In the Meantime

Zina, Virginia and Cam

In the meantime, while I research the Coffman side a little more, I'd like to pay honor to my memory of Zina's siblings.

Momma's siblings were special.  They were all so close being that their Daddy died when they were youngsters and their success in making it through the tough times was tied to the love and respect they shared for eachother.

Cam was the oldest and became a Civil Engineer...taking after his own Father's career as a Coal Mine Inspector and Real Estate Appraisor that included inspecting the land in the Appalachian Mountain area.  Uncle Cam (to me) married a young lady by the name of Sylvia and had three children who I saw once or twice a year.  Cam worked for the State of West Virginia as a Civil Engineer so he moved to a small area not too far from the Capitol Building located in Charleston called Dunbar, WV.  Momma and I would stop by sometimes on our way to see Grandma Ada which was a half way point in our 2 and 1/2 hour trip to Beckley, WV from Ashland, KY. '
I will share photos of Uncle Cam's kids later in the blog entry devoted to "Cousins".
  



Cam, Ada, Virginia and Zina 1960ish

 

 

 

 

Uncle Cam in later years

 

 

 

 Uncle Cam and wife, Sylvia


 

 

 

 Virginia as a toddler...look at her Asian eyes

 

 

 

Aunt Gin-Gee was one of the quietest kindest young ladies I've ever known.  She smiled alot and and was quite feminine.  Her frame was very thin and petite and I remember her being cold alot so she always wore a sweater.

 

 

 

 

Aunt Gin Gee never married although she was engaged earlier in life.  I'm not quite sure what happened in that relationship but I remember it being a subject we never discussed.  She had a locket from her love and a few other items I now have.  Love can be timeless and never forgotten when it's special and ends too quickly.

 

Aunt Gin Gee stayed closed to her Mother and lived with Ada until Gin Gee died at the young age of 48.  I remember the story of Grandma finding Gin Gee climbing on the kitchen table and being very confused.  Test results came back that showed "water on the brain", not sure what it actually means and need to research...I will have to make it a point to call my oldest cousin on the Coffman side...Charlie will know.

 Aunt Gin Gee's car...she drove us all around and remember, Ada never had her driver's license so Gin Gee was a big help to her Mother. 

Me and my Sweet Aunt Gin Gee

I remember going to the hardware store to purchase a miniature Barbie with the "green stamps" Gin Gee collected for me.  She asked me if I was ready to go for a drive and we all loaded up and drove downtown to the little store where my little Barbie lay waiting.  When we came back home to Grandma's, I remember taking napkins and pretending they were sheets for Barbie's bed.  It's a good memory to have because I rarely got to choose the very toy I liked or dreamed about.  Those choices were made for me by my Mother, based on what we could affort at the moment.  Times were a little slim for us back in KY so it was a nice time everytime we came to visit our home away from home in Beckley.

At Ada's front door once again...coming or going.

 



A Home on North Oakwood

Momma spent most of her life growing up in the home on North Oakwood Avenue in Beckley, WV.  She was raised in a time and place where innocence was golden and getting caught smokin' cornsilk was a big deal.  I remember a story about Momma and her girlfriends actually sitting in the cornfield that grew atop of the land attached to my Grandmother's land and rolling cornsilks like cigerettes, lighting and smoking them and coughing for hours. 

Thus, Zina Mae did not smoke a thing afterwards.  She didn't drink a drop nor did she wear makeup unless it was red lipstick in the younger days or clear-colored chapstick in the silver years. 

Another funny story I remember her telling me is about the time she and her girlfriends went back up to the garden on the top of the hill and ate some very hot peppers.  She said they couldn't run down the hill fast enough to find something to soothe their burning mouths.  Luckily, Grandma had some fresh cornbread and butter on the table so this was the natural choice to remedy their situation.  Then they cooled their mouths by drinking cold glasses of milk! 

 

Momma was quite a sweetheart and looked much like her Daddy's side of the family.  Especially when it came to her eyes and hair color.  I always felt a little sad for her knowing that she was only 5 when her Daddy passed away.  I'm sure this must have been traumatic for her and her siblings.  But she was the baby of the family and a little girl at that.  Losing her Father at such an early age had an impact in ways that came out later in life.  Momma always spoke highly of her Daddy and I remember Aunt Gin Gee and Momma calling him "Daddy" when speaking about him although they were all grown up at the time of their tableside talks.

 

My Momma's Daddy and My Grandfather

Rufus Campbell Coffman

 

A Sidenote:  The name of Coffman....it just dawned on me that this very name may add a thread of Jewish Heritage to the mix of Italian, French, German, Irish/English previously mentioned.  I'd like to think it's true....Kauffman, Coffman or any other spelling of this name may hold the clue to the origin.  I'd like to think that somewhere in my ancestory, I have Jewish blood, the blood of God's Chosen.  I've always felt particularly cared for and so perhaps this is part of the reason why or perhaps it's because God loves me and He knows me by name.  I'm His Daughter.



The Lily of the Valley

Her favorite flower was Lily of the Valley.  She often wore the scent.  I can still see the cloud of powder from her powder puff as she dusted herself.

It ended in the Chapel where the Hospice Angels, friends and family paid their respects. The life of a woman who almost died having her youngest came to an end in September 2000.

My Mother's life was not quite long enough in my eyes, however, how can I complain?  I had her for 37 years.  I just thought I'd have her for awhile longer. We shared a lot together and it's safe to say, I was her "little Annie" and the apple of her eye.  Maybe she felt so close to me because she almost died having me.  She always wanted me to be just like her.  I was her 3rd C-Section and at the time of my birth, we were Catholic.  When Dr. Neyer came out of the operating room to tell my Dad things weren't going well...the decision would have already been made in the eyes of the Catholic faith.  But God had great purpose for the both of us and I'm thankful He allowed both of us to live.

So lets get started with the rest of the story...perhaps the beginning would be the best place to write about...in Beckley, WV where Zina Mae Coffman was conceived and born on an iron bed that now has a permanent place beside Ada's floorlamp in our guest bedroom.

Little Zina Mae born in the Month of May