Myrtle Estelle (Owens) Sickmen (1913 - 2009)

Born 22 Mar 1913 in Gloucester, Virginia, USA

Died 13 Feb 2009 at age 95 in Derwood, Montgomery, Maryland, USA

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Biography

Born Myrtle Estelle Owens on March 22, 1913, our Nana began life under very humble circumstances. Growing up in Gloucester, Virginia, as Nana herself said, there was always plenty to eat but little else in a material way. By the time she was of elementary school age, Nana was living with the Browns, relatives not far from her own family. Little Myrtle was viewed as a pretty child, though she herself shied away from such praise because she believed her freckles disqualified her from any beauty. But she was indeed a pretty child (later in life to be mistaken for Doris Day) who even at a tender age worked very hard to make her way in life.

Eventually her oldest sister Geraldine moved to Portsmouth, Virginia, where she boarded with the Redd family. As soon as she was able, Geraldine sent for Myrtle, and the two of them shared a room while working to support themselves. Shortly after her arrival in Portsmouth, while working at a Dairy Queen, Myrtle met Jack Smith, a naval officer stationed in the area. They courted, married, and had a son, Jack, Jr.

In time, Geraldine moved to Washington, D.C., and as life would have it, the two sisters once again found themselves living together in a small apartment with Geraldine's daughter, Shirley, and Myrtle's little Jack in tow. Thinking he was going to sell a sewing machine to her sister, Bud Sickmen called at the door. When Myrtle assured him that her sister would never go $100 into debt for a sewing machine and that he was wasting his time, he assured her that as long as he could see her on each visit, his time would be well spent. After six years of pursuit and being told she wouldn't marry him if he were "strung with gold," Bud finally won her heart and they married on September 16, 1944. Their family began with her son Jack and his son Bobby, and they eventually had two children together, Carolyn and Kenny.

Shortly after Bud and Myrtle's wedding, two young Jehovah's Witnesses called at the Sickmen home, and this single encounter would alter Nana's life forever. Nana asked the two Witnesses, "I know I'm not so wicked that I would deserve to burn in hell forever, but I wouldn't know how to begin to be good enough to deserve to be in heaven with God for all eternity. So what is going to happen to people like me?" For the next ten years Nana learned the answer to that question and many other Bible truths. She dedicated her life to Jehovah and was baptized on November 10, 1955.

Nana was a loyal and faithful servant of Jehovah, and her generosity was known by many. During the construction of the Spring Valley Kingdom Hall, congregation meetings were held at the Sickmen home. Nana engaged in rooming work, going from door to door looking for individuals in the local area to board delegates of district conventions. As a member of the Spring Valley congregation, Nana was never absent from meetings, conventions, assemblies, and field service and always provided transportation to elderly ones in need. Her Bible was well worn; her fine example was one to imitate and one that helped to shape her family.

From standing on a box to wash dishes because she was too small to reach the sink, walking five miles to and from school, picking whatever crop was coming to harvest in order to earn a little money to buy school clothes, working at a stocking factory, digging clams with her toes on the river shore, eating fish with every meal to hosting Sunday brunches by the pool at her home (which was always spotless), canning her homegrown tomatoes, growing her beautiful azaleas, driving to Miami for the winter, having her grandchildren spend many nights, watching the birds at her bird feeders, and making the best chicken soup with matzo balls that Bud ever had -Nana's life was certainly rich and full.

Nana spent twelve of the last sixteen years of her life living with her daughter, Carolyn, and son-in-law, Arthur. Myrtle and Bud shared their lives together for nearly 58 years until Bud's death on July 9, 2003. Nana's devotion to her faith and family made her worthy of praise. She was the personification of dignity, loyalty, and love. She was everyone's Nana.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Funeral program

See also:

• Find A Grave: Memorial #52113954