We've Come a Long Way Baby...with our Family of Four

 

Aunt Virginia "Gin-Gee"(left), Grandma Ada, Uncle Cam and Zina (front)

standing in front of homeplace in Beckley, WV

 

 

I made mention in the last post that my Grandmother was driven and had a quiet awareness about her...a "survivor with grace", no doubt.  She kept her family together after first husband, the father of her children passed so suddenly.  They all grew up to be faithful, kindhearted and family oriented adults without feeling like they had missed out on the good things in life...the simple things.

 

Grandma was used to being a vital part of her family that began many years ago...in her own family known as The Jennings.  She was one of the oldest of 12 and was considered the seamstress of the family.  She kept her Momma and sisters in dresses designed and made from her own hands. 

 

Ada with 6 siblings and parents at their home in Beckley, WV

 

 This skill kept her financially secure in later years when she began working at the nicest retail store in downtown Beckley as their seamstress.  Everyone loved Ada and she had many friends including the owners of the store.  I remember visiting the store when I was a child, walking along her side from the downtown location to her home on North Oakwood Avenue several times.  You see, Ada never had a drivers license so she had to walk everywhere!  And she did in shoes that were unbelievably stylish!  The only time she ever called a cab was in the Winter months when the snow would fall or when she had to go grocery shopping after work and had too many bags of canned goods which made the bags much too heavy to carry the distance.  As children, my Aunt Gin-Gee and Zina would meet their Mother at the store and help carry the bags of groceries back home.  The mutual respect was immeasurable, almost a quiet characteristic and thread of love that ran through the beloved Coffman family.