Great Aunt Dorothy

I'm sure you like me have aunts or uncles that stand out in your mind when you think of your childhood.

I was blessed with many wonderful aunts and uncles and even more blessed to have so many great aunts and uncles.

My Great Aunt Dorothy Marshall Hein, my paternal grandfathers sister turned one hundred in July.

She didn't just turn one hundred she is living a full life at one hundred.

She still gets out and goes, she still cooks meals for her family,still goes to church and loves her family, church family and community.

I remember as a girl when my mom was sick Aunt Dorothy would bring food. I remember her strawberry pies the best.

My moms says, "Aunt Dorothy was always there for a birth and for a death, always there to help no matter the need.

There is a family story told about the time when Aunt Dorothy was a young girl and her family sold strawberries she wrote her name and address on a berry box and that box found it's way to Chicago, a young man rode his motorcycle all the way here to see Aunt Dorothy and when he got here, my great grandfather, Aunt Dorothy's dad, ran him off.  Ha Ha

Dad's haven't changed much since then have they?

I've heard a story about a neighbor stopping by Aunt Dorothy's only to find her under a bush hog sharpening a blade, the neighbor said he told her to get out from under there and he would sharpen it to which Uncle Gale, Aunt Dorothy's husband, replied, "well she can do it better than I can."

When I married, one of the things she gave me was a set of throw pillows for my couch.

They were quilted and edged in white lace.

When I had my first baby she gave me a beautiful yellow baby quilt. I simply loved it and was heart broken when one day I hung it on the line to dry and the dog tore it. I asked her if she thought she could repair it but it was to far gone.

When I went to the open house for her one hundredth birthday party I was happy to see so many of her quilts on display. I also noticed how many of them had yellow in them. I'm thinking yellow might be one of her favorite colors and that would make sense as she is one of the brightest, godliest women I have known.

Aunt Dorothy was born on Bear Creek and lived there until she married and moved just down the road. She has never lived more than five hundred feet from Bear Creek in her whole life.

Her grandson Tommy bought the house where she was born and raised and has worked to bring her homeplace back to its former beauty, a gift not only to her but to the whole family.

Jerry Hein of Hein Tree Farm was Aunt Dorothy's son, her only child. I'm sure you have been to their farm to get a Christmas Tree before and if you did you may have met her there.

She was and is a blessing to them each year, helping in anyway she can.

There is no place to stop with this story, my mind goes back through the years and I could tell you so many things. I could tell you about the light green car she used to drive and the orange ball that was on the antenna so she could find it easy when she parked. I could tell you how she always smiled and about her gentle way. I could tell you about her hands and all the love they have gave and the work they have done.

I could describe the way I have seen her stand in the door of my grandma's kitchen or greeting people at church, I can hear her saying, "well" when someone told her something or about the times I was at her house. I could tell you how the school bus went across those old wooden plank bridges and how the boards clattered as we neared her house and I would often see her on the porch or out in the yard and she would smile and wave.

Mark tells about when he was growing up at Martinsburg Church of Christ and his Uncle Glen took several of the young boys to Aunt Dorothy's and Uncle Gales for a campout.  Memories like that stay with a person.

Everyone is special, everyone makes a difference and then there are those people who seem to be just a little more so, there are people who seem to stand out, to be a little more than most and that's how Aunt Dorothy is.

She is more than most.

My mother always used to say, if anyone ever wore a halo it would be Aunt Dorothy."

I think mom is right.

God bless you Aunt Dorothy, thank you for being you and for blessing us.

We love you.