It is well documented that me and my family have lived away from Texas for quite some time. So in my writing I cannot go on about all the memories that me and her shared. But I thank each and every one of you for the anecdotes. When I think back upon our few times together, I can link the qualities that many of you have highlighted here and see them at work. Even though I had one true time with my grandmother, when I was older and can remember it all, I could see these attributes radiating through her personality. The matter of fact is that my grandmother was a loving person who cared about her family immensely. When we were together she loved to show me old family pictures and tell stories from years long past. Whenever the family got together and played games or eat, grandma seemed to draw attention. Her presence was magnetic and undoubtedly she brought smiles and laughter. Although my memories are few, grandma will always be with me. When I look back I can hear her say "ok" so clearly and perfectly. I can hear her talking about how she had shrimp for lunch and I can hear her talking about her hot fudge sundae's. That's what is the most resounding thing about grandma, each and every one that has shared their thoughts here, undoubtedly have something about grandma that we will always remember or carry with us. Well grandma, while we sit here and reminisce about the past, I hope you are enjoying that heavenly sundae and I hope you have found answers to all those questions you said you had for when you got to heaven. We love you and we miss you but we all know you are in the better place. Sometime soon we will see each other again.

My Grandma Pollard was a great grandma.  I loved her so much.  I'm sad that she died but I'm so glad that she has went to Heaven.  Once when I was about 5, I went to Texas to visit family.  We were sitting at the table playing Mexican Train.  It was Grandma's turn and she made a move and it was not right. So, my Aunt Brenda told her she couldn't do that and she said oh, crap.  That has been in my family since then.  I loved my grandma so much but I didn't know her very well.  I wish I did though.

I had a hard time with writing this because I struggled with being able to think of Grandma in terms of 'was' rather than 'is'. Despite having been gone over a year now she is still as present in my life as she was when she was alive. I see her in every moment spent with family, in the sayings we all repeat from her, in the simple beauty of flowers, and especially in how who I am is shaped by who she was. While reminising about her with my cousin recently, I eventually came to realise that just because her life on this earth was over did not mean she would not continue to be alive in each of us who remember her in our hearts. I know there is not sadness but joy in remembering her part in each of our lives and comfort in knowing we will see her again. 

Some of my favourite memories are of sitting in Grandma's kitchen and listening to her tell stories of her childhood. Though she experienced many struggles, she always looked for the joys in life. Grandma understood that I was a bit shy and enjoyed just sitting together doing simple things like working on the word circle puzzles she enjoyed so much.

I will forever cherish each and every memory I have of my Grandma. She was a great example to me of what it means to be a Godly woman. I regularly saw how she strove to be closer to Jesus and did not take Him for granted in her life. When I was staying at her house I often slept on the couch and I could hear her at night praying before she went to sleep. She was very careful to remember all of her family and loved ones in each and every prayer. It has taught me a lot about diligence in prayer.

I love you Grandma! You will always be with me in my heart. 

Until I see you again...See you later Alligator...

Tiffany

I came into the family in 1981. Ruth Pollard (I called her Ruthie in later years) extended hospitality to this stranger. I spent several months living in a travel trailer just out the back door of Ruthie's home as Brenda and I planned our wedding. I quickly learned that turning down LeSueur peas or green beans was very near the unforgiveable sin. One evening I was invited to have dinner with the family. I said no thank you to the LeSueur peas. With a rather loud plopping sound she served me a portion of peas and said, “Don't turn your nose up at them until you have tried them!” I learned to enjoy LeSueur peas…….and tolerate green beans. Ruthie was an accomplished cook. She made the best potato salad I have ever eaten and passed many of her favorite recipes to us. 
Ruthie and I had our little things we enjoyed to do when Brenda was off to church camp, Wilderness Trek, or on a trip to see one of our children. We often took that opportunity to get some fried shrimp, okra, apples, coleslaw and tea before Wednesday evening services. Shrimp was always at the top of the list of foods she enjoyed. Beans and cornbread were a real close second. I would cook a pot of beans and we would share.  (She had buttermilk and I had sweet milk.)  She also fancied chicken livers and okra. I would often pick up an order on the way home from work. She was so excited that I would think of her during my work day. We shared those as well (although I prefer gizzards!)
Ruthie often worried that she was too much trouble when she had to ask to have something repaired. She would stutter and finally get out what she needed done. Whether it was the well, a light bulb, air conditioner or the myriad of other things that come with home ownership she was so appreciative of the little things I did. I wish that my phone would ring just one more time so that I could once again fix something for her. It was such a privilege to be able to do those little things for her because she loved me as her son and I loved her as my other mother.
We have made some of the dishes she made. There are traditions that must be carried on. Round steak, gravy, and rice; Ham and potato salad; pork chops and grits; LeSueur peas; will always grace our table at the appropriate season. They will never be quite the same because the humor, graciousness, mercy and love of our sweet Mom (Ruthie) are not at our table. She always displayed a gracious and kind heart. Now I know where Brenda learned all those traits. There is not enough ink to pen how important and dear she was…..is to me.   
Her favorite Son in law

It has been more than a year now since Momma went to be with God and I still miss her each and every day. I  still feel lost every time I want to pick up the phone and call her or stop by to see her. She's supposed to be here! But she's not. 

Her love of life and God can not be out done. She loved each and every one of us dearly, as we loved her. She was a bright light in so many peoples lives. I know that that bright light is still within me and it will never dull. No matter what has gone on in this life, I know that she wanted the best for each of us. 

I miss her walking me outside to see some new flower she had gotten or ones that had just started to bloom. She truly loved the beauty God has given us in flowers. She had such a green thumb with outdoor flowers but every house plant she ever got, eventually died. I always laughed with her when she would say that she didn't know what happened but 'it just up and died'. 

As I was helping Brenda write out the funny sayings Momma said, I realized that us children and her grandchildren won't let those die because we say one or another of them daily and that gives me such a big smile.

I miss her calling me at times to talk about something she had read in the Bible that she didn't quite understand. We would talk it over and at times we would figure it out and other times we would have to ask someone else for understanding. She loved to read the Bible daily and know a close relationship with God and Jesus. So many people still come up to me at church and tell me how much she is missed. 

Ever since she passed away, so many people are telling me that I look just like her. I never heard that while she was alive but it sure does warm my heart to hear it now. 

Momma will live on indefinitely in our hearts and in our minds for many generations to come!! 

I strive to become the person that she was. I look forward to seeing her in Heaven one day and sharing a Hot Fudge Sundae with her! Spending an eternity with her, God and Jesus....WOW what a gift!

I love and cherish you Momma.

Linda Pollard Welden

I have thought long and hard about what to write here and I'm still not sure what to put. Ruth Pollard was my Grandma and to me she was all a grandma could be. She hated snakes with a passion I have not seen since but she loved to garden and loved to visit. She most of all loved any time spent with family, and loved the Lord. I can't put what she meant to me in so few words. I will miss her and her love of life, but I am glad in the assurance that she is in heaven eating a chocolate sundae and smiling down on us.

Love you Grandma

        Grandma's Favorite Sayings

Grab a root and growl!
Cut the corn!
Neat with a reed pleat.
You're just a bird-doggin' me!
I'll be switched!
Don't get your panties all in a wad.
You can get happy in the same britches you got mad in.
Scratch where it itches, even if it's in your britches.  
Fine as frog's hair.
More than Carter's has little liver pills.
That's highway robbery!
Pinch, poke, you owe me a coke.
Okey dokie, I'm a pokie.
How now brown cow.
Might as well, gonna be sick anyway!
Oh Fudge!
Ok...Ok...Ok...Ok...Ok...
Home again, home again, home again George!
I'm blind in one eye and can't see out of the other.
I'm deaf in one ear and can't hear out of the other.
If my nose is cold, I'm cold all over.
If my feet are cold, I'm cold all over.
When the Good Lord passed out feet, I thought He said meat and asked for a second helping.
My daddy always said I had two feet that wouldn't fit in anyone's yard.
I don't like Big Red, it tastes like medicine!
You dropped it, you dropped it, you dropped your yellow pocket.
"Just in time to be too late" changed over time to: "Just in time to be first next time" or "First in line for next time".
One day I'm going to go to Heaven, and when I get there I'm going to get a double Hot Fudge Sundae with a cherry on top...hopefully!
You know, if I can just make it to Heaven, I won't be a diabetic any more!
Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite.
See you later alligator, after a while crocodile, not too soon you big baboon!
Florence use to say she would live the longest, because she was the youngest, and now I'm the only one left.

Red in the morning, sailor's warning;
Red at night, sailor's delight.

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring; he fell out of bed and broke his leg and couldn't get up in the morning.

It's raining, it's hailing; It's all kinds of weather. You come & I come & we'll go together. You run a reaper & I'll run a binder. Lost my true love & right here I'll find her.

There once was a chigger 
And it wasn't much bigger
Than the tip end of a very small pin
But the spot that it raises,
Why it itches like the blazes
And that's where the rub comes in!

Shave and a hair cut, six bits
Who's gonna marry Tom Nix?
Whatcha gonna feed him on?
Why toothpicks, of course!

It has been incredibly to read all the wonderful stories and comments about Grandma. I did not get to enjoy the type of relationship with her that many of you had as I grew up states away. Reading of her quick wit and love for God draws us closer and tightens the bond of family even though she is gone. I see through your eyes the type of woman she was and I can see that she is a part of who I am.

My favorite Grandma memory that encapsulates her spirit was a simple line she left at the bottom of a Christmas card. We kept it on our wall for over a year. It said, “Merry Christmas and Happy Easter Egg."

I love you and miss you, Grandma.

My Aunt Ruth was a character! Oh, how she loved to laugh, and with such a wonderful, infectious laugh! I could laugh laughing at her laugh!

I remember her house in Houston, off Rittenhouse Road, just a few miles from our Harkness Street house. Her house and yard were immaculate; she loved her flowers! But she was a city girl, or so I thought. Then she moved to "the country" in Conroe, and what a country girl she reverted back to! She loved working in her garden and yard, and she worked so hard, and I remember just loving her so much more because she was really a "country girl" who just happened to live in the city for a while.

I know that she is now enjoying her paradise valley, the lily of the valley, and Sharon's perfect sweet rose!

I can't believe it has already been a year since Momma began her eternal life with our Heavenly Father. I miss her presence here like crazy, and yet, she will always be with me. 

Momma was such an example to me, she was still teaching me up until the day she was taken into surgery.  I would like to say a little bit about her.  

Momma was the 7th of 12 children of her Dad, and the 4th of 9 from her Mama, the middle for both.  Her mother was asked once why they had so many, to which she replied "Why, which one could I have done without!" They never had much money or earthly wealth, but they were rich in love and family.  She was raised to work hard, be honest, faithful, love God and family, laugh, tell lots of stories, and the love of gardening and the country.  She passed these values on to us, her three children and her grandchildren.  

Our Momma loved her roses, and every flower and flowering shrub she could get her hands on.  She never had too many, she would find a place to put another.  She loved working outside, enjoying the sights, smells and feel of the earth.  She tenderly cared for every plant, striving to nourish, strengthen and reproduce them all. She freely gave cuttings and plants to all who asked. Even when tired, she wanted to complete her work.  

She had a fantastic sense of humor.  She loved to tell old country tales that she had often learned from her Dad.  If she didn't remember it all, she would make up her own ending!  The same was true for country sayings, WWII ditties, rhymes, and songs.  She sometimes would remember part of something, and loved to call Little Margie, family and friends to help her remember the rest. 

Momma was a fantastic Christian example.  She put her beliefs into action, bringing food, visiting and helping the elderly and sick, taking people to doctor appointments, calling her friends she had not seen at church services, prayed, and prayed some more. She forgave those who had done her wrong, and what was even harder, she prayed for those who had wronged her loved ones. Sometimes she said she didn't understand why someone had done something, but then would say that she hadn't walked in their shoes and that we all make mistakes.  She said many times we had to forgive others or the Lord could not forgive us.  She would ask me if I had remembered to pray for someone, and tell me that she prayed for them daily.  If she had been reading her Bible and didn't understand something, she was quick to call to ask questions from me and Clifton.  She said she had many things she wanted to ask the Lord, now she is getting that chance.

She loved her family deeply and was a very proud Grandma and Great-Grandma.  She eagerly looked forward to each one's birth, and loved spending as much time with them as possible.  She showed their pictures to all who would take the time to look!  Each one was special to her for his or her own reason.  She constantly asked how they were doing and when would they be in to see her next!  

She was my dear Momma, and she was also my dear friend.  We laughed together, we cried together, we talked a lot.  My day was marked by the times we spent together, whether on the phone or in person.  I loved holding her hand, hugging her, giving her a kiss on the cheek, tucking her in at night, and just being with her.  I miss the smell of her, the Chanel #5 my Dad loved to buy her, and her laugh.  I love the way her eyes would twinkle and her often quirky smile. She tried to take care of me up to the very end.  She told me I needed to get rest, that work or whatever could wait. I had to take care of myself she would say. She worried about us and prayed for us several times a day. She was my companion, my friend, my teacher, my champion, my Momma.

She had so much wisdom, so much love, and so much character, she will live on in our memories forever.

Brenda, The very one who rocked you in the beginning needed you most in the end.  You were there with your tender heart and your steadfast loyalty, doing the right thing exactly the way she would have hoped, exactly the way she taught you to do.  What a beautiful tribute to your mother.  Just want you to know that I understand that the pain is not over.  I will continue to pray for you as you walk through the next steps of your journey.  Much love.

Dear Brenda & Clifton,  We are so very sorry you are going through this difficult time of loss and grief.  You were such an amazing, devoted daughter and honored your mother every day.  With love and prayers.

Praying for you and the family to have peace to overcome the sadness and love to return to joy when we all meet together again in that mansion prepared for us.  Blessings to you.

I was so sorry to hear about your loss.  I pray for you and your family.  May God's love help you to heal from this loss.

Dear sweet friends,  What a loss for our church family with the loss of Ruth.  She was the kind of woman who exuded love and friendship to everyone.  We can still see her sitting in her favorite pew having been escorted in by one of the grandsons or relatives.  You were so good to her as she was to you.  We will miss her terribly.

So sorry to hear about the passing of your mom  I lost my mom six months ago and I miss her terribly, as I know you do also.  When I would bring my Dad to church he would always tell me that your Mother was an Inspiration to him.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Dear Brenda, Clifton and children, Please accept my sympathy on the death of your mother.  May you remember the joys you shared and value the strength you developed while caring for her to the best of your ability and knowledge.  You have done what you could.  I thank God for people like you.  Just get through the Holidays the best you can.  May 2014 bring you peace and love. May God bless you all.

Brenda, I know you especially are missing your mom because you helped her with everything for as long as I can remember.  You even quit your job!  You are whom I think of when I think of "The Proverbial Woman"!  (Clifton is a very lucky man!)  I also think y'all have raised a really sweet and caring family.  It was always so sweet to see your boys taking care of Aunt Ruth.  I love you and anytime you need something or need to talk, call me.

I am so thankful to have known Ruth.  She blessed my life richly with her sweet smile and faithful spirit.  We all learned so much following her example.  I pray that as I get older I too will be found faithful.
  
My prayers are with you as you all adjust to life without her.  May our Lord give you comfort and peace till you see her again.

Dear Brenda & Cliff,  What a blessing it is to have had a loving, encouraging mother as part of your lives.  She truly was someone who brought joy into the lives of people she came into contact with.  We know how you will miss her, because she was so important to you.  You brought her much happiness.  You're in our prayers.

The loss of a mother is an incredibly hard thing.  But knowing the loss is temporary and knowing our moms are now pain free, enjoying new bodies - that brings comfort and peace!  Y'all are in my prayers!  Your mom was an amazing lady and such a joy!  I loved hearing her in my Wednesday night class!  She always made me smile!

To the Curry Family,  We are saddened for the death of Ruth.  We've always loved seeing you and your young men's affectionate care they showed toward their grandmother.  We'll all miss Ruth and pray God will bless you and give you peace.

Dear Brenda & family, You have been on my heart and I know how sad it is to lose a Mother.  I know you will miss her.  I miss seeing her smiling face on Sundays!  She was a loving friend to me.  May God's blessings be on you and your family.

Dear Brenda, Clifton, and family,  I could never express the love for precious Ruth.  I will miss her kiss on the cheek and her "quick wit" among so much more.  I loved your mama so.  Love through Christ.

Dear Friends,  Our hearts go out to you and your family.  I know how much your dear Mother was so much a part of your lives.  She will be sadly missed by everyone.  She was a special lady.  May God give you peace and even joy as you know where she's gone.  Love to you from our hearts.

Dear Brenda and family,  So sorry to hear about your mother.  May God bless you and comfort all the family.  In His Love,

I am so sorry to hear of Ruth's passing although I know she is happier now.  She was such a joy & my faithful friend.  She always kept tabs on me and I will miss her too.  She was always a light in my life.  I am praying for you now in love.

Dear Curry Family,  We are so sorry for the loss of Mrs. Ruth.  We will miss seeing her every Sunday morning (for a very long time) and visiting with her.  She was so proud of being in her 80's.

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of Ms. Ruth's life.  She was a beautiful example of God's love.  We will miss her, but we know we will be reunited one day and what a beautiful day that will be!

Dear friends,  Just to let you know I will miss seeing that sweet smile on Sunday!  Made me think of my mother and their brave souls trying to keep going!  I want to tell you that your sons made such a good feeling for me as I watched them when they sat beside their grandmother!  They were so supportive of her.  My prayers are for you!  My mother has been gone a little over a year, but it's as if she is still here!  Blessings and prayers for all of you!

Dear Brenda & family,  Just wanted you to know our thoughts and prayers are with you on the loss of your Mom.  Mine passed away 8 years ago Christmas Eve and it makes this time of year bittersweet.  I was given a Christmas ornament the day after my mother passed - I will pass the thought on to you:  "You know I loved you, do not shed a tear.  I'll be spending Christmas with Jesus this year."

Brenda, I admire you so much for the excellent way you took care of Aunt Ruth.  You are an inspiration to many.  We made a donation to Central Texas Children's Home, the one Daddy's church sponsors.  We are truly sorry - we love you very much!  God bless.

Loving thoughts and prayers to all of you.  I will never forget Miss Ruth and Miss Myrtle between Bible class and worship at the church building on Frazier Street walking the aisles greeting and giving hugs to everyone!  I really miss their presence. Sweet hugs to your family.

My prayers are with you and may God comfort you as only He can.  It was a pleasure to know Ms. Ruth.

We are so sorry for your loss.  Your mother was a very special lady, and was loved by so many.

Dear Brenda and family, We are praying for all of you!  Know that your sweet mother will be missed!  In Christ, Wayne, Cindy, Rachel, Lydia & Jay

Brenda, I am so sorry to hear about your Mom.  It seems like it was so fast.  Sometimes that is the best - she didn't have to suffer.  I feel for you, Glenda and Linda.  She is with your Dad now.  Take care and much love to all of you.

Grandma was a wonderful person. She was rowdy in her young age, and in her old age told hilarious stories of those time. She loved her family more than anything. She did whatever she could to help us and was always kind and generous. I cannot say in these few words what she meant to me, but she will always live in my heart. I will forever cherish the time I spent with her and remember all that she taught me. Though I can no longer see her, hold her hand, or hear her tell of times and friends long past, I will always remember her smile, how her hand felt in mine, and the love of life she showed in her stories. I will remember the light shining in her eyes as she spoke of her husband, her children, and all the rest of us.

Fond memories are what I have of Aunt Ruth and Uncle Kenneth.  During the summer they would join Grover and Addie at Sommerville, Texas.  Anyone who was interested and could get a few days off was welcome to join them for camping, fishing, skiing, good food and fellowship.

Having two teenagers, Rhonda and Craig and a youngster, Clint, made this a perfect place for the McDonalds to vacation a few days.  Rhonda and Craig loved the friends who were there and of course the skiing.  Clint would dig in the dirt, swim in the water, and entertain himself.

However, we always ate whatever the men caught.  Clint had never seen so much fish.  The men would filet the fish and Aunt Ruth and Addie would fry it up and arrange it on a plate stacked up like a plate of cookies.  Clint would eat and eat.  One evening he went to the long table spread with all the food and snacks on it.  Unable to reach the fish he said, "Aunt Rufe, could you please give me another cookie."  Aunt Ruth reached over and scooted the plate closer to the edge so he could reach it never saying a word or revealing that it was fish not cookies.  Then she would laugh her sweet laugh like she had kept a very big secret.

Aunt Ruth always was positive and never had a negative word to say about anyone, unless it was Glenda...she thought it was hysterical that Glenda was afraid of snakes.

I loved her and will always miss her.

Growing up living next to Grandma was one of the biggest blessings I have had.  For me it is hard to describe the relationship we had.  When I was younger she would help take care of me and Michael.  When I got older, I began to help take care of her, especially when she would have insulin reactions.  We would call to check on her around time to eat.  When she didn't answer the phone, I would go up to her house, check her sugar, and then start giving her root beer while making a sandwich.  As she would come out of her reaction she would take a bite of sandwich or a drink of root beer and then look up at me and smile.  As long as I am alive I will remember that smile.  Even though she was not feeling her best she still had joy in her heart.  Although I was not there when she passed away I know that she was smiling as she went to meet her Maker. 

Another fond memory of Grandma was that when I went up to visit with her she was almost always reading her Bible.  She would often put down her Bible and start talking about what she had just read.  Then after a while she would say "If I can just make it to heaven I won't be diabetic anymore, and guess what, when I get there the first thing I'm going to do is have me a hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top!  I'm also going to ask Jesus about some of the things I've read about in the Bible.  I just don't understand why they did some things the way they did."  Although some would say Grandma had a lot she could complain about she always found the good in life.  I will miss her a lot, but I know she is chowing down on that sundae now and asking Jesus a whole lot of questions!

Dear Brenda, Glenda, and Linda,

You sweet girls have many good memories to think back upon. I remember good things about Ruth. Jack and I visited her many times in her home and out with the flowers. She always had her Bible on the table next to her chair where she had been reading. She was always quick to discuss it with us. My best personal memories was the phone calls I got from her after I'd missed church services on a Sunday and she was checking up on me - and then our weekly Sunday morning kiss. From now on you live on memories of your mom, you are so blessed to have good ones. She was a dedicated wife, carrying mom, and a woman who took care of her home. I know she's waiting for me and we will have a good time catching up.

                    I love you girls,
                    Jaynell W. Hamm

It was so different when I was home last December.  Mom was in the hospital, but at the house she was still all around us.  Her family was there and outside flowers, trees, and bushes were everywhere.  Evidence was bountiful of the things she had left behind.  In almost every room in the house were pictures of those she loved the most.  It never took much, when I called mom, for her to start talking about family, both those present and those who had gone on.  Her voice still cracked whenever she spoke of my Dad.  She often told me how no one expected her to live that long and yet; she had outlived all her siblings.  She was lonely for those who had left but grateful for those who were still around.

Mom was usually ready to listen.  Sometimes she gave advice whether you wanted to hear it or not.  She financially helped whenever she could. Sometimes she visited you when she would have rather been at home because family was important to her.

In my younger years, Mom wasn't always very tactful; she said what she thought.  Years tempered that reaction.  However, you couldn't find a person that was more compassionate.  When she knew someone had a need, she tried to help in any way she could:  groceries, service, money, or just willingly sit and visit.  When we were kids, we mowed the neighbor's yard.  Why?  Because Mom said they were older, the yard needed it, and she said to do it.

I remember moving to Conroe.  She was so excited to be in the country.  Mom got cows, chickens, pigs, ducks, guineas, rabbits, dogs and cats and even a pony.   We had a garden the size of Texas.  I think we supplied food for us, her entire family and then some.  She was definitely a hard worker and wanted the job done right.

Now what remains are the memories of things she said, how she treated those around her, her love of gardening; the family she loved; and most importantly, the faith she expressed in her every day life as she continued to grow throughout her life.

I will always remember her talking about her having lived so much longer than the doctors expected. Then, after she lost all her siblings, she was so sad because she was the only one left. She talked a lot about heaven, and how she tried to "be good enough" so that she could get there :) I think she finally understood that none of us could ever be good enough, but that we would all be there one day, due to the Gift of God and His mercy. She loved shrimp! She loved to read! She loved going to church! She was so good to me, and I truly loved her. I continue to miss her but plan to see her soon one day soon :)

Anyone who knows grandma knows she loved gardening, especially roses.  Roses need a lot of love and constant care.  They have long, thorny stems, and yet, they are beautiful when they bloom.  Some are more fragrant than others, and all are most beautiful right before the blossoms die. 

After I moved away from home, I started appreciating roses more, perhaps out of some nostalgic memory of grandma and her circle drive full of roses.  This past Mother's Day, I saw a yellow rose with big, beautiful blooms that smelled so fragrant.  My boys bought it for me, and I planted it soon afterward, eager to have a rose to remind me of grandma.  I didn't really plan well, because we left for about a month that summer, and the dry heat in Colorado along with the tumbleweed that take over our yard stifled the flower.  I was quite disappointed, though I'm hoping this next year when spring comes I can nourish it back to life.  

Grandma knew what it took to care for not one rose but dozens.  We used to laugh because she watered those roses so much every day that we were certain their roots weren't very deep.  Then, as her health declined, she watered them less.  Some died, but others adapted well.  They grew strong roots and continued to offer beauty to any who saw them.  

While grandma's gardening gift is something to be admired, even more so is her faith, which grew deeper with time.  When I was younger, I mostly remember grandma going to church in what seemed like more of a duty than anything else…and our joking about how everything and everyone should get out of the way when she pulled into the parking lot.  (I don't want to sound overly critical because we all have moments…or sometimes long spells…in our faith when we are more duty-driven than driven by our need for a relationship with God, and I'm no stranger to going through the motions!)  Of course, I don't know what she was thinking, but over time, I saw her faith develop more.  She genuinely loved going to church and seeing familiar faces.  Always a creature of habit, she had little sayings she'd repeat when she saw a particular person…it was her way of saying, I love you.  She also loved to read her Bible.  Before I left for college, I'd see grandma in two places: outside with her flowers or at the kitchen table working on her crossword puzzles.  As she aged, she couldn't go outside very often anymore, so she mostly stayed at the kitchen table.  She still worked crossword puzzles and read romance novels, but now she spent a considerable amount of time reading her Bible, not because she was old and knew her time was coming but because she had developed a need for her roots to be deeper, to know God in a new and yet familiar way.  We sang “I Come to the Garden Alone” at her funeral, and I can't think of a more fitting song: “I come to the garden alone / While the dew is still on the roses / And the voice I hear falling on my ear / The Son of God discloses. / And He walks with me, and He talks with me, / And He tells me I am His own; / And the joy we share as we tarry there, / None other has ever known.”

Despite the hard and often thorny life she lived, grandma experienced a joy of knowing God on a deep level before passing on.  In the last decade of her life, she was most fragrant to those around her and blossomed so very beautifully…a true rose cultivated by her savior for an eternity of walking and talking with him, and I'm certain at this very moment she's experiencing a joy “none other has ever known.”  I love you, grandma, and I'm looking forward to hearing all about your walks with God among the roses.  

Until then, see ya later, alligator.

Momma was the most incredible woman I've ever known. She was my rock and my friend. She loved God, and loved to learn more about Him, and how she should live her life for Him. If she missed a day of studying her Bible she would say that she wanted to read twice as much that next day. She usually questioned whether she would go to heaven, to which I always told her that I believed she was definitely going to be there. I would tell her that she loved God, strived to not sin, studied daily, put her faith in Him, and other attributes she portrayed, so how could she miss. I would tell her that I hoped I could live up to her example for me. She always ended the conversation with "I want to go to Heaven but I don't want to go today!" 

Momma was such a character and had no problem joking about things about herself. She used to say "When God passed out feet, I thought He said meat and asked for a double helping!" She would also say that if her feet and nose were cold that all of her was cold. 

After I had Tiffany, Momma and Daddy would take care of her while I worked. I had bought a cute pacifier for Tiffany, yet when I came home from work one day, Tiffany was using the most ugly pacifier I had ever seen. Momma said that Tiffany didn't like that other one so she went and bought her one that she liked. Tiffany was stuck on that ugly pacifier from then on out.

Momma gave and showed love to each of us in all that she did each and every day. She was always there for us even when she didn't like what we were doing. I'm just very glad that she is in heaven now with all her brothers and sisters, eating her fudge sundae and asking God and Jesus all kinds of questions.

I know she told all of us about the sundae she would get to eat when she got to heaven :)  BUT, I also tried my best to get her to just eat one and enjoy it while she was here on earth. To which, many times she would say, "Why? Do you think I might not make it to heaven?"  We laughed and then I would spend the rest of the conversation trying to assure her she would be in heaven! She would always have to say, "I hope I will". I did notice; however, that this last year or so, she seemed to talk more of actually going to heaven and NOT talking so much about just 'hoping' she would. That made me feel so much better. And, we spoke of her being together with all her family again, and she looked so forward to that.  I hope my mother was the first one to meet her :) I love all of her family so very much, and I know you miss her. As I told you, Brenda, I'm so thankful for that last visit we had together ....I actually had 'lunch' with her :)  thanks to you for looking out for both of us, instead of finishing your outside work. It was a good day and a fond memory for me

Momma loved to remember her childhood in Montgomery County. She was one of twelve children, and her parents were farmers. They would come into Conroe once a month, by wagon, to purchase supplies. If their dad had sold cotton or watermelons, they would get to have a nickle apiece to spend, and get to run around town on their own. On one such trip, my mom had to "use the restroom", and ask someone for directions. She was sent to the Montgomery County Courthouse. She had never seen a toilet before...they had an outhouse at home. So, after using it, she pulled the chain which made the toilet flush. She thought she had broken it! She ran to the wagon and hid under the tarps, which they had to cover the suppplies in case of bad weather. She stayed there until they went home that afternoon and then made excuses why she couldn't go to town for the next several months. She was afraid the sheriff would arrest her for breaking the toilet! She also talked of when the only red light in Montgomery County was at intersection of 105 and 75, or how the "new 105" was staked out when the US entered WWII and it was all put on hold. They were going to put the bridge over the San Jacinto River at their favorite swimming hole, so they were glad it was postponed. She also said her daddy would turn over in his grave if he saw how big and how busy 105 had gotten. She loved her family deeply, and that is something I will always remember.

When I sat down in her kitchen, I often banged my head on the corner of the cabinet.  Grandma would hear that sound, look up and start laughing:  "Kenneth always said he'd cut that corner off..." followed shortly along with laughter from all and reminiscing about Grandpa and their life together.

He was so afraid of snakes that he'd stand on the hood of his truck, shooting at them with a 22.  Grandma, on the other hand, struck universal fear into the heart of Satan's representatives everywhere...  When Grandma saw a snake, she chased it down and killed it.  I can't count the number of times she'd grab one by the tail as it tried to flee under her house then proceed to kill it.

Of course, she had moments when her generosity showed as well.  Once, when my sister and I were about 5, we were left in her care and we went across the road to get some ice cream from Pinto's.  It was so hot that the air was forming waves off the top of the asphalt...by the time we got back across the road both Misty and I were done and, upon seeing this, she said "Guess we'd better get another one"...then turned around and crossed the road again.  We were all poor at that time so the double treat memory stuck with me through all the years!

She's home in heaven now, but we'll never forget the broad strokes in which God painted her personality...or the fine touches he used to finish it off.

We love you.  Hope you're enjoying those double fudge sundaes in heaven.

Dear Linda,
Sorry to read about your mom. I remember going to church with y'all (in high school) and your mother driving us....always a fun adventure.  I mainly remember her laughing and smiling a lot. One night she barely missed the curb, but she said, "Child, I missed it by a whole 2 inches."  I have thought of that and smiled over the years. We always pass by her house on our way to my in-laws, and I always think about her. Now I will say a little prayer for you and your sisters. 
Elizabeth 'Ann' Wade Buller

Aunt Ruth, who had diabetes for many years, often said that the first thing she was going to do when she got to heaven was have a hot fudge sundae. I hope she's enjoying it! -- Diane Bowen

OBITUARY

Ruth Alice Blake Pollard

October 8, 1927 – December 9, 2013

Metcalf Funeral Directors

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