Submitted by Cleopatra Watson My story begins with my mom, Estelle Saddler. Many people may not know this, but when she was a young girl, she was seriously injured from a ceiling that fell on her head. This caused her to have some brain damage, but my grandparents raised her as a normal and healthy child. As she grew older, she became a beautiful young lady, and would meet my father, Cleopatra. He saw this beautiful, young woman and fell in love. Through this relationship, they would later marry and have three children, my sister Barbara, myself, and my younger brother David.
My father was a magnificent man, as he knew that she would need help to take care of her family. He made sure that she never had to work and helped her anyway he could. Even though she tried, she struggled, and life, became difficult as the years went by. This is where my Phoebes -- my mother's sisters, Elizabeth Horton, Loretta Stroud, Lillian Barr, and my uncle's wife, Barbara Briggs Rippey, came to the rescue. They not only helped her, but they gave her all the support she needed for her to have a normal life. All my Phoebes were wonderful, as I learned so much from all of them. Each one added life skills to my upbringing that helped me become the woman that I am today. It is hard to just pick one because, they all were awesome.
However, my Aunt Loretta was the main one in my life that stood out the most. She came to our home on a regular basis to see how my mom was doing. She was so caring and wanted my mom to know that whatever she needed she would be there for her. She was like having a second mom to me, but never tried to take my mom’s place. As I became older, I often thought of her as both an aunt and mother: I began to call her Auntie-Mommy :-) It was evident that my Aunt Loretta was my number one Phoebe when my mother became very ill.
She had been diagnosed with cancer and died at the age of 39. All our family was devastated, as she was the first sibling to pass away at such a young age. My Phoebes all were there for support and helped my father to keep the family going.
At that time, I had an infant child that my mom really took care of, and I was lost. I was still living at home with my father and younger brother, and now, I was the lady of the house. I had not learned how to cook, because my mother did all the cooking, but I knew I had to help to fill the void of my mom. I could clean the house and tried to do whatever it took to help my father. I did the best that I could do, but it was evident, that I needed a lot of help. That is when my Auntie-Mommy stepped up to the plate and taught me the things I needed to acquire to become a strong, independent woman. Not only did she help us when we were younger, but she continued to be a major source of comfort, support, to my father, siblings, and me. I soon thought of our relationship as mother and daughter, as I counted on her for all the things I would have needed from a mother.
She was always there for me to help me through marriage, raising my children, and taught me to depend on God for all my spiritual needs. My Phoebe passed away a few years ago but left me with a plethora of memories that I will have for the rest of my life.
As I stated earlier, I was blessed to have women in my life who were my family. They helped me throughout my life, and I had to count on them for many different reasons. Their support and interaction helped my family and me in so many ways. I want to say that I love them all, and they are my Phoebes as well, but Aunt Loretta, (Auntie-Mommy) will always be my number one Phoebe.
Such an encouraging story of Love❤️