 Annabelle has many stories of growing up in a big family, the many
chores they had to do and the struggles they endured. Life was not
easy.Annabelle grew into a strong Christian woman who relied on
her faith to see her through. She still is doing that today. Though
health problems surround her, Annabelle remains God's servant,
trusting Him completely.
She enjoys life and all it offers. When not with her family, she
loves her bingo, eating out, shopping, "Dr. Phil" and visiting with
her fellow residents.
I'm proud of her and her writing efforts, as she has been
published in Capper's magazine and her wonderful book of poetry.
It's an honor to know her and to have a chance for her family to let
her know how special she is to them.
This is for you, Annabelle. Enjoy.
___
From JoAnn Washam, Annabelle's daughter
All through my life you have been my rock!! You have been such an
example to all of our family. You gave all you had, no matter if it
was your love, your time or your wisdom. If someone was in need, you
were always there to help. If you didn't have it, you would somehow
find it. Your home was always open and many found comfort there.
Your faith in God has always been strong and has gotten you through
many hard times. Your faith has also made all of your family strong
as well. You are an example to us, and therefore we are proud to say
we have that same faith. You are the example of a great Christian
woman, and we have learned to be like you. Your prayers have been so
appreciated. Your love shines on us EVERY DAY! We love you SO VERY
MUCH!
Your humor is one of a kind. How do you come up with all of those
funny sayings? You make us laugh. Your laughter is catching! So many
memories -- the chicken dinners you served at the Church of God, the
many church services you attended, the early mornings of getting
your housework done so you could absorb the sun rays as soon as the
sun was up, the great meals you prepared for us, the trips to Mt.
Vernon to visit family, the many garage sales we went to and had
ourselves, the breakfast meetings with your friends, the many hours
you spent loving your grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And the
memories go on and on! Every day with you is My memory. You are the
best Mother, Grandmother, and Great-grandmother ever!!! I am so
proud to call you my mother!
With all my love, Your daughter, JoAnn
From Alan D. Boyd, Annabelle's son
What can I say? I am so very thankful to my mother for raising us
in a Christian home, thankful for her being a superb mother who
loves all her children unconditionally. She was there for me anytime
I needed her, and was always there with open arms to love us all.
She also stood by me on any decision that I made, even if she did
not agree with that decision. Mom is a wonderful mother,
grandmother, and great-grandma. She would give you the shirt off her
back, would do anything for anybody that asked, she is everything! I
could say so much more about this superb lady, but it would take an
eternity. Mom is my world, my life, my comfort -- and I love her so
very much!
From son Art and daughter-in-law Gloria
This letter is to and for the most wonderful "mother-in-law" in
the world, Annabelle Boyd! You have been and still are an amazing
woman. I married your son, Art, on May 9th, 1964, had three
grandchildren, Kim, Angie, and Kristy. They in turn gave you three
great-granddaughters, Whitley, Lauren, and Grace. Through all the
years we have known one another, we have never had a cross word
between us. I know there had to be times when you did not agree with
all the decisions Art and I made, but you were the ideal person to
love us through the years.
When you and I worked for the Lincoln State School around the
years 1973-1975, I wanted to have my ears pierced for the first
time. Guess who offered to pierce them? You! A needle, thread, and
an ice cube did the trick. I was so proud of my new pierced ears.
You were the Woman of the Day to me! We had many good times and
conversations during our working days in the same facility.
Thank you for giving birth to my husband, Art. He is the most
handsome man around. I am proud to be his wife. I know he was a
"pain in the rear" as you said, giving birth to such a big boy, but
once again you did it. We love you very much!
Memories of Grannie Annie, from Jason Washam, grandson
I was choking on ice cubes and she
turned me over, held me by the ankles in the hotel room, and shook
me until the ice fell out.
Helping me find my favorite black
baby in the Kohl's catalog.
Grandma would spend the night at the
house every night my dad was at work.
Graciously giving me my first job by
paying me to clean her car.
Sharing the stories about her job.
Flexing her arm muscles. They are
like rocks!
The laugh. Nobody has the same
The evil eye when she was mad or
didn't approve of something.
Always has said, "I love you J" and
"You're a good daddy" … touches me deeply.
Funny stories of waving goodbye to
her while leaving her apartment, and mom rolling me up in the
automatic back window of the car.
Sharing mint chocolate ice cream in
her apartment.
Stories she's shared lately of her
childhood.
Many great memories at her church as
a kid and with my children.
Great mom, great grandmother, great grannie, and great, great
Grannie Annie.
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From Christopher A. Boyd, grandson
My memories of grandma are too many to narrow down to just one,
although sitting in the church pew on Sundays are some of my
favorites. Grandma Annabelle is the most loving, caring and
passionate person I've ever met. I always knew growing up that if no
one else on this earth loved me, grandma did, and I found great
comfort in this. If I ever needed some good food or a bed to sleep
in, I always knew grandma's door was always open. I love every
second that I am able to spend with grandma, and the wisdom and
passion that she has for life will always amaze me. I love you,
grandma!
From Kim Hofer, granddaughter
As usual, you never cease to amaze me. I am so proud of your most
recent accomplishment of resident of the month. If anyone deserves
this award of being such an awesome person it would be you. I have
so many great memories, some of which are spending the night with
you eating pepper rings and chicken in the biscuit crackers, the
times when you took us for rides in the car and we asked you to slam
on the brakes so we could roll off the back window ledge onto the
floorboard, and watching you eat steaming hot apple pies from
McDonald's as fast as you could eat them. I hope someday that I will
have the strength and positive outlook on life that you have always
had. I regret not being able to spend more time with you, but please
know that you are loved! Again, I want to say congratulations, and
I'm very proud to say you are my Grandma.
From Angie Hofer, granddaughter
Where does one begin when you have the absolute best grandma in
the world? The first seven years of my life were spent in Lincoln.
Grandma Boyd lived only a few blocks away, so we saw her often. My
sister and I always wanted to spend the night with her because we
knew all the rules we had at home were thrown out the window, and it
was all about having fun. One of the first things we did was to
crawl up in the back window of her car and she would start driving.
Then she would slam on the brakes and throw us into the back seat.
In today's world, you would be in big trouble, but back then it
wasn't a big deal. Once we arrived at grandma's house my sister and
I would raid her refrigerator and pantry. In the refrigerator, we
would get the jar of banana peppers, then off to the pantry for the
Chicken-n-Biscuits and Ramen Noodles in the Styrofoam cup. You're
probably thinking, what a combination? Well, for us, it was a real
treat. Her photo albums were always kept in her end tables and no
matter how many times I had looked at them before, I would look at
them over and over again. I can still recall the scent of those end
tables. When evening rolled around, we would put our pj's on and
settle in for some Jiffy Pop popcorn and a soda to wash it down. On
TV was "Hee Haw," "Lawrence Welk," and if we could keep our eyes
open long enough, the "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. The
unconditional love a grandmother has for her grandkids is the most
incredible love in the world. I want to personally thank you,
Grandma Boyd, for all the priceless memories and love you have given
me. I will always treasure the relationship we have. I love you
very, very, very much.
From Brandy Sutterfield, granddaughter
I loved it when Grandma would come over to our house and spend
the night when I was little. She would get to sleep in my bed with
me. I also loved spending the night with her. She would wake up way
before me, but when I woke up she would always ask me if I wanted to
have some coffee, and we would drink coffee together. And I always
loved that she had a jar on the counter filled with some kind of
yummy goodies inside! I loved going to church with Grandma when I
was little. I went mostly on Wed. nights to a class at church called
Joy Bells, where they taught us the books of the Bible and many
other wonderful things about Jesus. I am thankful that she, shared
along with my parents, in setting the foundation for making Jesus,
Lord of my life. Thank you, Grandma Annabelle. I know you are a
praying grandma. I love you.
I love visiting you because you always make me laugh and smile.
You always without fail say "I love you" more than once when we are
together. You love me and my family so much. I am thankful for a
wonderful, loving and caring grandma. We love you for always, Granny
Annie!
From Abigail and Ethan Sutterfield, great grandchildren
We love visiting Grandma and when she lets us look at the birds
in the cage in the nursing home.
From Debra Boyd, granddaughter
The thing I love most about Grandma is that she is the BEST,
GREATEST GRANDMA in the World! She would take you in her home if you
ever needed a place to live. She did that for me and I love her for
that. Otherwise, I would have been living on the street. She taught
me how to live on my own. She helped me take care of my children,
bought them clothing and necessities for them when I didn't have a
job. I love her so much! She is like a Mother to me. She is the
best, greatest Grandma you could ever have!
From Kalya Boyd, great-granddaughter
When I was younger, Grandma Annabelle would go out for breakfast
and bring home a sausage patty for me. I loved that! I love you,
Grandma, very much!
[From REBECCA JOHNSON,
Christian Village]
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