Mother and Daddy

Kelsey G. and Lillie M. (Robbins) Adams

        Mother and Daddy began their lives together in Letcher County, Kentucky.  In his biography, Daddy recorded his first impressions of Mother.  “A business moved into town, and the people that owned it moved just two houses from where I worked; but the most interesting thing to me was the beautiful girl I saw around the house.  I believe she saw me too!  We didn’t waste much time getting acquainted, and after over thirty years, six grown children and nine grandchildren, we are still married and ‘acquainted.’“

 At his death in 1979 they had been married over 48 years.   The grandchildren had increased to 15, and the great-grandchildren are continuing to increase.  There are now three great-great grandchildren. 

 They started their family with twins that were born prematurely and didn’t survive.  They ended with another set of twins which were the little “stars” of their small town as Mother pushed the double baby buggy up the street. 

         They established a clothing store and shoe repair business in the small town of Jenkins where they settled shortly after they were married.  Mother came from a “shoe cobbler” family and could “cobble” with best of them.  In addition to being a busy mom, she helped run the businesses as well, but neither were ever too busy to be active in their church and held many positions over the years.

        Daddy’s favorite pastime was having Bible discussions with his friends who stopped by the business.  Mother’s was just “mothering” everyone who crossed her path.  She was always available when a new baby came to a neighbor and wherever she was needed.  “Stranger” was just not in her vocabulary.

When the coal-mining town of Jenkins began to wan of business prospects, they moved to Detroit where Daddy opened up a shoe repair shop in downtown Detroit.  Mother worked for McKesson & Robbins and retired after twenty years.  After they retired, they returned to Kentucky where they lived until their deaths. 

Daddy on their balcony on Campbell Street in Detroit

Relaxing in  on the pier at Crescent Lake, Florida, one of the few times they were able to go on vacation.  I took them to Crescent City where we visited my sister-in-law.

Among my memories are the ones of traveling with Daddy when he drove to other cities and even in other counties to collect shoes to repair and return them.  He also picked up dry cleaning for his friend, Ray Mullins, who had a dry cleaning plant near our place. 

What great fun we had!  The shoes and clothes would fill up the back seat to the very top of the back of the front seat.  Sometimes I would climb up on the top of them and have a nap coming home. 

  Daddy left us in June, 1979 and Mother left us on Thanksgiving Day, 1998. They were dearly loved and greatly missed.