Mama Chris

Just some things about my grandmother, Christine Smith Stembridge. She was born on February 4, 1920 and passed away January 31, 2009. She was the 7th child of 8 living on a farm in Rockledge, GA. She went to Berry when it was a finishing high school (I have her high school ring). She had a contagious smile and a great sense of humor. She was a nurse and met my grandfather when stationed with a clinic in Ellijay, GA. She married my grandfather around midnight. When my grandfather moved the family to Atlanta she went to school for accounting and then got a job with Coca-Cola. When she was given the news that she was going to be a grandmother she said she was "too young" to be called granny which is why we called her Mama Chris.

Mama Chris blessed my life with more love and encouragement than any grandmother could give. She showed me how to live...laughing, loving, and sharing all that she had. She taught me my first phrase "Eeewww, Laa-Laa!" She taught me to giggle and was always making faces at me to make me laugh. She taught me to sing "Jesus loves me" and meant it. She taught me that family matters most and even though our immediate family was small with mom being an only child that we had a large support group including all 7 of her brothers and sisters and their families. She encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to do and she would be right there routing for me. If she had a dollar she would give 10% to the church and then help others in need. She was not only my grandmother she was one of my best friends!

Some of my most precious memories are of her teaching me that it was all about having style. She sported the most beautiful hair with finger curls which always amazed me and my ringlets. Of course I paid tribute to her one night in our Riverdale house when I was about 5 by pulling on her "granny panties" and her hair net and posing for the camera. I tried to put the bobbie pins in my hair too but couldn't figure out how they opened. I'll have to find that pic and post it...goodness I was fashionable!

Our Saturday routine growing up was to meet Mama Chris at the mall. We shopped everywhere. When we were real young we shopped at Greenbriar. She would take us to Rich's, then treat us for lunch at the Orange Julius and sit out to watch the birds in big cages that looked like trees. On special occasions she would take us to Rich's downtown to shop and eat at the Rich's Tea Room. When Southlake opened that was where you could find us on any given Saturday. We would shop at Rich's and then go to El Chico's for lunch...which I now realize that mom and Mama Chris loved El Chico's for their margaritas. :) If we did not meet on Saturday then on Sunday we would meet Mama Chris and Daddy Bob (he was also too young for granddaddy) for lunch at ChiChi's usually with some mall action following. And you guys wondered where I get my shopping habits from and why I worked at Rich's during college...hummmm.

She told us jokes and made us laugh all the time. We made faces at each other until the very end. Right before she went into hospice care when she was still in the hospital she told me that she loved me and then stuck her tongue out at me which made me laugh. My last time seeing her in the hospice I was talking with her and told her that I knew she couldn't talk to me but that she should just wink at me. She shut her eyes a couple of times slowly then wrinkled up her nose and squeezed her eyes real tight. That was her wink to me and I will treasure it ALWAYS.

I KNOW SHE LOVED ME BUT I WILL MISS HER!!! Again, my heart is heavy but I KNOW that she is up singing with the angels. She is sitting with her sisters and brothers and Mama and Papa Smith giving them all updates on all our family. I know she is finally at rest and that I will see her again one day.

Happy Birthday Mama Chris!