The following was a beautiful piece written by Frances Ann:Edith Nell Hunter was born and reared in the Oak Plains community of Montgomery county. She and her sister, Dorothy, learned responsibility early in life when their mother developed colon cancer when Nell was only 12. She quit school to care for her mother and run the household. This event resulted in her becoming an excellent cook, seamstress, and homemaker. Her grandchildren will tell you that she was the best biscuit maker in the world.
She met the love of her life at the Oak Plains picnic in 1938. She and Dub Hunter were married for 60 years when he died in 1999. The first year they were married, Dub bought 2 pair of overalls after they sold their tobacco. They moved to Nashville after Jr. was born, where she worked at McKesson and Robins for a short time. Incidentally, this is the same company that Jr. later retired from.
In 1943, they moved back to the farm, and Frances Ann was born. In 1946, they decided to build a grocery store. For 30 years, their life ran at a frantic pace...Dub opened the store; she cooked breakfast and lunch at the same time; she ate her breakfast; relieved him at the store; Dub went home to eat breakfast...all this before 7:00 a.m., and yes...they ALWAYS had homemade biscuits. They swapped out running the store at lunch and dinner. It was often 6:00 p.m., before she got home to heat water and do laundry on a wringer washing machine.
The store was always a social hub as people came from far and wide to get her famous bologna sandwiches. Anyone who has ever eaten one will attest they were the "best ever". She was smart, tough, witty, a quiet woman of faith, and took life as it was dealt. Her hectic life never stopped her from having time for her children and grandchildren. The store closed in 1976, but she continued to work in the tobacco fields until they retired.
She and Dub loved to take day trips. She sat in the car and looked straight ahead never commenting on his poor driving. She was a trooper after Dub died. She remained self-sufficient until she had a stroke in 2002. Her health began to decline, but she was able to care for herself for a long while. As her need for help increased, Dot Knight became her caregiver, companion, and friend.
The things she most looked forward to later in life were:
Dinners with George and watching "Survivor" on Thursday nights;
Visiting Wendy on over night trips in East Tennessee;
Renee bringing Brandon and Lisa to visit:
Brandon's big kisses on the mouth;
Her dog Lacy's companionship...(Lacy loved bologna also.);
Hunter turning off her oxygen (She taught him how to help.);
Adam, Laura, Hunter, and Mackenzie visiting her at the nursing home;
Jonathan and Harley's visits;
Jr. bringing her milkshakes;
Visits from family, friends, and church members;
Watching the Andy Griffin Show and The Golden Girls...she always said if people watched The Golden Girls instead of the news, they wouldn't have anything to worry about!
She told Jr. about six weeks ago that she hated to give up. She never quit on anything; that's how she "did life". She never gave up on her marriage, her children, her grandchildren, or her faith. She was alert until her final breath on this side of eternity...only her body gave up. She has a new body now...one that will never quit!
Jr. and Frances Ann would like to thank their spouses, Linda and Douglas, for the understanding, support, and care given to them and their mother during her illness. they would like to thank family and friends for their prayers, cards, visits, and acts of kindness; and thank every one of you here as you came to honor their mother.
