Past Featured Brave Chicks

<<Previous Chick Next Chick>>Lucy McGill Cummings Webster
Monroe, LA
Submitted by: Mary Elizabeth RichardsonFEATURED BRAVE CHICK FOR SEPTEMBER 2008

As you may or may not have read in our August Bravery Board posting, this month we are emphasizing that One Brave Chick is NOT a tragedy based company. Our dream is that people come to think of One Brave Chick as a WAY OF LIFE and not just a reaction to an unfortunate event. This month’s Featured Brave Chick is a perfect embodiment of this hope for One Brave Chick.

We are proud to introduce to you - Mrs. Lucy McGill Cummings Webster. Lucy was founding brave chick Mary Liz’s great aunt. Lucy’s life was not tragic. In fact, her life was beautiful, it was long and it was full of life lessons. As you will hopefully see from our tribute, she lived life to the fullest, cared about other people and chose to see the good in life. We are not saying that throughout her 96 years of life that she did not encounter challenging times and/or events. She, as we all do, had her fair share of life’s curve balls. Lucy, the brave chick that she was, just chose each and every day to see the good in life, to do the right thing and to remain loyal to the important people and values in her life.

This month’s tribute was submitted by Lucy’s adoring daughter, Mary Elizabeth Richardson. Family devotion – both to the past and the present - was always a priority to Lucy and an important legacy that she always wanted to maintain beyond her years. As evidenced in this submission email, Mary Elizabeth is following in her mother’s busy and devoted footsteps. We have a chance in this life to make a difference in the future and we hope that you gain some inspiration in this little glimpse at the life and legacy of Lucy McGill Cummings Webster.

August 14, 2008 email submission from Mary Elizabeth Richardson (daughter of this month’s Featured Brave Chick – Lucy Webster, mother to John and Edward, mother-in-law to Jill and Lisa, grandmother to Jesse, Grace and Lucy):

Mary Liz I am so, so sorry that I have totally dropped off the face of the earth since our call. I was, and am, so very thrilled that you want to honor Mother; and I'm ready to do anything you need me to do.

Since we talked, I've taken Grace and Lucy (i.e. driven 1169 miles!) to Crested Butte, Colorado, to visit the Varnells; and we had a ball. When I got back, Jill had to have surgery; and I went to Baton Rouge to help out with the girls. To make a very, long story short, everything turned out great - NO cancer. Shortly after I got home, I went on one of the best trips of my whole life. I took Jesse, who's now 14, 6 ft. tall with a size 14 shoe, on Amtrak to Chicago. EVERYTHING about the trip was just perfect; and we saw everything there was to see in the time we had. Edward met us there for a couple of days; and he and Jesse loved seeing the Cubs beat the Pirates. Chicago is a beautiful city - SO clean with lots of beautiful parks with flowers everywhere.

Mary Liz, I still smile when I think of looking up at the Hampton Inn the morning of Mother’s funeral and seeing you walking in the door. What a wonderful, special surprise. You were SO sweet to make the special effort to come to honor Mother; and I can't even begin to tell you how much it meant to me - and to John and Edward. You are such an amazing woman; and I do love you SO!

Below are some of my thoughts about Mother’s life that I shared at her funeral. Can you believe that the picture above was taken three months before her 96th birthday?!

MY MOTHER
LUCY MCGILL CUMMINGS WEBSTER
October 13, 1911 – May 29, 2008

My mother was a remarkable, beautiful woman, who lived an active, productive life for NINETY-SIX years – a remarkable accomplishment. And to have done it with such style and grace is phenomenal.

Mother was born to loving parents in the family home on a farm in Prairie Grove, Arkansas. She was one of five children, who were brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and growing up, her whole family was in attendance any time the doors of their little church opened. Her faith was nurtured there; and throughout her life, she loved to worship in that Presbyterian Church anytime she was in Northwest Arkansas.

The Cummings Kids – Maupin Cummings, Lucy Webster, Emilie Bell, Mary Jongeward & Roberta Tucker

She loved her brother and three sisters dearly; and they remained close throughout their lives. Her nieces and nephews – and their children –were very special to her; and distant cousins were kissin’ kin.

She graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1934 and met my dad while she was teaching. He fell in love with her at first sight and asked her to marry him six months after they met. Years later, in 1948, when Daddy finished his medical training, they moved to Monroe, Louisiana; and they loved this place.

Lucy & her husband Harrell’s college photos

My very earliest memories include Mother beginning each day reading her Bible and devotionals and praying; and her commitment to God was evidenced every day throughout her life. She loved her church and all of the people in it; and she attended Sunday school and church and Wednesday night worship every week and many other activities until four months ago when she could no longer leave her home.

She loved Tom with all her heart; and all of the Richardsons became part of her family when we married.

She was convinced that there could NOT be ANY grandsons ANYWHERE more loving and special than hers; and their devotion to her was evidenced throughout their lives.

Lucy with John & Edward – her cherished grandsons

She dearly loved John and Edward’s wives and welcomed them into our family with open arms. She loved to visit them in their homes; and they both always made her feel so welcome.

Lucy with Jill & Lisa - her grand-daughter-in-laws … both of whom are brave chicks as well – Jill, a devoted stay-at-home Mom, teacher & jeweler & Lisa, an accomplished business woman, marathoner & Ironwoman!

She loved to wear Jill’s beautiful jewelry; and she had special pieces to complement so many outfits. We covered Mother’s cold feet every night with the soft, blue afghan that came with so much love from Jill; and when Mother was really cold, we tucked her in with the beautiful afghan that Jill had crocheted several years ago.

Twice, Mother stood out in the cold on Peachtree Road, holding a sign saying, “Go, Lisa”, on Thanksgiving morning at the Atlanta Marathon; and while Lisa rode her bike all the way across the state of Montana, raising money for AIDS research or participated in Iron Man Switzerland, Mother helped to pray her down those long, long roads.

Lucy with her great-grandchildren – Jesse, Grace & Lucy

Jesse and Grace and Lucy brought their Nini so much joy; and she was actively involved in their lives until shortly before her death. She attended Jesse’s football, basketball, and soccer games – although she knew absolutely nothing about sports – and loved seeing him play the trumpet at band concerts. For many years, she was the oldest grandparent at the Dunham School Grandparents’ Day; and the last year we attended, I overheard a lady behind us say that she surely hoped that that lady who had won the award for so many years wouldn’t be there so she could win. I turned around and told her, “Sorry. She’s back!” A short time before her death, Jesse sat by her bedside; and they reminisced about their many wonderful times together.

Mother also had such fun attending Grace’s dance recital and gymnastics classes and seeing Lucy’s creations at her Art Show and her performance at the Little Gym. She loved having tea parties with the girls, using her beautiful demitasse cups and linen napkins. Sometimes, Big Bird and the Wiggles came to those parties, too. In the final days of her life, she appreciated so very much those two little girls taking such good care of her – from covering her body with lotion to brushing her teeth and even putting on her makeup.

Lucy with her grandson Jesse & daughter Mary Elizabeth

Throughout her life, Mother was devoted to her family. She loved us, prayed for us, and stood by us all through great joy and deep despair. She was actively involved in all of our lives. Years ago, she enthusiastically transported gallons of chili to the Ruston High School concession stand for me. On the trip, she swerved and most of the chili ended up in the floorboard of her car. As a child of the depression - she remarked, “Oh, you can certainly still use some of it. We’ll just scoop it up; and it’ll be fine!” She stood in the rain in a long line to buy tickets for a Jerry Jeff Walker concert for Tom; was an extra in a movie about a man she’d never heard of with a new star named Moose; and cheered long after her bedtime in the New Orleans Super Dome on a Saturday in December 1986 when a very special Ruston Bearcat and his football team won the State Championship.

She loved having both grandsons and their friends spend the night with her when they were teenagers and cooking huge breakfasts for them – with eggs, pounds of bacon and toast made of her wonderful homemade bread.

Learning to drive when she was 10 and continuing to drive until she was 93, Mother was a confident, excellent driver with a heavy foot, who could talk ANY policeman out of a ticket, could parallel park with the best of ’em and who thought nothing of driving 400 miles by herself to northwest Arkansas to visit her family when she was in her eighties. At 88, she came to Iowa to take care of me while I recovered from surgery; and although she didn’t drive up there from Monroe, she did drive me to doctors’ appointments in downtown Des Moines.

She belonged to many organizations during her life – and I see some of the Pi Phi’s and members of the Ouachita Medical Alliance and Symphony League here today. She was active in the community, volunteering with the Girl Scouts; working at the Symphony League Book Fair; selling cokes at the Masur Museum; delivering Meals on Wheels; working at Christian Community Ministries; ringing the bell for the Salvation Army year after year at Christmastime; and helping a disadvantaged man study for his driver’s test.

Lucy with her great granddaughter Grace

She treasured Amy’s black and white photographs of her precious great-grandchildren; and she appreciated so very much the support she received through the years from her dear neighbors.

She was very independent; and at 93, she was living here in Monroe, totally taking care of herself, while I was living in Iowa. She had more energy than most folks, never sat at home feeling sorry for herself, and delighted in getting something for nothing.

She was a bacon cooker; could feast on a Dilly plate from the Piccadilly for several meals; provide a multi-course dinner from her freezer; and furnish most of north Louisiana with important things she’d saved, like rubber bands, crushed aluminum foil, Styrofoam containers and butter tubs.

She was a superb cook – made the best fried chicken, fried okra and fried green tomatoes – as well as, cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, bread pudding and pecan pies – and, of course, bread for everyone for miles around.

She never worked out in a gym or walked on a track; and she liked REAL sugar – none of that artificial stuff – lots of salt, real cream and nothing low fat. She - and Julia Child – just believed in moderation in all things.

She loved taking us to the Lotus Club for the gumbo, oysters and crème brulee and delighted in watching the great-grandkids swim and play crochet at the Grand Hotel.

She had such fun playing bridge in several bridge groups throughout the years, loved the friends with whom she played, and enjoyed her last foursome only five months ago.

Lucy, holding her namesake, Lucy, who was wearing the christening gown that she had made by hand years before for her grandsons and that has been worn by many family members and friends since that time.

She was a captivating storyteller, recounting tales of our family’s history that we loved to hear again and again; and she was a loyal, supportive friend, who stood by those special people in her life through thick and thin.

She was a moviegoer, a milk carton crusher and a dessert lover. Her very last treat shortly before her death was a root bear float from Sonic and some chocolate ice cream. She hated to shop, remembered her postman with a Christmas gift and didn’t NEED any more earrings.

She treasured Haviland china and fine linen and didn’t want a single wrinkle in her sheets.

She never missed a Little Theatre play, Northeast or Louisiana Tech concert, or a political rally; and in New York with Mark when she was 85, she and her sisters and two nieces were interviewed by Al Roker on the Today Show and then danced the night away in the Rainbow Room.

She liked small servings, the Bold and the Beautiful and conservative causes.

Lucy was always up for fun with her grandsons – tailgating, fishing, barbecue eatin – You name it and she was there to cheer on her boys.

Recently, she ate lots of barbecue with Edward at his booth at the Memphis in May Barbecue Contest; and she was the only 96 year old we could find last fall at John’s tailgate party before the LSU/Arkansas game in Baton Rouge.

Lucy (on the left) riding a camel in the Holy Land.

She loved to travel to places near and very far. Always adventurous, she rode on the back of a camel and climbed to the top of a pyramid on a trip to the Holy Land, rode on a raft on a river in the northwestern United States, explored England and Ireland and Scotland from the QE2 with her sisters, ate salmon on the banks of a river in Alaska with special family members, and conversed with a “native” on a trip to Russia.

She provided so many traveling memories for us: driving with us to Prairie Grove; taking both grandsons to San Antonio when they graduated from A.E. Phillips; riding through Pennsylvania Dutch country, marveling at the incongruity of our huge tour bus beside the wagon of the Quaker family; cruising in the Caribbean in her cool pants suit with the sombreros, just knowing that Atlanta Hawks star Dominique Wilkins would be interested in hearing about John’s role in The Pistol and that he would surely want Edward to look him up when he got to Atlanta; squeezing into a cab with me and five other ladies, speeding through the streets of Dallas looking for one more bargain and laughing until we cried; and savoring the magnificent works of three generations of the Wyeth family.

As many of you know, no matter what life threw at her over the years, she refused to indulge in self-pity and always looked for the many blessings around her. She cared for her mother who lived for a time with us after a stroke; and then, she cared for my dad for 20 years after a stroke at age 45 left him paralyzed and a changed man. She fought cancer and broken bones; she suffered through the trials and tribulations of family members and friends; and she mourned as many close to her have died.

She came through it all with an upbeat attitude and an enduring faith in her Creator. As her body failed, she never once complained, smiled her beautiful smile, and greeted anyone who came to visit. She enjoyed watching the signs of spring appear in her back yard as the Japanese magnolia began to bloom. Then, she watched the return of winter with the huge snowflakes and greeted spring’s arrival again as the birds sang outside her window, the wisteria cascaded down the trees and the pink petunias brightened her view.

Then, she died peacefully at home – holding my hand in her own bedroom on her blue satin sheets – just as she had wished.

What an inspiration she has been to me all of my life – teaching me so many “life lessons” – even as she prepared to leave this life and enter the life everlasting.

Lucy & her cherished family –

She will be forever remembered and missed. <<Previous Chick Next Chick>>