Jennifer Tyra
When I think of Aunt Totty…… I think of her stories. Aunt Totty was a story teller. She loved to talk about her childhood. She had great stories.
Totty being the youngest of the five. She always said it was a miracle she survived bc when she was born, the baby of five all stair stepped together close in age. Ernie being the oldest told Mamaw that they couldn’t afford another baby they didn’t have enough food to eat as it was that they should put her in a sack and throw her in the creek like they did the kittens
One of her favorite stories about her momma was they came in from an outing one evening in winter. Aunt Totty ran to get the matches to light the gas heater. Mamaw said Totty get away from that heater that thing might blow up. LET BUD DO IT
She loved telling about how Sherman met Aunt Bill at the bus stop. She had lots of stories. Her eyes always twinkling as she spoke.
She was always smiling. She was a beautiful woman all her life. She was stunning As a young woman and equally as beautiful as a mature woman. She had beautiful hair that she always cut herself.
She was tiny and petite with a tiny foot. The first job she had was modeling shoes. I ask her about that one time. She said she they would have her put on the shoes in theses big conference meetings, they had a step stool up to the table and she would walk up and down the conference table modeling the shoes and this is when they made selections for sales for the next season.
In Spring of 1999 Aunt Totty was diagnosed with cancer. It was in her leg. The solution to give her the longest life was to amputate her leg just above the knee. We were going to watch TCU NIV Basketball tournament las Vegas. Mom and I told her we would stay back for the surgery but she wouldn’t let us. She insisted that we keep our plans. I remember crying through the night just imagining how she felt knowing she was going to lose a limb the next morning. I struggled with it she didn’t. She never complained. When I saw her she was so grateful to God had this plan, it was going to save her life. When she stayed at my house or we went on trips together she was in a lot of pain often. She would have phantom pains in her stump that made her cry out in pain she would take her pain meds and work through it but she never complained never had any self pity. She always had her brave face on…. I will always admire her strength and determination when I reflect on her courage as I walk through my own life.
She didn't just have a positive outlook but a positively joyous outlook about her mobility. She was always making jokes.
Many years when I would get out of school for summer, I would go pick her up and bring her to our house to stay for a week in June. One morning sitting on the porch she said you know what I been wanting to do ever since they took my leg??? I want to go to Six Flags. I was baffled. Why Six Flags? She said do they still have that ride the Spinniker?? I want to get on that ride and start screaming and then throw my leg out of it !! Wouldn’t that be so funny.
We laughed until we cried. It was one of the funniest things she ever said.
She was hysterically funny.
So many times reminiscing with Ernie , Billie Jean and Daddy. They would tell such funny stories and we would laugh until we hurt. And then add her husband Ray into the mix it was comical. Some of my fondest memories were going on vacation with Mom and Dad Aunt Totty and Ray and Martha And Ernie. It was always full of laughs.
They always reminded Angela and I Don’t talk to strangers.
Then Ray would be waiting around a corner and ask us…..Want some candy little girl.
Many summers I would take Daddy and Aunt Totty and Ernie went with us one year. To San Antonio to see Billie Jean. They stayed up into the night reminiscing, singing and laughing. They always loved being together. Aunt Totty got such a kick out of Aunt Bill. The last time we went down to see Aunt Bill she kept looking at Daddy and say Oh my Buddy how old are you you look OLD. and then turn to Aunt Totty and tell her how great she looked. How she just doesn’t ever age. Of course Aunt Bill not remembering the conversation would then turn to Daddy and say my word Bud you’ve gotten old. How old are you??? Aunt Totty would just laugh and laugh. Aunt Bill was right. She aged beautifully.
I will forever cherish those times we got to spend together. Our time on my back porch was spent often talking about Faith. She had a child like faith. We shared a many of stories together about our faith. One that comes to mind is when Kirk had gone into a diabetic coma the Fall of 1992 and they new he wasn’t going to come out of it. She had been at the hospital with him for days. She went home to sleep and during the night she was awakened by this glorious singing. She said it was like a choir singing it was the most beautiful sound. She said she knew at that moment that Kirk had passed. She received a phone call shortly after that Kirk had passed away. She said she knew the singing was angels receiving him into heaven. It gave her great comfort.
She heard the angels singing once again before her beloved Ray died. They were beautiful stories and her eyes twinkled when she told them.
She believed in prayer. She always said that she could see in her life where prayer was so powerful. Her favorite scripture….
Philippians 4:13 I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME
She repeated it often. She said when things were difficult she would repeat this over and over and it gave her strength. Through her faith she would be strong.
She loved her grand sons. She was so proud of you boys. She spoke of you always with such love in her eyes. She felt so blessed to live with y’all late in her life because she loved seeing you everyday. It brought her great JOY.
She was so grateful to Bill and Christi for letting her live with you. She was very proud of you Bill… She spoke often of your amazing work ethic. She was so empressed with the amount of work you did in a day and how you could do anything. One thing comes to mind when you finished out the floor in your garage, the epoxy floor. She would just say he didn’t know how to do it but he just learns anything he wants to do. She was so very proud of you.
She will be missed I feel so blessed that she was in my life, that she was able to spend time with us during those summers so my kids got to know her too.
It makes my heart smile knowing their generation is all together again in heaven. What a lovely reunion That must have been.
God Blessed us all with her life.
Jennifer
