As you enter our church on a Sunday morning, you may be fortunate to have Georgia greet you. Giving of her time to others is important to her. She is a faithful member of the Ben Feemster Class. Georgia is very proud of the fact that she has only missed three Sundays since 2002. What makes this special? Georgia will be 105 in just a few months!
Born in the year 1909 things were quite different than they are today. William Howard Taft was the President of the United States and we only had 46 states. Only a few people had bathtubs and you did not bathe everyday. Women only washed their hair once a month and there was no shampoo.
Georgia was born in a tiny town near Waco named Mount Tom. Her mother died when she was six weeks old. Because her father was a farmer, he needed help raising Georgia. He went home to his parents who still had six children living with them. Georgia became the seventh. So Georgia stayed with her grandparents most of the time until she was older.
Going to church with her grandparents in a horse and buggy was always a highlight for her. To keep cool at church and revivals, Georgia used paper hand fans when it was hot. Because they lived in such a small town, the Methodist minister would always have Sunday lunch with their family. Iced tea was a special treat on Sunday because they could only get ice on Saturdays and Sundays. The ice did not come in cubes so you had to chip it with an ice pick. Sometimes on very special occasions they had ice cream.
Keeping food cold took a lot of planning. Georgia’s family had containers that they would fill with food and lower into the well. If they wanted to eat watermelon, her brothers would pick them early in the morning when it was cool. They would put the melons in the coolest part of the house, under the beds and in the fireplace. The women would dip tablecloths in cold water and put them over the food on the table to keep things at the correct temperature.
Georgia loved the time she spent with her father. He loved to sing and had a wonderful voice. He always practiced to improve his voice. Wherever they lived, her dad was always asked to lead the singing in church. His voice is a favorite memory. In the afternoons when he came home from work, he often took her for a ride on his horse.
Georgia’s father built his own house with help. Later he added rooms to help his aging parents. In addition to farming, her dad had an interesting way of preserving food. He owned a machine that would seal the food in cans. Because of that, they could butcher a cow and have the meat throughout the year. Georgia had a job to push the button that operated their corn grinder. They used horses to grind the sugar cane and then cooked it in very large vats to make syrup. People in the community used this service.
During Georgia’s childhood and adolescence, she lived with different relatives and went to a number of different schools to get a better education. One of the schools in Pirtle only had three rooms and her sister-in-law was one of her teachers. Most of the time she walked to school. When she was young, Georgia lived near her Grandfather’s sister who loved to make breakfast for them before school. Good health enabled her to never miss a day of school. As she walked home from school, a neighbor would have her stay with her overnight if the weather was threatening.
When she was a teenager Georgia lived for two years with an aunt and uncle in Pilot Point who owned a hotel and, most importantly, a car. Although her aunt did not know how to drive, she wanted to take her friends on country outings on Sunday afternoons. Since Georgia really wanted to drive, she volunteered for the job without any experience. She did a fairly good job on her first trip even though the roads were not paved and in poor condition. Soon Georgia always drove the women everywhere.
During her time in Pilot Point, Georgia met her future husband, Rutherford Wright. He was attending school in Denton. She was 22 when they married on June 19, 1931. As a wedding present, one of her sisters made her new dresses for each day of the week except Saturday and Sunday. They had 71 years of marriage that included two daughters, Suzanne and Joy.
Georgia and Rutherford moved to the Oak Hurst area of East Fort Worth where they raised their family. Rutherford worked for Swift and Company and made numerous advancements. Early in his career, he was in charge of making peanut butter. Later he worked in the office.
Georgia designed and sewed all of the clothes for her daughters using an old treadle sewing machine. She was also known for her pies. During the depression and World War II they just lived as they always had. They had more food than some people because her grandfather was in the grocery business.
When they first moved to Fort Worth, they went to other denominations that were close to home because they did not have a car. Their neighbors soon gave them rides to the Methodist Church. That is how they were able to once again become Methodists. Georgia taught the 3rd and 4th grade Sunday School class for over 50 years. Rutherford and Georgia helped to start a new church when Oakhurst merged with Riverside. It was called Faith Methodist Church. In later life, Georgia and her husband worked together for different charities including delivering meals for Meals-on-Wheels for ten years. They also transported people from poor areas to the hospital and doctor.
When asked about the state of today’s world, Georgia is very upset about the use of guns. When she was growing up you used guns for hunting or to protect yourself. Farmers used guns to protect their crops. People did not have to worry about being shot by someone.
Because of her age, Georgia allows some help even when she does not need it. She really wants to go to the altar for communion because she feels more humble when she is kneeling. Although some acquaintances take naps, Georgia does not. Sometimes she will fall asleep in her chair but does not take a real nap.
Today Georgia is still a very busy woman. She loves attending weekly Bible studies. With her daughters, she attends the concerts at our church. She is still interested in finding additional volunteer opportunities. Georgia loves shopping and can shop for hours. She likes the different textures of the fabrics now available. Dining out is one of the things she enjoys the most. She has a weekly appointment at the beauty salon because she feels that even if you are not beautiful, your hair can be attractive. Attending functions at the Bass Hall is enjoyable. Georgia especially appreciates modern cars and ice cream. She looks forward to her next birthday in a few months. Georgia feels that she has not done anything really special in her life. She says, “I just live life.” We can only hope to live like her.
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