From growing up in the country, being a part of a large family, having a deep faith and having a strong sense of character led her where she needed to go throughout her life. She would see all sorts of things in life. In her early years she would learn what it meant to grow up on a farm and the resourcefulness that that life requires. Helping her mother make pies, cornbread and other staples for lunch and dinner. Learning to milk the cows, a chore she chose to be able to spend time with her father because she was certainly a Daddy's girl. Wearing flower sack dresses while playing in school yards after having a lunch that consisted of a country ham biscuit made from scratch in her mother's southern kitchen. Her memories often took her back to the pastures she walked across with her sisters to pick blackberries for "Mother's" cobblers and long stays with relatives in need of a care taker due to a pregnancy or a sickness. Stays where her work was not paid for and pay was not expected but was considered an offering of love that you shared with family and neighbors in need. Her love of those times and the knowledge and strength that she gained in those days would always be with her on her journey.Later, on the streets of Evansville she would find herself as a "Lady," it was there that she found the departments stores - leaving behind her modest homemade dresses but never disregarding the love that went into making them - never ever forgetting that. There in the factory working to construct planes that were used to defeat an enemy, planes that would help to send her brother, cousins and friends home from the war she would learn the result of hard work and sacrifice. It is always a combination of all our early life's experience that allow us to approach the future with more confidence and less fear.
After she married and her girls were born, at the house of Hospital Road she would find herself in her true element. Mom has often reflected on fond memories of her sitting in front of her dressing table for a long time on Saturday afternoons - getting ready. The days of rhinestones, red fingernails, mink stoles, hats and gloves. It was during this time of her life that Decola would begin taking a huge interest politics; local and statewide. In the best interest of the country and that of business my Grandfather Decola and his father Chesley became very involved in local and state politics. It was during this era that Decola was selected as a member of the Electoral College for the Commonwealth of Kentucky to vote in the 1952 election between General Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson. During these years the family would ride high. Patricia, who I refer to as Trisha, was in school while Mom was in diapers. Nights spent hob-knobbing in Frankfort and Louisville would be intertwined with family dinners at home of spaghetti and meatballs and weekend shopping trips in Hopkinsville or at Baker and Hickman's in Madisonville. Did I mention Baker and Hickmans? This was a department store on Madisonville's court square and Nannie was a fixture of this institution. Infact she knew most if not all of the staff by name and it was here that she would often been catered to as was Julia Roberts in the Rodeo Drive scene of the film "Pretty Woman." Sunday dinners were divided between times at Orvy's sister and brother-law, Aunt Agnes and Uncle Chester's farm outside of Nortonville, Kentucky or "up on the hill" at Mamaw and Papaw's. Trisha would be taken to piano and dance lessons to be followed by her younger sister in years to come. Their civic involvement would be important in these times too as Decola's was a part of the local Rotary Chapter and the establishment of the West Hopkins Industries and Nannies with the Business and Professional Women's Club and the Republican Ladies Caucus. And to and from all of these activities they would drive their Chevy Impalas or station wagons all purchased from DeHaven's Chevrolet which later became Jennings Chevrolet. It was during the 1950s that she replaced her Duncan Phyfe furniture with Early American and this would prove to be prosperous and good time in her life.
Boxes and albums of pictures show the young family all smiles. Enjoying time with Ami and Gar - new nicknames given to Aminell and Garland by my Mom. Also with Joe and Louise, who I refer to as Auntie, and who had recently met and married while Joe was returning from the Korean War and stationed in Washington near Seattle. Louise was originally from Alaska and was training in Seattle to become a dental hygienist when she met my uncle and they later married. Louise would quickly become a close friend and confidant to Nannie and probably was just like having another sister, and would become highly revered among all the Russell's. Joe and Auntie would have three children Susan, Joanie and Brian. Susan and Joanie are really close to my Mom's age and they would all grow up together as playmates and Brian followed behind them and they would carry him around on their hip - a great replacement for the usual doll.
To be continued...
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