I was born August 8, 1928 to Horace and Lizzie Jane Earls. Of the four children, I was the only girl. My three brothers, Horace Jr., Felix, and Billie all proceeded me in death. Even after all these years, I still had a personal relationship with my sister-in-laws—Emma (died 5/2020, Felix), Fidella (Billie) and Louise (Horace Jr.).

I remember telling my girls, Brenda, Audrey, and Arva, when I was young that I didn't quite understand why I had to always stay close to mother while she sewed for the many people in and around the community while the boys were free to jump in the creek, go fishing and do all those fun dirty things. I grew to understand she wanted her only girls to be just that; a prim and proper lady.

Education at that time was a challenge so if you wanted a higher education you had to leave the community to pursue it. That is when Felix and I moved to Galveston and attended Central High under the guardianship of Uncle Buddy and Aunt Amy Austin who opened their home to us. They nurtured us and taught us the importance of hard work and the value of love and respect. While attending school, Felix worked as a bus boy and I as a maid in the many luxury hotels and restaurants on the island. We did this for many years in order to help support ourselves. After completing high school, I attended Franklin Beauty School in Houston and became a licensed beautician. I worked in the "white" shops before stepping out on faith and opening my own beauty shop. My specialty became styling wigs for the many balls held on the island. Being an entrepreneur was one of my greatest accomplishments and joys along with purchasing my home on 42nd Street.

Another passion of mine was providing loving support to my family and as a private caregiver to several elderly families. We would ride down the seawall, stop by a restaurant for a light lunch or just sit and listen to the sound of the ocean; sometimes we all fell asleep.

I had a flock of birds that came to my porch daily, rain or shine, because they knew I had food for them. I would sit for hours, on a beautiful day, to enjoy the wonder of the birds. I had a few more creatures that would join in the festivities. They all provided entertainment and joy for me. I also enjoyed planting. My front and back porches are full of a variety of plants and vegetables. I created and designed my own planters many from household items.

Although I lived alone, I was never alone or lonely. Someone always dropped by to say hello, to see how I was doing, to give me a helping hand, or to tell me how I had touched their lives. I never birthed any children but I had many. I remember the planned and surprise visits from my nieces, nephews, and multigeneration of cousins and family. If you ever came by you would see the word LOVE written on many objects in and around my house. Words written were words spoken; even to a stranger.

Family and friends please do not cry for me knowing that I was ready and am now resting in the arms of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My prayer and wishes had always been that I would never be a burden to anyone, so I asked God to "take ALL of me" when he was ready for me. At the age of 92, I think I was the last of my generation. I feel I lived a GOOD life, fought a GOOD fight, and on February 1, 2021 I finished my race. WHAT A LIFE AND TO GOD BE THE GLORY!