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Lillie Mae <I>Boss</I> Noto

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Lillie Mae Boss Noto

Birth
Cankton, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, USA
Death
1 Oct 2018 (aged 99)
Arnaudville, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, USA
Burial
Carencro, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
View Source
Lillie Mae Boss Noto
April 04, 1919 - October 01, 2018


Daughter of
Maurice Boss
and
Josephine Marks Boss

Widow of a marriage of Fifty-seven years to
Glenn Emile Noto

Mother of
Mary Jo Noto Cormier

Grandmother of
Colby Cormier
Lance Cormier

Great-Grandmother of
Layla Jene Cormier
Ella Rose Cormier
Lance Cade "L.J." Cormier, Jr.
Lilly Evangeline Cormier

Siblings
Hubert Boss
Frank Boss
Abbie Boss
Lloyd Louis Boss
Earlis "Butch" Boss
Kermit "Pap" Boss, Sr.
Harry Boss
Elbie Boss Guidry
Eula Boss Bajat
Evelyn Boss Haure
Anna Jane Boss Thibodeaux

Godmother of
Kayla Pellerin

Obituary
Carencro, Louisiana
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at a 4:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial in St. Peter Roman Catholic Church in Carencro for Lillie Mae Boss Noto, age 99, who passed away Monday, October 1, 2018 at J. Michael Morrow Nursing Home in Arnaudville.

Interment will be in St. Peter Catholic Cemetery in Carencro. The Rev. Mark Ledoux, pastor of St. Peter Roman Catholic Church, will officiate at the services.

Mrs. Noto was a native of the Cankton/Sunset Community and a resident of Carencro since 1990. She was a parishioner of St. Peter Roman Catholic Church and was a member of the Bonne Mort Society. She was also a member of the Antique Car Club.

Survivors include one daughter, Mary Jo Cormier and her husband, Elton, of Carencro; one brother, Hubert Boss and his wife, Anna Lee, of Sunset; two grandchildren, Colby Cormier and his wife, Shawna, and Lance Cormier and his wife, Aime, all of Carencro; four great grandchildren, Layla Jene Cormier, Ella Rose Cormier, Lance Cade "L.J." Cormier, Jr. and Lilly Evangeline Cormier; and her loving Godchild, Kayla Pellerin.

She was preceded in death by her husband of fifty-seven years, Glenn Noto; her parents, Maurice Boss and the former Josephine Marks both natives of St. Landry Parish; six brothers, Frank Boss, Abbie Boss, Lloyd Boss, Earlis "Butch" Boss, Kermit "Pap" Boss, Sr. and Harry Boss; and four sisters, Elbie B. Guidry, Eula B. Bajat, Evelyn B. Haure, and Anna Jane Thibodeaux.

A rosary will be prayed at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday in the funeral home.

The family requests that visiting hours be observed from 10:00 a.m. Wednesday and will continue from reopen time until service time on Wednesday.

Pallbearers will be Colby Cormier, Lance Cormier, Wayne Boss, Michael Cormier, Jude Pellerin, and Bert Boss. Honorary pallbearer will be Elton Cormier.

Melancon Funeral Home, Evangeline Memorial Gardens Chapel, 4117 N. University Ave., Carencro, Louisiana was in charge of arrangements.

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Lillie Boss Noto's Story


Life before, during and after World War II
By J.M. Morrow Nursing Home•15 Jan, 2016

“You don’t know what you don’t know.” A friend recently shared that quote. It made me think about the nursing home. My sister, Mavis Arnaud Fruge, had participated in several programs there. On the few occasions that I went to the nursing home, it had been to visit a sick friend or relative. It always seemed sad to me. Once when Mavis needed me to help her with something she was hosting there, I accepted and I am so glad I did. The more I go to the nursing home, the more I like it. Now, it is a place where I have many friends and we love one another. I look forward to my visits. When I arrive, it seems they are waiting for me.

Yes, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” My advice is when you find yourself at the nursing home, don’t rush through. Greet everyone. You soon learn who is open to conversation. And, you get much more out of every encounter than what you put in.

I don’t know how writing these stories came about. But, when you sit and talk with the residents, you soon discover how interesting they are. And, they are interested in you!

The daughter of a J. Michael Morrow Nursing Home resident recently contacted me through Facebook. She told me she had just realized that I was Mavis’ sister. She complimented me on the stories we are publishing on the nursing home website and then told me about her mom. She gave me her mother’s room number. She explained that her mother was hard of hearing but asked me to visit when I could. I sensed an urgency and today, Saturday, two days after I got her message, I told my husband I felt I needed to go.

I found Lillie Boss Noto in a colorful dress lying peacefully in her bed. Communications were slow at first; but, I can speak loudly. The hardest part was to explain to Ms. Lillie how I had come to know about her.

When I asked her to tell me about herself, she started with her career and she confessed right away that she had lied about being a high school graduate. In fact, she had only attended school through the eighth grade. I sat in a comfortable chair and let Ms. Lillie talk and laugh. There was lots of laughter. All through our time together, she would have periods when she was silent for a little while, eyes twinkling, and then she would laugh; and, another part of her story would come. It was a wonderful visit.

She said:

“I went to the airport in Lafayette with friends when we heard that they were hiring people. They told us that if we were looking for work, we had to go to a hotel where we could apply for a job. We did that and we were hired. I think we would make about $1 an hour. We had to go by bus to New Orleans where we worked for Vaultee Aircraft, Consolidated and the Navy. All of us had to wear pants. We worked there until the war ended and they closed the plant.

“Three girls and I roomed together. There was Jeanne who was from Kaplan. Margaret and Martha were from Lafayette. Consolidated found a rooming house in New Orleans where we could live. It was on Esplanade.

“Of the four girls who worked together at Consolidated, I am the only one left. We had a reunion once (See picture below). It was great to see them. Jeanne married a man who worked overseas. She did not work at the time we got together for the reunion. Margaret married a man who had something to do with a drug store and she worked with him. Martha’s husband was in the Navy and she moved to North Carolina to live with his people.

“When I worked in the plant, Jeanne and I walked around with a drill and extension wire. We had to tag all of the equipment. It was either for a certain department of the Navy or for Consolidated. Martha was the dispatcher. Margaret worked in the planes. She installed the little window where the pilot sits. She would be covered in black grease when she got off work. We called her Rosie the Riveter.*

“When the plant closed, my friend Jeanne was going to stay in New Orleans. She became a hairdresser and she wanted me to do that too but I didn’t want. She told me our boss said that he would probably call me to come back; but, I wanted to come home and see my momma. The supervisor did call. He needed me to work on the inventory. I came home for a short visit and then went back to Consolidated.

“In time, I went to work at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. I was a ward clerk and I worked there for about 4 or 5 years. “During some of that time, I lived with Emily, a widow. Her son had married a daughter of Dr. Dolon from Lafayette. Her home was on St. Charles Avenue. The street car would go right by the house. Sometimes, while working at Charity Hospital, I had to work at night. It was so nice to get on that street car right in front of the house. I felt safe, even at night.

“I also worked for the telephone company but I didn’t like that. While I was in New Orleans, I met Glenn Noto. At first, I was not interested in him. Glenn was from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. His family came from Sicily, Italy. And, marriage was not on my mind. Glenn did give me my diamond ring a year before we were married.

“Glenn couldn’t find a job in Bay St. Louis. The Mississippi coast is a resort area. After the war, no one was hiring anyone. No one had money to go on vacation. Glenn tried but he could not find work. He had a brother who was driving a street bus in New Orleans. Glenn tried to get a job as a driver or a mechanic for the buses. Finally, Glenn told me that he had decided he was going into the service. He would have been drafted, so, he joined the Coast Guard and he served for three years. After boot camp, we got married. I was old when I got married. I got married at 31 years. We found an apartment in Vicksburg and we stayed there for a year and a half and then we were in Elizabeth City, North Carolina for a year and a half until he was discharged.

“When he came out of the Coast Guard, Glenn had decided that he wanted to be a farmer. We packed our furniture and rented a house in Sunset where we settled for a time. My brother Frank was the overseer of the Brinkhaus Plantation. Glenn went to work with him and he learned all about farming. He got along with everyone. The first year Glenn was farming, Mary Jo was a baby; but, the second year, I picked cotton.

“In time, Glenn became a tenant farmer for a third. He had bought a tractor but the first year, a storm destroyed our crops. Mr. Elenor Menard helped Glenn buy our farm. He called Glenn ‘No’ for Noto. He said ‘No, I lend you money at 6 percent interest.’ We bought a 13-acre farm with a house. It was not a lot of money and there were pecan trees on the property. Glenn got a job trucking. He was gone a lot of the time. I got tired of being alone. I asked him to buy a house in a subdivision where there would be people around and not so much land to keep up. I had to cut grass and it was a lot of work to maintain 13 acres. We bought a house in a subdivision. I fell in love with a house that belonged to a man who worked overseas. No one lived in the house. It was like new. I liked my house. After a time, Glenn could see that the neighborhood was changing. They were cutting lots and building FHA homes in Briarwood. Glenn wanted to move to Carencro. Frank Boudreaux who worked for Melancon’s told me: ‘Lillie, you will like it in Carencro.’ He built it up. We had paid our house and farm just before Mr. Elenor Menard had died. We didn’t owe anything. We had a Chevrolet. Everything paid for. I was not excited about moving."

Lillie laughs. I wait and then she continues:

“Glenn decided we should build a house in Carencro. I said that I liked living in Sunset. He said: ‘You can stay but I am going to move to Carencro.’ We built in Carencro. It was lonesome after living in town. The roads were black at night. But, we lived in Carencro many years. We were very happy.

“Glenn would say that Italians loved to eat and my wife is the best cook! I liked to cook. I learned about Italian food. My in-laws were from Sicily and my father-in-law spoke Italian. Glenn’s mother did too but she was easier to understand. When I was in New Orleans, Glenn and I would go to Bay St. Louis to eat stuffed artichokes that his mother made. You had to boil, cut and stuff the artichokes. I made spaghetti and other Italian dishes.

“Glenn came home from the service and the month after, I missed my period. I was 35 years old when our daughter was born. We had only one child. We called her Mary Jo. She was born in the hospital in Church Point. She was our daughter and she was also the boy I never had. We really wanted to have a boy too; but, Mary Jo became Glenn’s little shadow.

“Mary Jo and her family live in the country in Carencro. Her husband is Elton Cormier and they have two boys, my grandsons Colby and Lance. Mary Jo loves to sew and she is very good at it. She comes to visit me often. She has three grandchildren now.

“Glenn and I were married a very long time. He was a very good man. We loved to go on vacations, and we loved country music. Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams were our favorites. We went to Nashville to the Grand Ole Opry. We went to Las Vegas and for our 50th Anniversary, we went to Florida. My husband’s niece is married to a doctor so we visited them in Tampa. They are Ann and Louis Lynch.

“Glenn was a diabetic and he got very sick. He stayed in the hospital and a nursing home for 11 months before he died. He had to have a leg amputated. He was in ICU for two days. They brought him to a room after that and three days later, he died. That was 8 years ago but it seems like yesterday. In all of our life, we never had a bad word.

“My husband was a wonderful man. After he died, I stayed in my house. For the first year, Mary Jo came to sleep with me. One day, she said she thought she would sleep at her home that night. I said that was fine and that I was wondering when she would do that. There were neighbors around and I felt all right about staying alone. But, my legs started hurting and I had trouble walking. I fell a few times. I had an emergency button to wear. I would press it when I fell. Mary Jo took care of me. My niece helped Mary Jo. My son-in-law, Elton said: ‘Are you thinking of going to the nursing home?’ I answered that I was thinking of it but I was not ready. But, it came to it. I’ve been here four years. I’m in bed.

“I am 96 years old. On April 4th, I will be 97. I say that I am living on overtime!

“I was born in Cankton in 1919 and there were 12 children in my family. I am Number 8 and there are only two of us left, my brother, Hubert Boss and I. I was a Boss! (More laughter). My father was Maurice Boss. He died of pheumonia in 1936. I remember we had a syrup mill and my father and one of his cousins would make syrup. I went to school in Cankton until the eighth grade.

“Now, I am in bed. This is a good place. If I could use a walker, it would be better; but, with arthritis, I can’t walk. There are lots of good workers here. They bathe me and take care of me. Some workers I like better than others."

“And, you are from Arnaudville?” Ms. Lillie asks. “My nephew Darby Guidry married Maude Thibodeaux from Arnaudville. They have both passed away now and their daughter lives in New Orleans. Do you remember them?” I tell her that I do not and that I left Arnaudville when I was 21 and moved back when I was 52.

I promise that I will come when her daughter visits. Through email Mary Jo and I have made plans to meet in her room on Thursday.

It is Thursday and I make it to the nursing home at 9:15. I get a big hug from Neva Soileau Marks (See her stories in the “Our Stories” section of the nursing home website). I greet Father Al Louapre, Mina Patin and Randy LaCompte. J.C. Cary, wearing his beautiful cowboy hat, is sitting in the hall. Smiling, he tells me he is waiting for his sisters and I chat with him for a while.

I make it to Heda Hardy Kidder’s room so that I can get the names of her family members who attended the Communion Service with her on Sunday. Another story I am working on.

Lucille Olivier is taking her morning walk and we walk together and visit in the hall until I get to Lillie Noto’s room.

Lillie’s daughter Mary Jo Noto Cormier is there and I am so happy to meet her. She really helped her mom remember great details of her life. Like: “Tell Betty about your Harley days.”

Lillie laughs and says: “Glenn wanted to go to Vicksburg but we didn’t have a car. He said he wanted us to go on his motorcycle. I said it was too dangerous. He said: ‘We’ll see.’ He came to the house on a motorcycle and I inspected the thing. I decided that I would try. After a couple of rides, I agreed. But, I told him that we couldn’t drink any beer. We usually liked to drink each a couple of beers. Glenn bought me a pair of Dungarees so that I could ride the motorcycle. And, he was very careful. We liked to go on Sundays when there was not much traffic."

Mary Jo said: "I wish Mom would have had knee surgery, she wouldn't be in the nursing home. She loved to visit and I can still see her driving. When she didn't have anyone to visit, she would go to the Adoration Chapel in Carencro."

There are many more interesting story Lillie can tell. She has lived a rich life during a difficult period for our country. War is always hard. Lillie made it through the war and it seems that she has enjoyed every part of her life. And, today, in a bed in the nursing home, she is happy. She makes others happy too. I feel so fortunate to have met her and I know I will visit her often.

A special “Thanks” to Mary Jo Noto Cormier for helping us capture the story of her wonderful mother.

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Lillie Mae Boss Noto
April 04, 1919 - October 01, 2018


Daughter of
Maurice Boss
and
Josephine Marks Boss

Widow of a marriage of Fifty-seven years to
Glenn Emile Noto

Mother of
Mary Jo Noto Cormier

Grandmother of
Colby Cormier
Lance Cormier

Great-Grandmother of
Layla Jene Cormier
Ella Rose Cormier
Lance Cade "L.J." Cormier, Jr.
Lilly Evangeline Cormier

Siblings
Hubert Boss
Frank Boss
Abbie Boss
Lloyd Louis Boss
Earlis "Butch" Boss
Kermit "Pap" Boss, Sr.
Harry Boss
Elbie Boss Guidry
Eula Boss Bajat
Evelyn Boss Haure
Anna Jane Boss Thibodeaux

Godmother of
Kayla Pellerin

Obituary
Carencro, Louisiana
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at a 4:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial in St. Peter Roman Catholic Church in Carencro for Lillie Mae Boss Noto, age 99, who passed away Monday, October 1, 2018 at J. Michael Morrow Nursing Home in Arnaudville.

Interment will be in St. Peter Catholic Cemetery in Carencro. The Rev. Mark Ledoux, pastor of St. Peter Roman Catholic Church, will officiate at the services.

Mrs. Noto was a native of the Cankton/Sunset Community and a resident of Carencro since 1990. She was a parishioner of St. Peter Roman Catholic Church and was a member of the Bonne Mort Society. She was also a member of the Antique Car Club.

Survivors include one daughter, Mary Jo Cormier and her husband, Elton, of Carencro; one brother, Hubert Boss and his wife, Anna Lee, of Sunset; two grandchildren, Colby Cormier and his wife, Shawna, and Lance Cormier and his wife, Aime, all of Carencro; four great grandchildren, Layla Jene Cormier, Ella Rose Cormier, Lance Cade "L.J." Cormier, Jr. and Lilly Evangeline Cormier; and her loving Godchild, Kayla Pellerin.

She was preceded in death by her husband of fifty-seven years, Glenn Noto; her parents, Maurice Boss and the former Josephine Marks both natives of St. Landry Parish; six brothers, Frank Boss, Abbie Boss, Lloyd Boss, Earlis "Butch" Boss, Kermit "Pap" Boss, Sr. and Harry Boss; and four sisters, Elbie B. Guidry, Eula B. Bajat, Evelyn B. Haure, and Anna Jane Thibodeaux.

A rosary will be prayed at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday in the funeral home.

The family requests that visiting hours be observed from 10:00 a.m. Wednesday and will continue from reopen time until service time on Wednesday.

Pallbearers will be Colby Cormier, Lance Cormier, Wayne Boss, Michael Cormier, Jude Pellerin, and Bert Boss. Honorary pallbearer will be Elton Cormier.

Melancon Funeral Home, Evangeline Memorial Gardens Chapel, 4117 N. University Ave., Carencro, Louisiana was in charge of arrangements.

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Lillie Boss Noto's Story


Life before, during and after World War II
By J.M. Morrow Nursing Home•15 Jan, 2016

“You don’t know what you don’t know.” A friend recently shared that quote. It made me think about the nursing home. My sister, Mavis Arnaud Fruge, had participated in several programs there. On the few occasions that I went to the nursing home, it had been to visit a sick friend or relative. It always seemed sad to me. Once when Mavis needed me to help her with something she was hosting there, I accepted and I am so glad I did. The more I go to the nursing home, the more I like it. Now, it is a place where I have many friends and we love one another. I look forward to my visits. When I arrive, it seems they are waiting for me.

Yes, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” My advice is when you find yourself at the nursing home, don’t rush through. Greet everyone. You soon learn who is open to conversation. And, you get much more out of every encounter than what you put in.

I don’t know how writing these stories came about. But, when you sit and talk with the residents, you soon discover how interesting they are. And, they are interested in you!

The daughter of a J. Michael Morrow Nursing Home resident recently contacted me through Facebook. She told me she had just realized that I was Mavis’ sister. She complimented me on the stories we are publishing on the nursing home website and then told me about her mom. She gave me her mother’s room number. She explained that her mother was hard of hearing but asked me to visit when I could. I sensed an urgency and today, Saturday, two days after I got her message, I told my husband I felt I needed to go.

I found Lillie Boss Noto in a colorful dress lying peacefully in her bed. Communications were slow at first; but, I can speak loudly. The hardest part was to explain to Ms. Lillie how I had come to know about her.

When I asked her to tell me about herself, she started with her career and she confessed right away that she had lied about being a high school graduate. In fact, she had only attended school through the eighth grade. I sat in a comfortable chair and let Ms. Lillie talk and laugh. There was lots of laughter. All through our time together, she would have periods when she was silent for a little while, eyes twinkling, and then she would laugh; and, another part of her story would come. It was a wonderful visit.

She said:

“I went to the airport in Lafayette with friends when we heard that they were hiring people. They told us that if we were looking for work, we had to go to a hotel where we could apply for a job. We did that and we were hired. I think we would make about $1 an hour. We had to go by bus to New Orleans where we worked for Vaultee Aircraft, Consolidated and the Navy. All of us had to wear pants. We worked there until the war ended and they closed the plant.

“Three girls and I roomed together. There was Jeanne who was from Kaplan. Margaret and Martha were from Lafayette. Consolidated found a rooming house in New Orleans where we could live. It was on Esplanade.

“Of the four girls who worked together at Consolidated, I am the only one left. We had a reunion once (See picture below). It was great to see them. Jeanne married a man who worked overseas. She did not work at the time we got together for the reunion. Margaret married a man who had something to do with a drug store and she worked with him. Martha’s husband was in the Navy and she moved to North Carolina to live with his people.

“When I worked in the plant, Jeanne and I walked around with a drill and extension wire. We had to tag all of the equipment. It was either for a certain department of the Navy or for Consolidated. Martha was the dispatcher. Margaret worked in the planes. She installed the little window where the pilot sits. She would be covered in black grease when she got off work. We called her Rosie the Riveter.*

“When the plant closed, my friend Jeanne was going to stay in New Orleans. She became a hairdresser and she wanted me to do that too but I didn’t want. She told me our boss said that he would probably call me to come back; but, I wanted to come home and see my momma. The supervisor did call. He needed me to work on the inventory. I came home for a short visit and then went back to Consolidated.

“In time, I went to work at Charity Hospital in New Orleans. I was a ward clerk and I worked there for about 4 or 5 years. “During some of that time, I lived with Emily, a widow. Her son had married a daughter of Dr. Dolon from Lafayette. Her home was on St. Charles Avenue. The street car would go right by the house. Sometimes, while working at Charity Hospital, I had to work at night. It was so nice to get on that street car right in front of the house. I felt safe, even at night.

“I also worked for the telephone company but I didn’t like that. While I was in New Orleans, I met Glenn Noto. At first, I was not interested in him. Glenn was from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. His family came from Sicily, Italy. And, marriage was not on my mind. Glenn did give me my diamond ring a year before we were married.

“Glenn couldn’t find a job in Bay St. Louis. The Mississippi coast is a resort area. After the war, no one was hiring anyone. No one had money to go on vacation. Glenn tried but he could not find work. He had a brother who was driving a street bus in New Orleans. Glenn tried to get a job as a driver or a mechanic for the buses. Finally, Glenn told me that he had decided he was going into the service. He would have been drafted, so, he joined the Coast Guard and he served for three years. After boot camp, we got married. I was old when I got married. I got married at 31 years. We found an apartment in Vicksburg and we stayed there for a year and a half and then we were in Elizabeth City, North Carolina for a year and a half until he was discharged.

“When he came out of the Coast Guard, Glenn had decided that he wanted to be a farmer. We packed our furniture and rented a house in Sunset where we settled for a time. My brother Frank was the overseer of the Brinkhaus Plantation. Glenn went to work with him and he learned all about farming. He got along with everyone. The first year Glenn was farming, Mary Jo was a baby; but, the second year, I picked cotton.

“In time, Glenn became a tenant farmer for a third. He had bought a tractor but the first year, a storm destroyed our crops. Mr. Elenor Menard helped Glenn buy our farm. He called Glenn ‘No’ for Noto. He said ‘No, I lend you money at 6 percent interest.’ We bought a 13-acre farm with a house. It was not a lot of money and there were pecan trees on the property. Glenn got a job trucking. He was gone a lot of the time. I got tired of being alone. I asked him to buy a house in a subdivision where there would be people around and not so much land to keep up. I had to cut grass and it was a lot of work to maintain 13 acres. We bought a house in a subdivision. I fell in love with a house that belonged to a man who worked overseas. No one lived in the house. It was like new. I liked my house. After a time, Glenn could see that the neighborhood was changing. They were cutting lots and building FHA homes in Briarwood. Glenn wanted to move to Carencro. Frank Boudreaux who worked for Melancon’s told me: ‘Lillie, you will like it in Carencro.’ He built it up. We had paid our house and farm just before Mr. Elenor Menard had died. We didn’t owe anything. We had a Chevrolet. Everything paid for. I was not excited about moving."

Lillie laughs. I wait and then she continues:

“Glenn decided we should build a house in Carencro. I said that I liked living in Sunset. He said: ‘You can stay but I am going to move to Carencro.’ We built in Carencro. It was lonesome after living in town. The roads were black at night. But, we lived in Carencro many years. We were very happy.

“Glenn would say that Italians loved to eat and my wife is the best cook! I liked to cook. I learned about Italian food. My in-laws were from Sicily and my father-in-law spoke Italian. Glenn’s mother did too but she was easier to understand. When I was in New Orleans, Glenn and I would go to Bay St. Louis to eat stuffed artichokes that his mother made. You had to boil, cut and stuff the artichokes. I made spaghetti and other Italian dishes.

“Glenn came home from the service and the month after, I missed my period. I was 35 years old when our daughter was born. We had only one child. We called her Mary Jo. She was born in the hospital in Church Point. She was our daughter and she was also the boy I never had. We really wanted to have a boy too; but, Mary Jo became Glenn’s little shadow.

“Mary Jo and her family live in the country in Carencro. Her husband is Elton Cormier and they have two boys, my grandsons Colby and Lance. Mary Jo loves to sew and she is very good at it. She comes to visit me often. She has three grandchildren now.

“Glenn and I were married a very long time. He was a very good man. We loved to go on vacations, and we loved country music. Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams were our favorites. We went to Nashville to the Grand Ole Opry. We went to Las Vegas and for our 50th Anniversary, we went to Florida. My husband’s niece is married to a doctor so we visited them in Tampa. They are Ann and Louis Lynch.

“Glenn was a diabetic and he got very sick. He stayed in the hospital and a nursing home for 11 months before he died. He had to have a leg amputated. He was in ICU for two days. They brought him to a room after that and three days later, he died. That was 8 years ago but it seems like yesterday. In all of our life, we never had a bad word.

“My husband was a wonderful man. After he died, I stayed in my house. For the first year, Mary Jo came to sleep with me. One day, she said she thought she would sleep at her home that night. I said that was fine and that I was wondering when she would do that. There were neighbors around and I felt all right about staying alone. But, my legs started hurting and I had trouble walking. I fell a few times. I had an emergency button to wear. I would press it when I fell. Mary Jo took care of me. My niece helped Mary Jo. My son-in-law, Elton said: ‘Are you thinking of going to the nursing home?’ I answered that I was thinking of it but I was not ready. But, it came to it. I’ve been here four years. I’m in bed.

“I am 96 years old. On April 4th, I will be 97. I say that I am living on overtime!

“I was born in Cankton in 1919 and there were 12 children in my family. I am Number 8 and there are only two of us left, my brother, Hubert Boss and I. I was a Boss! (More laughter). My father was Maurice Boss. He died of pheumonia in 1936. I remember we had a syrup mill and my father and one of his cousins would make syrup. I went to school in Cankton until the eighth grade.

“Now, I am in bed. This is a good place. If I could use a walker, it would be better; but, with arthritis, I can’t walk. There are lots of good workers here. They bathe me and take care of me. Some workers I like better than others."

“And, you are from Arnaudville?” Ms. Lillie asks. “My nephew Darby Guidry married Maude Thibodeaux from Arnaudville. They have both passed away now and their daughter lives in New Orleans. Do you remember them?” I tell her that I do not and that I left Arnaudville when I was 21 and moved back when I was 52.

I promise that I will come when her daughter visits. Through email Mary Jo and I have made plans to meet in her room on Thursday.

It is Thursday and I make it to the nursing home at 9:15. I get a big hug from Neva Soileau Marks (See her stories in the “Our Stories” section of the nursing home website). I greet Father Al Louapre, Mina Patin and Randy LaCompte. J.C. Cary, wearing his beautiful cowboy hat, is sitting in the hall. Smiling, he tells me he is waiting for his sisters and I chat with him for a while.

I make it to Heda Hardy Kidder’s room so that I can get the names of her family members who attended the Communion Service with her on Sunday. Another story I am working on.

Lucille Olivier is taking her morning walk and we walk together and visit in the hall until I get to Lillie Noto’s room.

Lillie’s daughter Mary Jo Noto Cormier is there and I am so happy to meet her. She really helped her mom remember great details of her life. Like: “Tell Betty about your Harley days.”

Lillie laughs and says: “Glenn wanted to go to Vicksburg but we didn’t have a car. He said he wanted us to go on his motorcycle. I said it was too dangerous. He said: ‘We’ll see.’ He came to the house on a motorcycle and I inspected the thing. I decided that I would try. After a couple of rides, I agreed. But, I told him that we couldn’t drink any beer. We usually liked to drink each a couple of beers. Glenn bought me a pair of Dungarees so that I could ride the motorcycle. And, he was very careful. We liked to go on Sundays when there was not much traffic."

Mary Jo said: "I wish Mom would have had knee surgery, she wouldn't be in the nursing home. She loved to visit and I can still see her driving. When she didn't have anyone to visit, she would go to the Adoration Chapel in Carencro."

There are many more interesting story Lillie can tell. She has lived a rich life during a difficult period for our country. War is always hard. Lillie made it through the war and it seems that she has enjoyed every part of her life. And, today, in a bed in the nursing home, she is happy. She makes others happy too. I feel so fortunate to have met her and I know I will visit her often.

A special “Thanks” to Mary Jo Noto Cormier for helping us capture the story of her wonderful mother.

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