“Well, look! There’s the Myers Girls.”
I heard it over and over again, when I took my mom to her hometown for her 60th high school reunion this year. Every place we went, someone would excitedly call out,
“Well, look! There’s the Myers girls.”
And with each joyous call came a myriad of smiles, hugs, and hellos.
The Myers girls, as they are so fondly called, are my mother and her four sisters. They all are 2 years apart, except for the youngest who allowed a little red-headed boy to sneak into the family before she came along.
Although the little red-headed boy (who now stands over 6 ft. tall) was, and still is, adored by his sisters, it’s the sisters themselves who have formed a life-long bond that has withstood the test of time throughout the last 80 years.
Living in a small town in rural Missouri, Pa Dee and Grandma Lorene raised their 6 children, along with half the town, in a 2 story craftsman, that had a wrap around front porch and a humongous front yard.
Everyone in town knew the family; in fact, if you weren’t related to them, then you were for sure a close neighbor, classmate, or well-known acquaintance.
As with other families, they’ve rejoiced together through marriage ceremonies, child rearing, holiday celebrations, and personal accomplishments. They have comforted each other during life’s hardest moments: the death of their “Daddy” (as he was lovingly referred to), the passing of a spouse, and the untimely death of a child.
“Before you were born”, as the saying goes, the Myers girls roamed the streets, played on the volleyball team, drank Coca Cola at the drugstore, worked in the cap factory, and danced to “the oldies” on the jukebox. At one time or another, they have all been involved in activities that have formed their hometown.
To hear them talk, they knew everybody and everybody’s cousin. They are the gatekeepers and historians of their little rural town, connecting the dots between one generation and the next. They remember the history of their town, and the lifestyle that seems to have sadly disappeared, and share it with us youngsters who are lucky enough to enjoy time with these precious ladies.
Although three of them have made other towns their home, their hometown will always be Winona, MO. They return yearly to attend the family reunion and the alumni reunion, and occasionally they meet together on sadder occasions, such as a funeral. But regularly, they get together and visit their 96 year-old Mother and occasionally go on day trips just…
So if you’re ever in southern Missouri and you see 5 lil’ ol’ gray-headed ladies with matching shirts traipsing around town, combing through the cemeteries, or wandering around WalMart, give ’em a shout out, because it’s probably going to be
The Myers Girls.
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