Pearl "Granny" Giddens

GIDDENS, Pearl Ruby, 95, of Tampa, Fla., passed away on the morning of October 14, 2011 of natural causes, in her own home as she wished. She was born to the late Fred and Elizabeth Story, August 20, 1916 in Douglas, Ga. Pearl married her beloved Carl W. Giddens, Sr., in 1956.

Pearl was preceded in death by seven of her ten children; a stillborn baby daughter, Robert R. Drawdy Jr., Jeanette R. Johnson, "Lil' " Pearl R. Fetter, Barbara A. Smith, Thomas A. Drawdy, Loretta J. Lague; and two brothers, James Story and Eugene Story. She is survived by daughters, Carol A. Fetter of Kittshill, Ohio, Shirley J. Grossenbacher, of San Antonio, Fla.; son, Ronald A. Drawdy of San Antonio, Fla.; and sister, Grace Butler of Tampa. She had 29 grandchildren and grandson, James "Poncho" Giddens, resided with her; 50 great-grandchildren and 21 great-great-grandchildren. Pearl grew up in the Baptist faith and was a Sunday school teacher in her earlier years in Ga. Pearl, also known to everyone as "Granny", was a perfectionist in all areas; an avid bowler, gardener, seamstress, collector and crafter. She started bowling in the winter of 1962, and by 1964 she was in ten different weekly leagues. Woman Bowler Magazine listed her as the most active woman bowler. The Women's International Bowling Congress said that Pearl Giddens was in the most leagues in the country, and were astonished that she was able to keep her averages up while bowling in so many leagues. A wonderful green-thumb, she could bring any plant back to life. Granny's favorite to grow was the rose and people would stop just to take pictures of her roses. An amazing seamstress, she had several clients from Central Fla. area that chose her as their personal seamstress. The quality of her work far surpassed any clothing boutique. When local fabric stores ran out of fabric, they knew to call Pearl. A devoted collector, Granny loved to collect different items from baseball cards to white milk glass, and anything in-between. Granny loved doing crafts, on and off the computer. She would get very excited when she learned something new. She put her whole self into everything she did. Granny was loved by all and will be missed dearly. Come join us as we celebrate her life at Stowers Funeral Home, Brandon, FL., on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 2:00 PM. The family will receive friends from 1-2 p.m., Wednesday at the funeral home.