Jab Mayfield. It was taken the year she got married.
By: Joe MayfieldAll rights reserved
Her shoe size was 31/2, she was 5 ft. 4 in. tall, always a petite woman, her voice soft, but her heart was bigger than the sky, yet full of gold. Born November 28th, 1914, to W. W. Dowda (12/19/1898) and Pearl Ballard Dowda (10/4/1892) she enjoyed a full life, spending her 77 years as a protective sister to two younger brothers, a wife and partner to her husband for 55 years, and a wonderful mother for 46 years.
Although hard to believe, that little 5ft. 4in. woman could be firm when it came to dishing out discipline, which she did whenever necessary. Even then, I knew it was because she loved me and only wanted what was best for me, like when I brought home a report card with three Cs, I knew what words I’d hear, What in Sam Hill do you think you’re doing? This was my mother.
In 1921, her mother and father lived in Styles Town, Alabama, behind what would later become Warren Bro. Hardware in Hanceville, Alabama.
The family, having a milk cow, would place fresh milk into a glass quart bottle each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so she could carry the all important liquid as she walked to school, then make a stop on the way.
The trip to school meant walking south, past Warren Bro. Hardware, then to a house located in front of the present day Hanceville First Baptist Church.
Mr. and Mrs. South lived in the house, and the door was always unlocked, therefore, she would walk in the side door, an alcove, with milk in hand, set it onto a small table next to a ceramic squirrel, then grabbing the tail of the squirrel, lift the top off the small creature, and take out a dime. This dime would pay for her lunch at school for two days, then on the way home from school, stopped by the home and picked up an empty bottle.
The three days of making the milk delivery enabled her to have a nickel left over every week, and she placed it into a quart fruit jar under her bed. In 1927 at the age of 13, while walking her younger brother, Arvil, home from school, three boys started to make fun of Arvil’s cloths, they both wore hand-me-downs, and she started to hit the boys with her only weapon, her school books.
After chasing the boys and hitting them in the head over and over again, the books were torn apart. Afterward, together they tried picking up all the pages that had come out, still the canvas binding had separated, and she carried the pages inside her coat.
She knew that her dad couldn’t afford to buy more books, she understood how lucky they were to have shoes, therefore, she carried the loose pages in her hands and at the end of the year, she advanced to the next class.
She had three weaknesses in life, and she lived for the first two, her husband, then later in life her son. Oh, the third was a love for shoes, and with such a small foot she needed to purchase almost anything that would fit. I recall how her eyes would mist over when my dad would say, Jab, lets go see if we can find you another pair of shoes.
They were married January 17th, 1937, and loved each other in a way I have never seen before. Where you’d see one, you’d see the other as they’d cut their eyes to one another and smile. I saw the tears in her eyes when she thought her other half would die from a bee sting.
In 1958, while on vacation in Panama City, Florida, my dad and I, along with my mother and Mary Plunkett, a neighbor and school teacher, were talking about going deep sea fishing, something we’d never done before.
I knew how my mom felt about boats. Her brother had drowned while fishing with my dad in 1948, and although it was a heart attack, she had a fear of boats. She could see everyone wanted to go fishing, and it required going to sea perhaps 60 miles. It was clear she was afraid, yet her words were, Well, you two are all I have, if you go and the boat sinks I don’t want to be left alone. I’ll just have to go down with you.
She didn’t want to live without her husband and son. Yes, she was called to be an angel March 21st, 1992, and waited six years for my dad to join her, which he did November 4th, 1998. So I know she is very happy now. They’re together once again.
Published U.S. Legacies May 2005
- Log in to post comments