Habitat. That we should be billed for minor repairs made by their construction supervisor is completely unacceptable. Therefore, since our generosity has been ill received, we are now revoking our prior agreement with Habitat and demanded the immediate departure of the VISTA worker from the church’s mobile unit.’" "Ryan has since vacated the mobile unit and is once again staying with the Carters until new housing is available. Should any local readers know of reasonably priced rental housing available, please contact Habitat For Humanity at 662-488-9090."
Bodock Beau Hillbilly Humor A hillbilly woman was asked by the town banker to open a bank account. She declined, saying. "I keep my money safe to the house." The banker said, "You've got four strapping sons. Don't they try to get at your bankroll once in a while?" The hillbilly woman said. "I keep it where they won't find it." "Where would that be?" "Under the soap" Shared by Carl Wayne Hardeman When the snakes were leaving the ark, Noah told them to go forth and multiply.
The snakes replied that they couldn’t do that—they were adders. Copyright © 2000 - 2006 RRN Online.
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It was my privilege to speak at the graveside
service of Mrs. Audie Austin on August 27, 2006. Her daughter, Pat Abel recently
shared with me that her mother had long ago written down the specific things
she wanted done at her funeral and by whom. Miss Audie lived a rich, though
simple, life and wanted a simple graveside service. She chose her
daughter-in-law, Jo Ellen Austin, and me to deliver eulogies. Jo Ellen asked
that I read the obituary and speak first, let her follow me, then I was to
close the service with prayer.
