After graduating from high school, she worked many jobs to put herself through college, becoming the first in her family to attend college. She earned an accounting degree, and after that she and my dad married and started having a family. She wanted to work to help support the family, but she didn't want to leave her children, so Mom and Dad took some hair stylist classes, built a beauty shop next to the house, and became beauticians with her taking care of the accounting and working in the shop next to my dad. One of the stories she loved to tell was about me climbing up to the top of the ladder when they were shingling the beauty shop roof. I was two years old and wanted to see what they were doing. My brothers and I were probably pretty annoying to my parents. Any time there was a big ruckus we'd bang on the wall that connected it to the beauty shop. I'm amazed they didn't kill us as much as we did this.
One of her customers was the current principal at the local elementary school, and she was also one of Mom's past teachers who encouraged her to go to college. She then encouraged her to go back to college and get a teaching degree, promising her that if she did, she would have a job waiting for her. Well, Mom went back to school and got her bachelor's degree in education around age 40, and she was hired to teach first grade at Walnut Creek Elementary by the principal who came to the beauty shop.
One of my perks from this was having even more books to read. She was assigned some pretty cool books to read in college. This was the reason I got my hands on CATCH-22 at age 12.
Mom loved teaching. She loved all of her students and put her whole heart into her job. They became her kids, too. Education continued to be very important to her. She wanted to learn more and do the best she possibly could at her job, so she went back to college evenings and summers until she had her masters degree. Along the way I was blessed to have her as my daughters' teacher. We told her she couldn't retire until the youngest was past first grade! She handled it in such a way that the other students really didn't believe they were her granddaughters. After that, Mom retired because Dad's health was bad at the time. She nursed him back to health, then volunteered at the schools, working mostly with the kids who had reading problems. She influenced my daughters so much they both became teachers, one working in elementary education, and the other in high school science, while also getting her masters degree.
Mom started getting symptoms of Alzheimer's later in life, and then it became severe. She still had lucid moments when she remembered us. It was hard to decide whether to remember her with donations devoted to finding a cure for Alzheimer's or to benefit education. She was a very giving lady and helped many young people get their education, so the family decided to have a scholarship for an Azle High School student planning to become a teacher. If you would like to donate to this, I've added a Paypal button below. Any amount would be greatly appreciated.
Naomi Washburn Teaching Scholarship
I wanted to also comment about my dear Aunt Naomi. In the summer she was not teaching, so my Father and Mother allowed me to spend the summers with my dear cousin Livia. (And Arlon and Bruce). While there, I was able to experience everything from the shelves of books, puzzles, and games that Aunt Naomi had available (because she loved children). We never went out to eat much back then, but her food was the best. She could cook a mean pot of chili, beans, and about every type of fresh vegie. My favorite was her zuchinni and squash. She and my Uncle Paul grew the most awsome gardens with potatoes, onions, squash, zuchinni, okra and more.
ReplyDeleteThey also had a freezer in which they kept the meat from a calf/hog/and the fish they caught at the coast. I always thought that was so cool. One thing I loved about her....she was laid back and enjoyed having a good time. She wasn't stressed out and trying to keep the house spotless like some do, so I never heard her once griping at her kids to wash the dishes or clean their rooms. She said, "There are more important things in life". While we were there in the summer we would climb trees, hang out in the tree house, swim in her wonderful pool, get into mischief shooting off fireworks, and would come into the house and play pool, ping pong, read books, and watch TV. She was always cooking for us and providing for us. She also sewed and would buy material and make us clothes, shirts, dresses, and skirts. It was so fun to go shopping with her, because we would go to Thrift Shops and come home with bags of awsome clothes. She took us to Eagle Mountain Lake to swim, and would actually swim with us, which we loved. Of all the things though, trips to the coast were the best. We would travel from Azle to Fulton and stay in some cabins just across from a fishing pier. She and Uncle Paul turned us onto fishing. We caught lots of flounder as well as assorted other weird fish like Dog Fish, Sheep Fish, etc...They would take us across the Ferry to Padre Island where we jumped into the waves of the Gulf of Mexico, picked up sea shells, and sand dollars, and also surf fished there. Those were the best times in my life, thanks to her and Uncle Paul and my cousins. One thing that I loved about Aunt Naomi was that she laughed when she talked! She would talk, and her voice sounded so happy. When we would come to her and ask her questions she always knew the answers. When we told her of our accomplishments she would grab us and HUG US and even cry happy tears....such as I GOT BAPTISED last night, and she would grab us and hug us and smile and be so proud. She meant so much to me, and to many many others. She had a swimming party at the end of the year, and invited all her children. I was able to be the life guard when she did that, and her students loved her so much. She will be greatly missed, but her spirit has now been passed down to her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was also one of the most devoted and loving wives, she loved her husband with a passion. She affected all of us with her beautiful personality and outlook on life. And hopefully we can be better people, because of her. :) Love, Renea
Renea, That whole trip to the coast with you and Michelle was Mom's idea. She knew I had a rough year and I believe she was the one that talked your Mom and Dad into letting you come. She was a hard lady to say no to. Every year I try to put in a little garden because of those gardens she put in. Every year I'm disappointed because I just don't have her touch. I'll keep trying, however. She was a multi-talented woman who loved. Loved with her whole heart. I sure am missing her smiles.
ReplyDeleteThis is cool!
ReplyDeleteHello nice post
ReplyDelete