Celebrating our mothers
Ever since Mother’s Day became an official U.S. holiday in 1914, we’ve celebrated our mothers with a day dedicated just for them—the second Sunday in May. Here are some special memories staff and residents have shared about their moms and grandmothers.
“My mom always came to my high school cross country meets to cheer for me and my teammates. She also baked us cookies and other goodies for pretty much every meet. Needless to say, she was pretty popular with my teammates! I love that she was (and still is) always supportive of me and also my friends.” —Kim Tuhro, life enrichment coordinator
“My mother has always had an eye for decorating and for creating beautiful things, especially on a budget. I have bragged about her my whole life telling others that her home could be ‘in the magazines.’ She seems to always be ahead of the trends and it shows in all the ways she brings out beauty within the walls of her home. She is the type of person who truly makes a house a home by creating the most welcoming of environments, not only with the décor but also with her hospitality.” — Meggin Nicolas, independent living activity coordinator
“One of my fondest memories of my mother, Marjorie Baugher, is the fact that she was such a fantastic baker and cook. She doesn’t cook or bake much anymore, but our memories of those family dinners and holidays make me smile. She baked the most delicious pies, cookies and cakes, all made from scratch. And, she even made her pie crust from scratch! (I take the lazy way out and buy the readymade crust.) Holidays, birthdays, and gatherings were always special with her fabulous food. And when summer arrived, they were made even better with homemade ice cream. Everyone was welcome in our home—family, friends and neighbors. My mother loved having company over and she always made sure they had plenty to eat.” —Melody Dodge, director of marketing and sales
“Growing up in Boone County, outside the city of Harrison, Ark., I had many childhood adventures. Many adventures happened playing in the creek bed and in the 10 acres woods located just behind my house. And many more adventures happened when I was with my grandmother. She lived just a holler away and is where I spent a majority of my time with ‘Granny Harmon.’ I would work with her in the garden and the flower beds, help her with the chickens by gathering eggs and feeding the new baby chicks. Help her pick grapes from the grape vine garden. She had wooden posts in the ground that connected to make a square with fencing wire on the top and the grapes would grow up the post on the wire and hang down.
“There are other fond memories of quilting with her, on the large loom that was on hooks in her living room ceiling and came down and the quilt could be rolled up from two sides as the quilting work was completed.
“I came across this photo just before Easter this year. It made me think back to when we would hunt eggs and Granny Harmon got the most joy from hunting and finding eggs. We shared the photo at my family’s dinner and if felt like she was right there with us.” — Angela Page
“Occasionally, she would light up her large, cast iron, wood burning cook stove and make a delicious meal just like in the good ole days.” —Angela Page, activity coordinator
“My favorite memories of my mother, Ginny Rockhill, and grandmother, Brucie Gargis, revolve around the game of bridge. When I was young, I remember the two of them leaving for games once or twice a week and I wanted to be a part of it! When I was around 12 years old, I was asked to be a caddy at a bridge tournament. The job included picking up scores, running errands for the director and putting cards away after the games. I loved it! Plus, I earned $5 each session, which was a lot of money for a 12-year-old to be making. I headed off to college and started to spend my free afternoons playing. In the summer, I returned home and told mother that I wanted to take lessons and she quickly found a class. I learned the game and got to play a few times with my grandmother who had become an American Contract Bridge League Life Master as my mother had become a few years before. As an adult, I returned to Wichita and have been lucky enough to tutor under my mother and become a Life Master also. The two of us play two to three times a week. I have all three of our Life Master cards framed together and it is a piece I cherish.” —Juhree Ring, daughter of resident Ginny Rockhill
