When she and my grandfather married in 1919, they had hopes and dreams of raising their family and living happily together for years to come. Those dreams were shattered, however, when my grandfather became ill and died in 1932, leaving my grandmother with four small children, ages ranging from 2 to 11.
At that time in history, her options were severely limited. Could she alone provide for her children? Likely not.
She could have sent the two oldest boys into the fields to work. But that would have probably prevented them from getting much education at all.
She could have allowed others to raise her children. Others were available and willing to do just that. This was seemingly an easy way out of a difficult situation. But, no, this was really not an option to her.
What she did would be considered by many today unthinkable. Within a few short weeks of my grandfather's death, she remarried. Did she love him? How could she possibly have when she was still mourning her first husband! But he could provide for her and her children. He could make it possible for her to keep her children. This was what she had to do.
John and Alma Wilson were married for nearly 40 years, and she bore two more children. She continued as a righteous and Godly woman until her death in 1971, after quietly suffering for many years with heart disease.
My grandmother left no inheritance save her grace, her beauty, her dignity, and her love, a legacy more valuable than any wealth one could ever hope to acquire.
