Louis Bernabé
Lenora was a great aunt and friend; who I dearly miss.
In my childhood we would take family trips with my parents and my brother from France to Texas on a yearly basis or every year and a half.
It was the chance to see a different environment, a different culture; to live a different way of life.
We would travel all the way to Longview, Texas; to see my Memaw Bessie May; to see my aunt Lenora. My uncle Peter and his family would often join us as well; so that we'd get to all see each other; visit and enjoy time together.
That ritual went on many years; and had many recurrent highlights.
We always went to Dudley's as a family to satisfy my parent's craving for Gumbo.
We always went to Walmart to witness how drastically different American culture can be..
In the earlier years; we went to Blockbuster to rent out DVD's and watch them as a family. It's still one of my most cherished memories.
We played basketball with my brother; rode bikes; carried with us little carts full of toys.
We would ride golf carts for fun around Memaw and Lenora's property and my brother would sometimes go golfing with Lenora's husband Dave.
We watched TV in Memaw's favorite chair and would often have the same meals ever year.
My brother and I were fascinated by the difference in wildlife in Texas: armadillos; fire ants; killer bees; skunks and eagles were all novel and exciting animals.
One year; my parents brought my brother along to Austin; the city they first met in; so that he could get a medical examination and so that they could visit the city.
For a couple of weeks; I was alone with Memaw, Lenora and Dave.
We went to many museums in Kilgore, in Longview and surrounding areas.
I was surprised by how many cultural events there were in the area, despite how much on the country-side Longview is.
Lenora brought me to science and history museums; to landmower races; to a gun festival; to a blacksmithing event... those may seem very rural events but they marked my memory. So much so that I decided to record them in a journal at the time; with pictures, souvenirs, tickets and recollections of the events. It was a wonderful holiday.
Lenora was a very meticulous, bright and crafty person. She would always propose events and help organize them. She loved creating and crafting new items. We created special games similar to the horseshoe game; we organized Easter games for Peter's grandchildren; we cooked; worked on boats and cars which Lenora and Dave would buy from their military pension. It was very fun to work like a mechanic on those vehicles.
We painted special garden features for my grandmother; which frogs would hide or even live in. We helped my Memaw with her garden; digging out holes for her new plants.
My Memaw always loved gardening and kept with that passion well into her old age and even after losing much of her sight.
It was always very peaceful to wake up very early in the morning due to jet-lag; to walk out in the fresh air of a central Texas morning; with hummingbirds feeding off the birdhouse and to rest in a rocking chair while listening to the frogs and birds singing.
Despite her great carrier in the army, Lenora was a very humble person and seldom talked about her achievements. She was passionate about helping animals in distress; especially dogs but also cats and animals in general; especially those that seemed mistreated.
She could have very silly moments and we always had great laughs every time we reunited.
She always made fun of my accent and couldn't always understand me because at the time I had a much stronger French accent and my English wasn't quite as evolved.
I loved her and I miss those days very much.
It seems to me she lived a great life; with those she loved and the way she intended to live her life. She was strong and brave through her illness and showed very few regrets.
I'm glad and thankful I got to know her and have those days as a family with her.
- Louis Bernabé
