My mom was raised in a family of 11 children.  She used to say there was five born before me and five born after me and then there was me in the middle.  That is exactly how the birth of each child was as they came into the world. 

Life was not easy for my mom.  She had a strict father and a loving christian mother.  They were poor and her father was a farmer and the farm was all they had to make a living to raise that many children. 

Mom left  home and married early in life.  She had my brother Curtis first and my brother Don second.  I was the baby of the family and their only girl.  She married Fred Buchanan in 1932. 

Life was not easy for them and they both worked hard to keep a roof over our heads.  We were happy in a lot of ways.  My mom had the kind of personality that people loved.  She laughed a lot and loved her children. 

People liked being around  her because she never saw a stranger.

She is with God and Jesus and is happy to be with her family who have passed on. 

I love you Mom,

Your Daughter,

Patty

There is a poem about my mother that was written by my cousin Shirley Reese.  It tells about her personality and why so many people loved her.

AUNT MARY

Aunt Mary is a grand old girl,

as everybody knows.

An original, genuine pearl

from her head down to her toes.

She has traveled a long way

as a farm girl of the south,

It's not been easy, I dare say,

when the times were from hand-to-mouth.

She never was afraid to-work,

and did a lot of every kind,

Her duty she did not shirk,

and her kids turned out just fine.

She still loves to have a laugh,

and joke around a bit.

She never did things by half.

I think she has true grit.

As long as she can play euchre

and have a little fun, we do have

to fear that Aunt Mary's day is done.

Yes, eighty-eight years is a long time,

but it's not enough by half.

Now, I will end this little rhyme

and lisen to Aunt Mary laugh.

written by: Shirley Reese