A woman who was part of my "village" as I was growing up has died. Her name was Effie Eyler, and she was one of those dozens of people who had an impact on me (and my brother and sisters) as I are growing up.
Effie was a Sunday School teacher at the church my family attended, and even though I can't remember any specific lesson she taught me, I do remember that I had fun in her class. She had a great laugh, and a positive attitude, and you always looked forward to going to any event she was going to be attending.
Effie was the person at church dinners and Vacation Bible School who gave you a hug and fussed over you like she hadn't seen you in years, instead of just the day before.
She was also the person who gave me a 10" iron skillet for a wedding present and told me that there were two successful ways to use a skillet like that...one was to fry fish; the other was to keep my husband in line. In addition, she gave me a fundraiser-type cookbook from an Oklahoma 4-H group that is quite literally falling apart now, but has some of the best recipes I've ever tried in it.
Effie and her husband Ralph were among the folks who often shared a meal of a fresh "mess" of fish with their friends, along with slaw, fried potatoes and cold iced tea. They were also part of the group of church "family" who came to our house for ice cream socials; and were present at many, many events in my young life.
Effie's not with us anymore, but here's to all the women who have her ability to make a positive impression on the children they meet in their lives.
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3 comments:
Effie was a very special person! I think the lesson I learned from her was one of a very positive attitude and the ability to make you feel like you were worth a million bucks. She never complained about anything and she lived a very simple "ozark" type life with lots of church, fishing, and love, devotion, and respect for her family and friends. Like our mother, we will all miss her big open arm hugs! I am happy she is with Ralph now and a lot of her other Marshfield friends who have passed. We will not forget her. gizzmo
Effie was a smiler, a hugger, and made each one of us little kids in her Sunday School class feel important! Thanks for remembering her in your blog and gizzmo's comments. They were both right on!! AFL
Effie, according to the Marshfield Mail obit, saw born in 1917 in Northview, and married about 6 months before Howard and Marion.
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