MY BABY SISTER JEANETTE

I have many things to write about, We just came off our trip to Canada, the Youkon, Alaska and California. But I can only think of the passing of my baby sister. It was such a shock to get the word. I have not been able to stop since we got home.
Wednesday morning October 6 we received the word of her passing. That was the day we was to return home. It was a bad triip being in a plane all day, not talking to anyone back here, only thinking of all the times we spent together.
Spent the whole day crying off and on.
When we landed in LR two of my grand kids was waiting with my daughter. It was so good to see family. Could not sleep that night.
Kept thinking of the last conversation I had with her that day. Had no idea it would be the last one.

I remember the day she was born, the day she came home from the hospital. She was so tiny, so sweet. Mother was not well, so my oldest brother and I had to take turns missing school to help out around the house, we was the oldest in the family. It was tough, had to work doubly hard to keep up our grades. Almost failed that year. Mother finally had to go get help and re-entered the hospital. Our grandmother on my dad's side came to stay with us. She became so mean to us, other arrangements had to be made. Mother was gone several weeks. Dad had to work and make a living. There was eight of us kids.
My job was mainly taking care of Jeanette. I even slept with her. We lived behind the Hope Pentecostal Church in Walter Donaldson.s house. All of us girls slept in the back room, which was very large ( there was 4 girls ) . Had lots of windows across the back and a sloped ceiling.
Jeanette and I always slept together next to the door of Mother and Dads room. I was her big sister and when I married we was very close, she begged me not to leave her. By that time we had been through many hardships. Lost our Dad to a heart attack. Jeanette was 5 years old then and we lived on Thornton place on Clust trail off 167. We lived in the curve on Hwy 35 going toward Benton when Dad had his first heart attack. We moved to Thornton place where he passed. He lived 2 years after his first attack.
Mother got down in her back and could not get out of bed for about a month, so My mothers sister and family had to come stay with us to help out, I don't think they stayed at night, maybe once in a while.
Jeanette was the youngest so she was with Dad every day and was very attached. She had a hard time dealing with the loss of her dad. She would sit in his lap a lot, which was most of the time, take walks with him during the day, while we was at school.
Mr. Johnson who lived past us, down the gravel road, stopped by every day. He always brought Jeanette a piece of candy and brought our mail to us. Him and daddy was very close. He was there visiting the morning God called Dad home. They always sit around the wood stove and shared stories of their life. He thought Jeanette was the sweetest thing he had ever met.

After every thing was settled Mother bought a house and from Duffie Jackson, we moved over on the Redfield cutoff road. I still shared a room with my 3 sisters. We had a much larger room there. Always had two beds. Rosie and Sue slept in one and Me and Jeanette one. I guess she slept with them after I got married and moved a way. Which was a year later. Moved to california. I have notes Jeanette wrote to me somewhere, will have to find them. She cried so much after I left. Letters from Mother told me how she missed me.

Now I am missing her in my life.