During her healthy days, Sunday would have been the day to wake up and get ready for church. It had been some time since she had the freedom that comes with good health.
Last Sunday morning, she did not have to worry about getting ready. She had been doing that for just two months short of 99 years. As her family stood around her bedside singing her favorite hymns, she would pull out the strength to join in the chorus.
The final breath came in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 19, 2009.
Odum, Ga., was where she took her first breath. It was Sept. 19, 1910, the third Monday of the month. Her love for her Lord, family and her church was fostered during her youth. All three became a very solid foundation for her life.
In 1929, she came to Lakeland, Ga., to visit her uncle and aunt while attending South Georgia Women’s College (VSU). He was the sheriff. There was a young deputy that worked for her uncle.
She married the deputy, and he lived to the age of 99 a few days shy of 100. Their marriage that began on Aug. 21,1930, ended 77 years later with his death. A newspaper headline about their 70th anniversary said, “At 70 years, they’ve been married longer than most folks have been alive.”
In a newspaper interview in 2000, he said of his wife, “She had been kind of the head of the operation the whole time.” This caused laughter from his wife. “Wait a minute. He’s the head,” she said, contradicting him.
In the Bible, we are taught the wife should submit to the husband. Many readers stop there without reading the part “as Christ loved the Church.” This couple knew exactly what the Holy Words meant and they lived their lives in total submission to each other. For all who knew her, you were very aware of her country cooking but especially you knew of her pound cake. Every Friday, the cake would appear sometime during the early morning hours and would rarely make it through the weekend. She did this for 60 years until a hospitalization broke the routine.
At the funeral, her children and grandchildren reflected on her life and their grandfather because as they said you could hardly speak of one without mentioning the other. One grandchild said, “the nighttime call from granddaddy that the peas were ready followed by your granny will pick you up at 6:30. You were never asked if you could help ... it was a given.”
Her grave marker will read “Alene O’Quinn Patten, September 19, 1910 - July 19, 2009.” The words read as if there is a beginning and an end but, for nearly 99 years, she left a heart full of memories for her family and friends. This legacy did not die with her. In fact, the memories bring comfort to everyone who was lucky enough to know her as I did. She was my aunt; her husband, J.D., was my mother’s brother.
What We Think
From the publisher: Memories are lasting, as are lessons learned
- What We Think
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Memorial Day: A solemn occasion
Memorial Day has taken on many meanings through the years. The unofficial start of summer, a day off from work, a day to honor family and friends who have passed away.
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Elections: Creating a two-party region?
Twenty years ago, most area elections were decided during the primaries. Then, almost every candidate qualified as a Democrat. While there may be plenty of challengers on the ballot, many seats were decided in July or a few weeks later during the primary run-off.
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Thumbs up, thumbs down
THUMBS UP: To South Georgians making fine impressions on television singing competitions. Phillip Phillips of Leesburg won “American Idol” this week. Meanwhile, Lowndes High School graduate Stacia Watkins participated in the new ABC show “Duets.” Well done!
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Farewell to the vanishing ace
Donald S. “Bush” Bryan was not only a rare individual. He was part of a vanishing breed.
An Adel resident for the past 30 years, Bryan was a World War II flying ace. Not just an ace but a double ace. A pilot must down five enemy aircraft to become an ace; Bryan downed 13.3 enemy planes in Europe. The fractions represent planes downed with other pilots. -
A widespread mosquito alert
In announcing the discovery of a mosquito carrying the West Nile Virus strain, city and health officials did not include the specific location of the discovery.
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Of Guantanamo Bay and a Founding Father
Some readers may wonder how a Valdosta High School graduate could bring himself as an attorney to represent a Guantanamo Bay prisoner charged in connection to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
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Congratulations, VSU Softball!
This weekend, Valdosta State University Blazers Softball became the latest team to add to Valdosta’s TitleTown legacy.
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School’s out so watch out!
Summer is a time of rest, vacations and trips. It is a time when school is out, when people take time off from work, when people may stay out a little later. It is a time of swimming, trying new things, and seeking adventure.
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Qualifiers are next leaders
While the national media focuses attention on the presidential election, it should be remembered that we will also choose our local leaders this year.
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Thumbs up
THUMBS UP: To the 2011-12 arts season. Theatre Guild Valdosta’s rollicking comedy, “Caught in the Net,” officially brings to a close a magnificent schedule of shows ranging from theatre to opera to concerts to art exhibits and more from a variety of area venues. Theatre Guild will also open the 2012-13 season this summer with the musical “Into the Woods.” Until then, arts lovers can soon enjoy a new series of exhibits from the year-round Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts and three musicals starting in two weeks from Peach State Summer Theatre.
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Memorial Day: A solemn occasion
