This Sunday, May 11, 2014 is Mother’s Day. During the worship hour at the churches I have served through the years, we have honored mothers by recognizing the oldest mother present, the youngest mother present, and the mother with the most children who was present in the service.
I take this time to acknowledge in our large Kilgore family the oldest mother living, the youngest mother alive, the mother still living with the most children, and the most recent mother who has given birth. In recognizing these four, we also honor all the mothers within our family.
The oldest living mother in the Kilgore family is Beatrice Manasco Kilgore, age 89, wife of Cecil Kilgore. I can truly say without reservation and prejudice that she is the best mother in the world. Cecil and Beat have four children, Johnny Kilgore, Mike Kilgore, Rebecca Smith, and Ricky Kilgore.
The youngest mother in the Kilgore lineage is Rachel Brown, born February 18, 1991. Rachel is married to Michael Brown, great grandson of Frances Spain Walther. They are in the Kilgore ancestry through Ruth Kilgore Spain. Rachel and Michael have one daughter, Gemma Catherine Brown, born in June 2013, and they reside in the Guntersville area.
There is a tie for the mother with the most children. Frances Spain Walther and Rachel Chadwick Tilley both have five children.
Frances is the oldest daughter of Ted and Ruth Kilgore Spain. Her children are Kathy Smallwood Cooke, Sharon Smallwood Faircloth, Denise Williams Meyeraan, Joe Williams, Jr. and Sandy Williams Hill. Frances resides in Madison, Alabama.
Rachel is the the youngest daughter of Dr. Billy Chadwick, and grand- daughter to Johnny and Ruby Kilgore Chadwick. Rachel’s children are Haley Riggins, Karli Tilley, Ken Tilley, Marshall Tilley, and Gigi Tilley. Rachel and husband, Mark Tilley reside in Clanton, Alabama. Mark is an accomplished vocalist, and has sung at some of the Kilgore Cousins Family Reunions.
The mother in our Kilgore lineage who has given the most recent birth is Becca Sweeney Allen, wife of Jeremy Allen and daughter-in-law to Rebecca Kilgore Smith. Becca gave birth to her third son, Graham Isaac Allen on April 21, 2014. Graham joins two older siblings, Cayden and Sawyer. Becca, Jeremy, and the boys reside in Maylene, Alabama.
This Sunday is bitter-sweet for many in the Kilgore family because their mothers are no longer with us here on earth. Knowing that death is not the same for the Christian believer, there will be a glad reunion in the future because we have the hope of the resurrection through Jesus. “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”
But until that time, a mother’s love lives on even after death through the lives of her children and grandchildren. A mother’s legacy cannot be underestimated either. Our successes are attributed to the nurturing guidance and love of the mothers in our family, and seasoned with the honest work, discipline, and integrity of our fathers. May this Sunday be a blessed day for one and all.
I miss my mother every day.
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