They following story was written by my son several years ago as a school project. He interviewed my mother and wrote the following account of her life. This was read at my mom's funeral today as we remember her life through the eyes of her grandson.
My Grandma by Michael
“Congratulations! You have a baby girl!” the doctor announced to a young woman living in a small country town called Brooksville, Kentucky. The young woman’s name was Beulah Perkins, but most people called her Bea. Everyone liked Bea. She would always be there to help anyone who needed help. Bea spent her life caring for others. Bea’s baby girl would soon be named Catherine Jean. For Catherine Jean, her middle name would be the only name she would be known by - just Jean.
Bea and Jean lived in a big, wonderful home out in the country. It had a big barn out in the field by the house. It had a big front porch to sit on in the evenings after all the chores were done. It had a pot-bellied stove to keep the house warm. The house always smelled good because Bea and her mom were both good cooks. Also, you could find two sewing machines in the house being used by Bea and her mother to make and mend clothes.
Before you knew it, baby Jean was getting older. When Jean was about six years old, her mom, Bea and her Grandmother were sewing when Jean found a strand of pearls. She thought they were beautiful. She played and played with the pearls until the string broke. Bounce! Ping! Bounce! The pearls all scattered across the hardwood floor. Bea asked Jean what had happened but Jean thought she would be clever and hide the evidence. Jean immediately picked up a pearl and put it in her ear! Well, needless to say, she was in more trouble than ever…
Before you knew it, Jean was starting school. She had to walk to school. At the start of her Kindergarten year, Jean decided she didn’t want to stay at school. She had a plan. She asked the teacher if she could go to the outhouse. Her teacher agreed and sent a little girl with Jean. The little girl returned to the classroom but one problem though, Jean decided that she would just walk home and not go back to the classroom – so Jean walked a couple miles back home. Well, that only happened once.
Not too much later, Jean really started to like school. She was smart and made good grades. She especially liked spelling. She had the same teacher and same classroom all day. They used inkwells to write with and they had blackboards on all the walls. School lunches only cost 3 cents. Her favorite teacher she ever had was her fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Worthington.
Growing up for Jean was filled with fun. Although she did not have a television she still had plenty of fun things to do. Jean would like to play jump rope and jacks. She played a game called hide-the-thimble. The kids where she lived liked to play kickball and hide-and-go-seek. Jean loved summertime. She especially liked to walk barefoot in the cool grass or even on the dirt paths. She liked to go swimming, too. She had a dog named Boss when she was growing up that she could play with. Jean had a best friend named Nellie. Nellie was fun to be around. They liked to do lots of things together.
Jean didn’t get to always play right away. First she had to help with her share of the household chores for her mom. She would help her mom sweeping, dusting, washing and drying dishes and helping with the meals. That was the good part. Bea made wonderful meals. Fried chicken was Bea’s specialty. Jean loved her mother’s fried chicken!
Holidays were special times for Jean growing up. She liked having egg hunts at Easter. She liked wearing a costume at Halloween. The house smelled so good on Thanksgiving. At Christmas, singing Christmas carols was her favorite tradition. She would love to get new wigs for her favorite doll for Christmas.
Next thing you know, Jean had 3 brothers and 3 sisters and she was helping more with the family. When she had time she loved to listen to the radio. She liked the stories told on the radio. She liked the big bands and music on the radio, too. Her favorite singers would become Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Her favorite song, “I believe”.
Jean started to think about what she wanted to do when she “grew up”. She thought she would like to be a missionary. But, she didn’t have much time to herself. She got a job at a fountain and sold sodas to make some money. She helped with the family and the chores whenever she could. Jean had become much like her mother, always helping others.
Jean met a young man named James and fell in love. She married him and had a family of her own. She became a wonderful cook just like her mother. She became the seamstress for the family. She gave all of herself to her children and family. She continued helping with her brothers and sisters. She continued being a good daughter. Now she gives everything of herself to her grandchildren.
Jean will be 79 years old on September 22. She is my grandma. She is my only grandma I have known. Her mother, Bea, my great-grandmother died before I was born. My other grandma, my dad’s mom, died before I was born, too. These are the tales of my grandma’s life. My grandma is the best person I have ever known. She is always kind. She cares about everyone, especially those people in need. She has taught me what it means to live a good life. She tells me that she is happy with who she is. She would not want to be anyone else. I would not want her to be anyone else.
It has been a while since I have done anything with the kids, so the most natural thing to do was to take them to Frisch’s. As usual, we played hangman on the bottom side of the placemats while waiting on our food.
