Anne’s Last 8 Days– by Louise

October 31, 1998 a volunteer friend asked me if Mama might want to wear a clown suit on Halloween. I told her, “Sure, we both put an orange sheet around us and wear a mask, every year." I helped her put it on. She grinned and said, "If I had known it was ' britches', I wouldn't have wore it." (For religious reasons, women did not wear 'men's clothes'). Wild colored hair, a red ball pinched on her nose and big black glasses. Using her walker she went into every room, on her hall, in the nursing home. No one recognized her. She had a lot of fun--later she handed out Halloween candy to kids.

November 3,1998, Tuesday, Mama was still 101 years old. I drove her to the poles and she voted Democrat, like she had--ever since 1917. That was the year she turned 21, the first year that women got to vote. "My Daddy didn't think that women had sense enough to vote. But he didn't try to stop me". The Hood County News come and took her picture, with a good story.

November 4, her real birthday, she had a birthday party, and she became 102 years old. Her party was at the volunteer friends home, seven friends for dinner and then gifts. Aunt Etta called me and asked what me and Mamma had done on her birthday. "I didn't even see her all day." She had a fit, until I told her about the party.

Saturday, Nov 7, she got up and dressed herself and walked to the dining room and ate. There were no planned activities, so she laid down. Her roommate went to the desk and told them “Anne is breathing funny" They put a big tall oxygen tank in her room, she used it just 2 days.

9AM, my brother, Stanley had stopped by there to bring her to our house for her big family birthday celebration. Stanley and Jackie brought a giant pretty cake. She kept asking when I was coming to the nursing home. I got there and we both went to her bedside, to hear what profound thing that she would tell us. "I have my bingo money pinned to my panties, you get it and keep it." We giggled, $1.35 cents.

12PM, her room mates husband brought in the Hood County News. He showed her the front page picture of her voting, in the Hood County News. She read the story, lying down. She was too tired to set up. She didn't want me to read it to her. I was pointing to the words with my finger. She did not have her glasses on.

The nursing home let us line the hall with chairs. After the family took turns eating dinner at our house, we set in the hall and had short visits with her. It being the day we were going to celebrate her birthday; Aunt Etta and Ludie drove here from Mineral Wells to see her. They sure did hate to leave her.

A nice man resident, seeing all the family there, he asked if we were moving Mama. We told him that she was sick. He said, "No she's not, she walked down and ate breakfast this morning."

5 PM she was laying down, with her eyes closed, she was so tired. Julia, a favorite granddaughter, thought she was asleep and lightly kissed her on the forehead. Mama opened her eyes and reached up and hugged her, "Oh Julia, I'm so glad that you come to see me today."

8 PM, my Mama told me, "You and Thel go on home. I'll get a good night’s sleep tonight and I'll be all right tomorrow” Stanley and Jackie stayed with her.

November 8, 1998, it was 'just a little past midnight', on Sunday morning; Stanley and two nurses were with her. Thel and I were coming later. Her body quit using oxygen, she had no medicine, no pain, she just quit breathing and drifted away. 102 years and four days.

On her door I printed a sign--like she had said many times

"I'll be swinging on the Pearly Gate, waiting for you"

Monday morning, they said- the good activity director and VITAS Chaplin too; they just had a 'melt down' when they heard the news. They saw her Friday and she was perky, as usual.

Mamas room mate moved into her bed by the window, and could wear most of her clothes.

Anne Minerva Gill Knight, she never knew that she was a 'Protagonist'--The center piece of a story.