(I wrote this for page to honor my precious Aunt Ruth a couple years ago. I leave in as it was in memory to her.)
My Aunt ... Ruth Burton
June 21, 1920 to June 15, 2007
Lady Lake was the highlight of my childhood. Not only because my grandparents lived there, but because my Aunt Ruth's family was there, too. I loved being at Ruth's house -- watching her in the kitchen and sitting out in her Florida room ... the best place to be when it was raining! I loved hearing the rain hit that roof! Things were so calm and quiet on her porch, there was almost a security in just being there.
My Mom & Aunt Ruth ..... and the Burton Family, Christmas 1951
And of course, being with Herby and Buddy so much was like having
two more brothers in our family. Being quite a bit younger, I loved
when they played with me, and took full advantage of being spoiled by
them!
When we were in Lady Lake, most people could not tell the difference between my Mom and Ruth. They looked so much alike that many times when Mom would be in a store or a grocery in either Lady Lake or Leesburg, people would always be saying, "Hi, Ruth" or "Hello, Mrs. Burton". Mom would just answer, "Hello. Nice to see you". And people never knew the difference!
Ruth gave me something once, and I doubt if she'll ever know how much it means to me. I had always loved my cousin Herby so much. I was a little girl of seven when he was killed, but I had a special relationship with him. Years later, after I was grown, Ruth gave me two of the medals Herby had won as a paratrooper in the Army. I will treasure them for the rest of my life. Nothing has ever meant more to me than to be given his medals.
Ruth & Pete with grandsons, Johnny & Jimmy
Uncle Pete & Aunt Ruth often came to visit us, too. And I remember one summer when she and I were on a bing cherry craze! We could NOT get our fill of them! We even picked a neighbors cherry tree bare! To this day, I can not see a cherry without thinking of Ruth!
Each of my aunts have given so much to my life. But my Aunt Ruth has
given me something that I've taken through life and has become such a
part of who I am. It was Aunt Ruth who taught me just about everything
I know about cooking! She was always a wonderful country-style cook,
and she always taught me things about cookng and recipes. So many of
my personal favorites are recipes that came from her and the time we
shared in her kitchen. Blackberry cobbler, carrot cake (hers is THE
BEST!), fried fish and it was at her home that I had my first frog
legs!
Cooking is a heritage that should be passed down from generation to generation, and I thank God that my Aunt Ruth always had time for a pesty little niece hanging around her kitchen! We'd cook or bake, share stories, laugh and talk for hours.
I still love talking with Aunt Ruth. These days, it's mostly on the
telephone. We exchange phone calls (I'll call her one week, she'll
call me the next), and we seldom ever have a call under three hours
long!
I love my Aunt Ruth very much, and I treasure all the many, many years of good times spent at her home, which makes Lady Lake, Florida MY hometown, too!
Aunt Ruth with her Great-Grandchildren: Jimmy, Kaitlin & Cole
Beautiful Memories ...
The best memories for my family are Summers when the Noe Sisters vacationed together in Florida. These vacations always included my Mom (Lucille), Aunt Frances and Aunt Ruth, and a few times, my Aunt Kay joined them. The picture below was taken during the summer of 1962 in my Grandparents side yard at Lady Lake.
SISTERS VACATIONING TOGETHER
Standing: Aunt Frances, my brother Gary, Uncle Pete, Mamaw (Nancy Noe), my Dad (Winford ... partially hidden), Papaw (John Noe), my cousin Herby, Aunt Ruth; Sitting: my Mom (Lucille), my cousin Bishop, Aunt Kay (me in front of her), my sister Linda
