Mildred Louise Hoggle Deslattes (our mother) was called to her Heavenly home on August 1, 2019. Mother's last good days on this earth were spent at North River Retirement Village which was her home since May 1, 2014, approximately one month after the passing of her beloved husband, Calvin L. Deslattes. Also, she was predeceased by her parents, two of her brothers, William W. Hoggle and Hubert A. Hoggle; and her son-in-law, Kelley Laminack.
Born on March 20, 1924, Mother was the second child and only daughter of Harvey Harmon Hoggle of Hale County and Emma Lee Booth Hoggle of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Her parents met while working at Bryce Hospital and raised their family in a small close knit neighborhood on the west side of the hospital known as Shadydale.
Growing up in Shadydale during the depression was a hard beginning to life. Even though her father worked 60 hours a week for the state, his earnings were modest. They had cows, chickens, and a garden and sold milk, butter, eggs and vegetables for additional money, Mother would never say she grew up poor. Her parents worked very hard to ensure there was plenty of food and to provide a loving, comfortable home for their family,
Mother met our daddy at Tuscaloosa High School. They were sweethearts during their high school years and continued to date after graduation in 1941. Daddy turned 18 on November 4, 1942. Knowing full well that military service was in his future, Mother and Daddy married on January 27, 1943. Two young people, still kids themselves, began adult life with nothing but a strong love and a total commitment to each other to do whatever was necessary to make their marriage successful.
On May 20, 1943, one week before their fourth month anniversary, Daddy was inducted in the United States Army at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. He and Mother had part of a week furlough in October of that year before Daddy was shipped overseas to England on December 5, 1943.
Five short weeks after Daddy sailed to England, Mother delivered their first child, a daughter, on January 10, 1944. Two days later her daddy, Harvey Hoggle, died of a massive heart attack. Mother did not attend her daddy's funeral because in those days women stayed in the hospital more than a week after giving birth. When she was discharged she returned home to grieve with her mother and brothers. The hard knocks of life insisted that they persevere. Our mother was not a stranger to hard work and hard knocks. Persevere she did.
To the delight of Mother and the two year old daughter she had been raising on her own, Daddy returned home from the war on December 29, 1945. Mother and Daddy were now both 21 years old. They were no longer the two kids that got married in January 1943. The war and long separation had changed them. However, the strong love and total commitment made to each other on their wedding day only grew stronger and lasted for over 71 years.
Still life was not easy. To save money, they continued to live in Shadydale with our grandmother and Mother's two younger brothers. In 1948, their second daughter was born, followed by a son in 1950. Their last baby girl was born on December 12, 1952 and was the first baby born in the newly opened Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa.
They bought their first house in 1950 in Durrett Grove with a $20.00 down payment and a 4% VA loan. The house payment was $5.00 more than the old monthly rent payment and Mother worried about where they would find the extra money. Mother was always the worrier (she tried hard to hide it from us) and Daddy was more the optimist. However, Mother was the better money manager; she could squeeze 110 Lincoln pennies out of each dollar. She had to be. Within a year of having bought the house, circumstances dictated that her mother and younger brother had to move into Durrett Grove with us. This was not unusual in those times. After all, Mother and Daddy lived with them after the war.
On March 20, 1953, Mother's 29th birthday, she had been married for 10 years, had four children (oldest was nine and the baby was three months), and her mother and younger brother were living with her and Daddy. They worked hard to provide for everyone. Daddy said on many occasions, "If our mother ever wasted a single penny, it was to buy something for one of us". He believed she earned that privilege because of the many sacrifices she made for us. We always had new clothes and shoes for the first day of school and mother was proud of how we looked.
Before we began the first grade, mother made time during her busy day to sit each of us in her lap and teach us to read. On the first day of school, we could read the first two Dick and Jane books; we knew our letters and numbers; we knew our colors and shapes; and we could count to 100. How she found the time, we do not know. But again, we always came first.
Most importantly, our mother taught us how to live, how to work, how to strive for goals, how to behave and use good manners, how to treat other people, and how to have pride in what we did. After all, she was proud of us. She always said "If you behave half as well as you look, you will do well in life". In her eyes the conduct grade was the most important grade on our report cards and it did not pay to have a bad one.
Mother and Daddy spent tons of money sending four children to college and made payments on credit union loans for 14 years to finance all of it. Our mother, the money manager, made this feat possible. Both she and Daddy were proud of our accomplishments when each one of us graduated. Many times Mother said she "never regretted a single cent spent on the educational investment" in our futures. They did without so we could succeed.
After we were all grown and all the school expenses had been paid, Mother finally had money to spend on herself. She had an eye for fashion in clothing, shoes and accessories; hair styles and; yes, she loved to have her hair and nails professionally done. She never wanted to miss a Gayfers or Parisians sale and would be there when the doors opened. Whether she was attending a church meeting, a birthday luncheon for a friend or simple going to the bank, she always wanted to look her best.
Mother was always the gracious hostess for all the family gatherings. No finer southern cook ever set a better table and feast for all to enjoy. She prepared everyone's favorite dishes just the way they liked them. No one ever left hungry even though the crowds were large. She had 25 dinner plates in her china cabinet and often all were used.
Daddy's older sister, Dorothy Deslattes Smalley, (our Aunt Dottie) sent a single long stem red rose to Daddy's funeral with instructions for it to be placed in his coffin. Aunt Dottie wanted Daddy to have a rose to give to our mother when she joined him in Heaven. Our mother has gone home to claim her rose and to stroll over heaven with Daddy each day. As the chorus of the hymn goes:
"I want to stroll over Heaven with you some glad day; When all our troubles and heartaches are vanished away; Then we'll enjoy the beauty where all things are new, I want to stroll over Heaven with you".
That strong love and total commitment made to each other on January 27, 1943 lasted until the very end of her time on this earth. With the loss of our mother, the world is now missing one very kind, gentle and loving soul.
Mother is survived by her brother, John Wayne Hoggle; her brothers-in-law, Huey and Melvin Deslattes and their wives Sue and Dot; her sister-in-law, Mary Hoggle. Also, she is survived by her four children: Barbara Sue D. Fulmer (George), Linda D. Laminack, Douglas L. Deslattes (Marian) and Patricia “Patti” D. Scozzaro (Ross). Also, she leaves behind five deeply loved granddaughters: Karen D. Winslow (Matt), Tracy D. Slough (Steve), Amy Fulmer Davis (Conner), April L. Deslattes and Elizabeth D. Deslattes, and eight great-grandchildren.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, August 5th, 2019 at Memory Chapel Funeral Home. Father Michael Deering of Holy Spirit Catholic Church will officiate. The family will receive friends at 1 p.m. before the service.
Pallbearers include Hudson Deslattes Winslow, Will R. Davis, Gene Laminack, Scotty Noland, David Hoggle and Ronnie Hoggle.
Honorary pallbearers include Dee and Roy Maize, Diane and Doug Sanford, Ruby Snipes, Kay and Ed Dolensky, Ann and Reuben Marcum, Scottie Hardin, Herman Weber, friends and neighbors of Durrett Grove, Lake Ridge, and residents and staff at North River Retirement Village.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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