“Sis, Take Care of Your Mom”

In the winter of 1958-59, Grandpa Pres and Granny Nola came back to Missouri from Oregon to spend Christmas with the family.  Just prior to leaving to go back to Oregon, Grandpa Pres had a very short conversation with my Mom and simply said, “Sis, if something happens to me, I want you to take care of your mom”.  In March of 1959, Grandpa Pres died of a heart attack in Oregon.  For the next 20 years, Mom took care of Granny Roberts – at first simply checking on her as she lived in Forsyth, then taking her into our home when she became very ill in the early 1960’s and where she would remain until her death in 1979.  There were times when we would want to do something, but Granny wouldn’t feel good enough.  Mom would simply say that she wanted to stay with  Granny.  Sometimes we would go on without Mom and Granny; sometimes we would stay at home with Mom and Granny, but I can never recall a single occasion in which Mom was not faithful to the request that her Daddy had made so many years before.