The Best Ever...

On July 22, 2011, Heaven called home my grandmother. It was a long process. She ended up staying about a week in the hospital before she was moved to hospice. By the time she passed, she had survived 15 days without food. She was one tough lady for sure. Granny's visitation and service was beautiful. All of the grandchildren wrote down different memories of her and they were read at the funeral. I will never forget helping her with laundry or in the garden, tying strings to the legs of june bugs and watching them fly around, and how she would always play kickball or baseball in the yard. She would always keep us an endless supply of chilly willies. I have a ton of great memories, not only of my childhood, but also as I got older. I really got close to her after my grandpa passed and she would stay at the campground with my mom on the weekends. We shared a room and would always end up staying up late and talking and mom would yell at us to go to bed. LOL. We also took her to her first Wake Forest basketball game in November of 2008. My brother took her for her first paddle boat ride at age 90. Every weekend my mom would take her different places and include her in on everything. Mom even got her sucked in to playing BINGO every weekend at the campground. I also remember taking her to Logan's Roadhouse the first time and laughed so hard because she could not believe that you could throw peanut shells on the floor. From then on, Logan's became the peanut place. I think have handled everything well so far. I feel like I will really break down when I know mom is fine. That is the same thing that happened with my grandpa. I seem to be the type of person that grieves later than most. It was hard seeing my granny so sick for those 20 days but I know that she is in a better place. She is finally home and is smiling down at us from Heaven. I just hope that someday I will be able to be as great a woman, mother, and grandmother as she was.

Annie Opal Robertson Howard

HOWARD MOCKSVILLE ~ Annie Opal Robertson Howard April 18, 1920 ~ July 22, 2011 Annie Opal Robertson Howard, 91, of Dulin Road, died on Friday, July 22, 2011, at Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home. Born in Davie County on April 18, 1920, she was the daughter of the late Grover Scales Robertson and Lizzie Anna Potts Robertson. She was a homemaker and a longtime member of Dulin United Methodist Church. She was the secretary of her Sunday school class for many years, and a member of United Methodist Women. Her husband, Obie Hobert Howard of 65 years, preceded her in death in 2007. She is survived by two sons, Larry Howard, and Donald (Patricia) Howard; three daughters, Ann H. (Allen) Blakley, Dottie H. (Virgil) Bright, and Gay H. (Lee) McClamrock, all of Mocksville; seven grandchildren: Jeremy (Mary) McClamrock, Scott (Janie) Bright, Teresa (William) Navey, Kendall (Marci) Howard, Sharon (Scott) Ebright, Christin (Jonathan) Williams, Adam (Robin) Howard; 11 great-grandchildren: Christopher (Ashlea) Blakley, Destiny (friend, Derek) Lumley, Jasmine Ebright, Jocelyn Ebright, Ethan Ebright, Halie Bright, Reid Howard, Michael Howard, Emma James, Sarah James, Bailey Howard; and two great-great-grandchildren, Addy Shropshire, Maddie Preston. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a son, Wayne Howard; six brothers; one sister, and grandson, Mark Blakley. The Service to Celebrate the Life of Mrs. Howard will be on Monday, July 25, at 11 a.m. at Dulin United Methodist Church with the Rev. Lynn Jordan and the Rev. Ray O'Ferrell officiating. She will lie in state 30 minutes prior to the service. Burial will be in the Church cemetery. The family will receive friends at the Church on Sunday, July 24, from 6 until 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be considered for Dulin UMC Fund, c/o Jerry Hendrix, 2112 Milling Road, Mocksville, NC 27028. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.davie funeralservice.com. Davie Funeral Service is serving the Howard family.