Edith Florence (Armstrong) Beeman (1896 - 1965)

My grandmother, Edith, lived such a simple life, but I know she was happy because she knew Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and always depended on Him. She must have had lonely times, after my grandfather died in 1952, but I stayed with her after school from first through fifth grade. She was strict, but very loving. I would arrive at her house about 6 a.m. and go crawl in bed until she called me (Karen Nellie) to get up for breakfast, which was hot oatmeal, with raisins, butter sugar and milk, many mornings. She cooked things like fried okra, potatoes, and onions together, and maybe a little chicken, or once in a great while, beef. She had a pear and an apricot tree in her yard. I think I liked the apricots the best. She grew veggies and flowers, too. She did laundry and ironing and sewing for people to make money to buy necessities. I used to watch her do all of that! I can't bring myself to leave wrinkles in anything I iron to this day! She was funny. She said when my Dad was young she called him "Pauliwog" He went by Paul when he was younger. I also remember her taking good care of me always and nursing me when I was sick. I remember her snoring when she took a nap and I would laugh and wake her up! She would walk to town in Bethany and would take me with her. I liked her sweet friends and looked forward to seeing them. There are so many things I didn't think to ask her when I was a child, and wish I could ask her now! I would definitely ask about her parents, and especially about her father who came here to the U.S. from England. I wish I knew why he came, and that whole story. She was very brave and strong from going through so many deaths and hard times. Then my dad was injured while he was in the army when he was 21, and lost his leg due to an accident. That was hard, I'm sure, but I think my dad learned to be strong from the examples of his mother and father. There is more I could add, but I'm very thankful that I had Edith Armstrong Beeman for my grandmother!