My Old Kentucky Home, Conclusion

Some of you may remember when I went in May to visit my grandmother in Kentucky. I am sad to say that Grandma Nannie has passed on, and the matriarch of our family is gone. Her death was unexpected; she simply failed to wake up from surgery. Granted, she was getting up in years, but she was still very much independent, ornery, and getting around. She was an amazing woman, strong, stubborn, and couldn't care less what anyone else thought. She was self-centered and deeply loyal, and had a personality that wouldn't quit. Nannie always loved us grandchildren more than anything else. I can safely say that each one of us would say that we were her favorite.

Jacquelyn Harton was born April 1, 1932. She grew up in Paducah, Kentucky, and met my grandfather at a high school choir festival. She told me that was the only time in her life she was so forward (I highly doubt that), and she went up and asked my grandfather his name. She skipped lunch to watch him sing, and he had a beautiful voice. My grandmother played piano, and so they raised a very musical family. They had 6 children: Carl Kelly (my dad), Craig, Jim, Jenny, Ken, and Julie. Their children had 15 grandchildren: Samuel, Emily (me), Anna, Cara, Sara, John, Cassie, Molly, Andrew, Shawn, Christopher, Elinor, Ian, Joseph, and Jenna. Their grandchildren have at least 10 great-grandchildren, and counting: Darian, Benjamin (not his real name), Isabella, Ruby, Alaine, Cullen, Sadie, Shelby, Emily, and Bentley.

She leaves behind her sister Jerrie. She had another sister, Jenna, who was killed in a car crash at the age of 16. Her husband, Carl Mabry Howard, died in 1988. Now she can be reunited with her loving husband and her sister, whom she has missed all these years. Tomorrow I fly out to Kentucky to pay my last respects, and mourn the end of an era. I don't know if anyone could fill those shoes, but I hope that I can live my life in such a way that she will always be proud of me, and that I can bring honor to the Howard name. I love you Nannie!