Granny: A Tribute (1919-2009)

My sweet little granny passed away last Saturday morning after a short battle with pneumonia. She would have celebrated her 90th birthday this November. Many of you had the opportunity to meet granny (or at least have heard about her from time to time on my blog) but not very many of you knew about her life. I want to pay tribute to her today for the special lady that she was. She was amazingly strong and overcame so much in her lifetime. I have learned SO MUCH from her example and will miss her greatly!

About her life
My grandmother's name was Mamie Esther Bennett. She never liked her first name and always preferred being called Esther. She was born November 17, 1919 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. She was from a large family and loved her brothers and sisters very much. One of the things that eventually brought her to Florida was the cold weather in North Carolina. She hated being snowed in and not being able to go to school. In her early teens she moved to Jacksonville with her father. With sand in her shoes she remained here for over 70 years and embraced the warm weather.

She grew up during the Great Depression instilling in her a deep sense of gratitude that she carried with her throughout her life. One of her famous phrases was “We don’t waste food around here!”

She met her first husband, Laurie Durden, while working at a Cigar factory in Jacksonville, FL. They married in 1939 in Baker County, FL when she was in her early 20’s. They resided in Green Cove Springs. They had 2 children, Linda and George. She lost her first husband to typhoid fever when her son George was less than 8 months old. She was heartbroken 24 years old with 2 small children to take care of, but this did not break her spirit.

She then moved back to Jacksonville where she met her second husband Wallie Garland Bennett in 1944. Together they had six girls: Lawanna, Brenda, Sheila, Sandra, Janice, and Tammy. They were married for 22 years when in 1966 she became a widow for the second time when he passed of Lung Cancer. Her youngest daughter Tammy was six years old. At that time she entered into a career as a nurses assistant at St. Lukes hospital and retired after 20 years of service at age 62. She enjoyed working with the patients and was a hard worker.

She taught her daughters to be independent and self-sufficient and to learn to provide for themselves should the need arise as it did for her. She was a woman of strength, love and compassion. She ran a strict and orderly household and always kept things clean, neat and tidy. Dirty dishes and dirty laundry didn’t exist in her home. She was an excellent cook and made 3 hot meals a day. She also was a consistent disciplinarian. Whining was never allowed or tolerated, but you always knew that she loved you. All that knew her had great respect for the way she conducted her life and household.

One of her closest friends was her sister Ruth. They both shared a love for cats and small dogs especially Pomeranians. Ruth gave her three of her closest little companions Quagie, Sammy, and Smoky. She also always had cats that roamed around her little southern cottage and her most recent cats were Baily and Buddy. She greeted them each morning before daylight to feed and water them for the day.

She was comically fanatical about the way she looked. Even upon her sickness in the hospital she wanted to grace the nurses, doctors visitors with her eyebrows fixed and her lips polished. She also always had her hair combed and shining! She always wanted her daughters to look their best too and when they weren’t she told them very matter of factly!

One of my grandmother’s favorite hobbies was gardening. She could plant anything and it would grow. She knew the name of each plant, flower, and cactus and tended them with care and love. She adored anything that bloomed. Some her favorite flowers were roses, hydrangeas, angel trumpets, camellias, geraniums, and Amarillo lilies. The American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson said one of the ways to measure success was “ to appreciate beauty by finding the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch. To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.” She truly succeeded and blessed each of us with her talent and love of gardening.

Her greatest love was spending time with her family and being the boss! She was feisty and continued to tell her girls exactly what to do and when to do it. She passed when she was 89 after a short illness of pneumonia, which weakened her heart causing a heart attack. Her death came quickly without pain and suffering.

Although 89 is old for some she still possessed a keen mind and knew exactly what was happening all around her with her family, the 6:00 news, and her flowers! Up until her last days she lived independently. She ran her own household as meticulously as ever. She left us with a legacy of love and to always embrace beauty in whatever ways you found it either in a cactus, a garden patch, or a little Christmas tree! We love you granny and will always remember everything you taught us.



One of the hardest things about losing my granny has been that she passed away less than two months before my first baby will be born. It meant so much to me to have her here to welcome him with love. She was such an amazing mother and grandmother. She's been collecting little blankets, quilts and booties for our son since she found out we were expecting him. Our little Cameron will be very warm and comfortable thanks to his granny! I will cherish these my whole life and I look forward to the day when we will see granny again. For now, I know she is having a glorious reunion with her mother, father, husband and children who have passed before her. I also can't help but wonder if she is up there in heaven right now meeting our sweet little Cameron preparing him for his amazing journey ahead. I hope so!