My mom’s birthday … celebrating a life of achievement

By Lynn R. Mitchell

[Editor’s note: Today is my mother’s birthday so, as we prepare to celebrate, here is a look back at her birthday celebration three years ago….]

Sunday afternoon was a gathering of our family at my sister’s house in Midlothian to celebrate that special day with my mom who was the youngest of ten children, born during the Great Depression, and attended high school during World War II. The sole survivor of her siblings, she reached a milestone birthday surrounded by her husband, children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and other family members.In a festive atmosphere of balloons and crepe paper, photos were displayed around the house from years past, and that included Mom’s high school diploma from Thomas Dale High School in Chesterfield County.

Youthful memories of my best friend’s dad, Millard Godfrey

By Lynn R. Mitchell

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. Godfrey, the father of Karen Godfrey (now Monger) — my best friend from 5th grade into high school.

My family moved to Bon Air when I was eleven, a stranger in a new area of Chesterfield County. Even though we had only moved from one area of the county about 20 miles to Bon Air, we may as well have moved 500 miles away because I couldn’t see my old friends anymore. As the horribly shy introvert that I was, it was very difficult to walk into a classroom at Bon Air Elementary School filled with new faces staring at me, the new girl, moving mid-year to the Richmond suburb of Bon Air.

Mom’s Thomas Dale Class of ’44 reunion

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Back row: Eula (Osborne) Lucy, Lawrence “Larry” Klebert and Mary Arline (Wray) McGuire. Front: Ruth Martin Schrum, Sarah (Hanchey) Boettger and Beverley McLeod VonCanon.

The invitation to the Thomas Dale Class of 1944 reunion to celebrate 70 years since graduating read:

“Seventy years ago, June 7, 1944, we began a life as highly intelligent high school graduates. (At least our teachers did their best and each of us would have confessed “we knew it all.”) That day we said goodbye to our friends we had been with during the greater part of our days for the past eleven school years. We had done a lot of growing up during this time and had many memories. A few of those left on your original reunion committee decided we would get together on June 7, 2014 for lunch and catching up.”

So exactly 70 years later, this group of octogenarians met at a restaurant in Chester to reminisce. Reporter Melissa Wilfong joined them to record their thoughts for the Chester Village News (see Reminiscing with the Class of ’44). There were 57 who graduated on that day in 1944 and though only six could make the reunion, approximately a dozen of the graduates survive.

Mom with Congressman Eric Cantor

There’s my mom dressed in white standing next to her Congressman Eric Cantor (R-7th) — my growing-up stomping grounds. In pink is Jean Gannon (BigWand.net) and on the other side of the Congressman is Karen Wooten (BigWand.net) and staffer extraordinaire Kristi Way. They were at Congressman Cantor’s lunch Sunday afternoon in Brandermill. Thanks to the Big Wand ladies for the photo!