"My grandmother worked 14 hours a day standing and ironing with no welfare or Medicare to help her. There was no dishwasher in those days to help her through that difficult time, so she had to work hard to survive. Even the washing machine was a wringer-type washing machine which was much more difficult to operate than the ones they have nowadays. She was never able to complete high school making it difficult for her to find a good-paying job. Grandma had a terrible father who demanded a lot out of her, including having her wear her hair long even though she had headaches from it. She had hand-me-down shoes growing up that crippled her feet. Yet she stood on those feet all day long everyday ironing. 

She raised three girls mostly on her own. They all went on to a better life. She never gave up, and her hope for her girls was achieved in spite of being poor and not knowing where their next meal would come from. I loved Grandma with all my heart. However, all their children except one grew up in good homes with better conditions than Grandma and Grandpa had.

Whenever I felt overwhelmed and overworked during my lifetime, I thought of her and what she had to go through. Same with grandma Thornton who killed her own chickens for dinner, sewed all their clothes, raised all her own vegetables and fruit, and raised five children. They had one son with polio that survived and another son who died when he was only 16 of kidney disease. You come from strong women and you are strong too. She was a very great model for me as was grandpa Thornton who farmed the land. Not an easy time at all, but I will always admire them for the sacrifices they made.

Everyone loved Grandma. She was a gentle soul and hardworking. Many friends called her Grandma. She was Grandma to all who knew her and loved her. I loved spending time with her and so did your Mom (Angela Johnson). She was just a lot of fun. She drove her car right up until she died at 89 years old."

– Patti Fisher