Alderson-Lela Mae Conner,
95, passed away Saturday, May 22, 2010, in the White Sulphur Springs
Care Center after a long illness.
How it pains me to write
about my dear Mother, I had hoped she would be here much longer.
Mother was born Feb. 9, l915, in the mountains of West Virginia
where she cared for her parents and siblings until she married and
moved to Alderson.
She was preceded in death
by her parents, Green Meador and Esther Meador Wikle; husband,
Arnett Leo Conner in 2001; son, Sam, many years ago; and brothers,
Phillip Meador and Delbert Meador.
Mother was a kind, loving
and caring person without a selfish bone in her body. If you happen
to stop by for a visit, she would always stop whatever she was doing
to prepare you a meal, even if we had just gotten up from the table
finishing our meal. She was a fabulous cook; I have never eaten food
to match the flavors she could create. She and Dad would plant a
garden every year which required much hard work to produce the
bounty that was harvested and then in the hottest months of the year
start a fire in the wood burning stove (in 1940s-’50s) to preserve
the delicious foods for the winter months. Mother had incredible
strength and endurance, she worked in the house, garden, yard,
sewed, did crafts, laundry (which required hanging clothes on a line
to dry, and then ironing), cook three meals a day and still had the
energy to care for all of us kids and many of our neighbors. She
cleaned house for Nellie Russell, made meals daily for Don McGuire
and took in ironing for Catherine Johnson and Mrs. Deppen and I am
sure there were many other tasks she took on that I was not aware. I
honestly do not know where she got the energy to do all that she
did. Mother had close relationships with Dorothy Hullings, Ann
Smith, and Norma Honaker, had Mr. and Mrs. Bice as house guests
after the flood, many good friendships with Catholic Church members,
and I’m sure there are others of whom I am not aware.
Survivors include: her
children, Tom Conner, Ed Conner, Maureen Lite, Leonard Conner, Bob
Conner and Ken Conner; two sisters, Norma Frazier and Pauline Lilly;
brother, Bill Meador; grandchildren, Brenda, Craig, Colleen, Cindy,
Crystal, Cheryl, Susan, Andy, Jeremy, Amy and Larissa;
great-grandchildren, Billy, Tommy, Caroline, Ashley, Abby, Jacob,
Brian, Gary, Vicky, Heather, Conner and Tyler;
great-great-grandchildren, Paige, Zoe, Preston and Conner, the
twins, Alexia, Stephanie, Autumn and Ronnie.
Graveside service and
burial was Friday, May 28 at Greenbrier Memorial Gardens Cemetery,
Lewisburg, where Rev. Sam Groves officiated.
Family and friends called
before the service Friday at the Longanacre Funeral Home, Fairlea.
The family welcomes all
friends and neighbors to the house in Alderson (304-445-7835).
Please come by and say hello, we look forward to seeing everyone.
