My grandmother’s name was Johnnie Hunter. I am not sure which of us couldn’t say grandmommie but Memommie became the name we called her. Memommie was a relatively small boned woman with a deep tan, from walking beaches her whole life. The beach was one of her favorite places. She had bird like legs, which I didn’t inherit. Her hair was short and very white. One of my kids called her the White Memommie and since we had two Memommies (my other grandmother was memommie too) the name stuck. White Memommie had a great smile and enjoyed being with the grandkids and great grandkids. She was not very outspoken but cared for us all in her own way.
I only know a little about her childhood in Thomasville, Georgia. She had four sisters…I think. It was hard to keep up with all of my great aunts. She and my grandfather married very young. Courageously she gave her first child up for adoption because she didn’t believe in abortion. Later they had two children, my dad and my aunt Joanna. My grandfather had a 6th grade education so poverty was real to them until after my father and grandfather began a highway construction business when my father graduated college. The business went well and by the time I was born, I didn’t hear much about the early days...except for the mustard and onion sandwiches.
I remember when I was little my grandmother and grandfather traveled a lot. There were stories from exotic places and my imagination would take flight as my grandmother pulled out a doll from some foreign culture. I used to play with those dolls and pretend I was in the country they came from. From very early she affected my life by helping me to see beyond my world to other places. I always wanted to go to the places she visited because they sounded like fun.
When we were young my grandparents had a condo right on the beach at Anna Maria Island in Florida and we used to go there every summer. Some of my favorite memories were walking on the beach, picking up shells, swimming in the pool and trying to avoid “old people” that didn’t like the fact that grandkids were roaming the complex. My grandparents took us out to The Buccaneer Restaurant for clam chowder, ribs and make-it-yourself-sundaes. The sundaes were my favorite part!
Their other condo was in Atlanta, right down the street from my other grandmother’s house. We used to walk right down and climb through some bushes to get there. It was so cool to have both sets of grandparents that close to each other. We could go from one house to the other with ease.
Like all grandmothers, she could cook and enjoyed a party. It was fun to go to her house for special events. She was most known for her macaroni and cheese, which is still a staple for all family gatherings…though none of us has gotten it exactly like hers we are close. She also used to make hoecakes; that is cornbread fried in oil, kind of like a pancake. Every year she was hostess to the Hunter family reunion at their house on Lake Lanier. She would cook and make quite a spread for the whole clan. Mixing her known greats with the pot luck of the family always left us stuffed and ready for swimming, boating, skiing, and tubing. White Memommie would just watch from the porch and mix up lemonade as all of the kids enjoyed the day. I think those were some of her happiest times.
The last few years she hasn’t been in the best of health. She has been in and out of the hospital regularly. She was on dialysis for several years because her kidneys failed. Last December she was doing so well they were able to take her off. Her attitude was great and she was excited about her miracle as were we all. It seemed that things were looking up for her health until a month or two ago. Breathing was labored and her heart wasn’t working well. She had to be put back on dialysis. Mini strokes began a downward spiral that led to the doctors sending her home to die. Those months were difficult to watch. Now, however, I like to think of her at home with the Lord and with my grandfather again. They will be so happy to be together again! I know she was a quiet woman of faith but she loved God. She would tell me she was praying for me…or that the Lord was working in her life. She knew him and now she is with him.
