Newspaper Page Text
June 29, 2016
PAGE 7C
■ Reporter
Aunt Hattie celebrates a century of laughter
BY DIANE
GLIDEWELL
news@mymcr. net
Hattie Driskell’s fam
ily members came from
Michigan, California and
around Georgia to wish
her a happy birthday as
she turned 100 on June
17. The well wishers
gathered in the garden
outside PruittHealth-
Forsyth on Cabaniss
Road to cut two huge
cakes, take a lot of
pictures and tell Aunt
Hattie what she has
meant in their lives.
Forsyth Mayor Eric
Wilson proclaimed it
Hattie Moore Driskell
Day and presented the
birthday girl a procla
mation honoring her
from the city. As he
introduced himself to
Aunt Hattie a second
time to make sure she
heard him in the bustle
of those
coming to
celebrate
her century
of birthdays,
she prompt-
Hattie Driskell prepares to blow out the candles on her 100th Birthday
cake. Pictured, left to right, nephew J.C. Walker, Mayor Eric Wilson,
niece Hattie Bohannon. Photo/Diane Glidewell
a while. Aunt Hattie did
not have any children
born to her that lived
past infancy. As a young
lady in Monroe County,
she had worked for the
family of Benny Smith,
caring for the children.
ly respond
ed, “You
done told
me that one
time,” bring
ing peals of
laughter.
The nieces,
nephews, sister-in-laws
and their descendants
talked about how Aunt
Hattie has always been
one to make them laugh.
They characterized her
as the fun aunt who
loved all of the children
and was ready to play
with them. They recalled
her joining in baseball
games and sliding into
base. They said she
always had jokes to tell
to keep them laughing.
“I never heard you
grumble about any
thing,” said her sister-
in-law. “I want you to
stop saying, ‘Im old.’
You’re blessed!”
“I’m blessed all right!”
answered Hattie, as she
enjoyed all the family
and friends who came
to celebrate her birth
day. “I’ve got people all
around. That makes me
feel good. I feel like I’m
going home.”
Aunt Hattie was
born Hattie Moore in
Bolingbroke on June 17,
1916 to Guy Moore and
Mattie Shockley Moore.
She was the fifth child
in a family of two sons
and four daughters.
Mrs. Driskell has lived a long and pro
ductive life showing in various ways her
dedication and caring for the welfare of
others thereby earning the respect, love,
and affection of her family and fellow
citizens from all walks of life and all ages-
-from the Proclamation of Hattie Moore
Driskell Day in Forsyth.
Bohannon said that
Aunt Hattie had said
that she would like to
know what had become
of the family and the
children she cared for.
After the death of her
husband, Aunt Hattie
moved to the upstairs
of Bohannon’s house in
Michigan, a two-family
flat. In 2005, they moved
back to Monroe County,
along with Mattie Moore
Johnson, who was Aunt
Hattie’s younger sister
and Bohannon’s mother,
and two of Bohannon’s
sisters. Johnson and the
oldest sister have since
passed away.
Back in Monroe
County, Aunt Hattie
attended Mt. Zion
Baptist Church, which
she had joined about 70
years before, where she
was honored as its old
est member. Bohannon
said Aunt Hattie still
likes to sing the old
songs she learned grow
ing up in church. At
her birthday party, one
younger relative recalled
hearing the story of
Aunt Hattie waking up
every morning singing.
Asked, “Who does that?”
Aunt Hattie answered,
“This one, this child of
God.”
Bohannon said that
when asked the secret
for her long life, Aunt
Hattie would always
answer, “Nothing but
the Lord.”
Aunt Hattie
was active
at Monroe
County’s
Senior
Center and
has been
recognized
each October
at the
90-100-year-
olds birthday
party. She
moved to PruittHealth
Forsyth in July 2014
and enjoys the activi
ties and the people at
the facility. While she
lived with Bohannon
in Monroe County, she
would work around the
house, sit on the porch
and count
the cars
passing on
Highway
87 and
“still kick
up them
legs exer
cising.”
In
Michigan,
Aunt
Hattie
worked at
a laundry
and sat
with people
who needed
care. Her
husband
provided
for her
financially, but she
liked to get out and be
with people. She was
active on the Nurses’
Guild at her church
and volunteered with
the American Cancer
Society to sign up people
for mammograms.
Bohannon said Aunt
Hattie is an excellent
speller, in spite of her
limited formal school
ing. She can also repeat
speeches in whole that
other family members
gave at programs. But
Aunt Hat-tie’s best- tal
ent- seems t-o be hold
ing her extended fam
ily together. It- seemed
that- whenever a few
members of the fam
ily are together, there
will always be stories
of Aunt- Hattie, some
of them first- hand and
some of them already
passed down through a
couple of generations.
They talk of her getting
in trouble for running
through the flower beds
as a little girl and then
in trouble again for
threatening to tell her
papa about- being pun
ished. They remember
her taking a nephew to
the hospital when she
found him lying on her
floor exhausted after a
hard day of playing ball.
They remember riding
on the bus with her to
go shopping and have
a meal in town. They
remember her singing
“Hit- the road, Jack” to a
young nephew who came
home crying, “Aunt-
Hattie don’t- love us any
more.” They remember
the aroma of greens and
black-eyed peas cooking
when they walked into
her house.
Most- of all, they
remember Aunt- Hattie
talking and laughing,
even when she was
laughing at- herself.
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©Reporter
The family had over
100 acres on which they
raised cot-t-on, vegetables
and other crops. The
children walked to Mt.
Zion School, when Aunt
Hattie went- through
about- 5th grade.
On Dec. 28, 1938, Aunt-
Hattie married Hobson
Driskell, who was also
from Monroe County.
After a time, they moved
north to Detroit- where
there were better jobs.
Several other family
members also moved
to Detroit-, and they
remained close. Niece
Hattie Mae Bohannon,
who was named for
Aunt- Hattie, said that-
nieces and nephews
who lived nearby loved
to spend time with
Aunt- Hattie and Uncle
Hobson. Other nieces
and nephews, includ
ing those from Georgia,
would come to spend a
week or a summer vaca
tion or to stay while
working in Michigan for
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