Malinda Gaynell McKee (1894-1986)
My Life History
By Mrs. H. E. Remy
I was born at South Point Ohio. The Daughter of Floyd H. and Minnie Hastings
McKee. I was born May 17, 1894.
My dad had a 42 acre farm, I was raised on this farm and worked with my father.
I am a Baptist and I was converted to the Lord at a early age. I was baptized
and made a member of the Holiday Baptist church. I was secertary of the Sunday
School for a few years, and a member of the church choir.
I was married at the age of 19. August 20, 1913 to Homer Eli Remy of
Little Ice Creek, about seven miles from my home. He was a truk and cattle
farmer. It was then that I moved my membership to the Ice Creek Baptist
church, where it still remains.
We rared a family of nine children, all of whom are still living. six
boys and three girls.
The happy marriage was broken by the death of my husband, August 20, 1958.
on our Anniversary.
***
MELINDA GAYNELL MCKEE REMY
(Newspaper article “Tribune” May 1986)
WHO’S WHO IN LAWRENCE COUNTY, OHIO – MAY 1986
She’s been “Nellie” ever since
“Hello, Nellie.” Those were the words spoken to a lovely young lady picking strawberries in a field close by the roadside by a young man driving a horse and buggy. The year was 1912.
Melinda Gaynell McKee remembered meeting the handsome young man on a cold snowy night during revival services at the Sugar Creek Missionary Baptist Church. His name was Homer Remy and he had just taken the liberty of renaming her “Nellie.”
That was the beginning. As an ardent suiter, Remy soon won the heart and hand of Nellie. They were married the following year and moved in with his parents on the farm at Deering.
Today, Melinda Gaynell Remy, still known as Nellie, is a widow of 28 years, the mother of eight living children and living in a modest home in Forest Dale. On May 17, 1986, she celebrated her 92nd birthday.
“I was born at South Point, attending South Point School and was a member of the Solida Missionary Baptist Church,” said the smiling, white-haired lady with a beautiful complexion and a twinkle in her eyes.
Upon mentioning the school, Nellie picked up a brass bell from a nearby shelf and rang it. “It’s a gift from my son, Paul, in Idaho, but it’s the same type that the teacher rang when I went to school and it sounds very familiar.”
“I transferred my membership to Ice Creek when I married Homer and that’s where we took our family to church. However, in recent years, I transferred again, this time to Sugar Creek Baptist Church, in order to attend services with some of my children.
“My oldest son, Garland, is deceased,”Nellie said. Then she proceeded to give the names and locations of her children: Norma Clement of Pedro, Sanford Remy of Elyria, Ansel Remy of Ashland, Ky., Grace Bentley of Hecla, Arthur Remy of Route 93, Paul Remy in Idaho, Joann Burcham of Coal Grove and Ronald Remy of Sugar Creek.
“I also have more than 30 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Some of them live away from here and I can’t keep up with all of them,” she said.
Nellie has two living sisters with whom she keeps touch. Fern Reynolds lives in Elyria and Edna Justice is in a nursing home in Cleveland.
“My children are all very attentive,” Nellie said. “The ones that live close by call me every day.”
Although it wasn’t possible for all of the children to be home for her 92nd birthday, Nellie was well remembered by numerous cards and just a few more items to add to her collection of glassware, ceramics, pictures and potted plants.
As Nellie gave a brief summary of the hard times when her husband farmed 102 acres for a living and all of the work involved in rearing nine children, she didn’t complain.
“It sure wasn’t push button times. When I look back, it doesn’t seem real. I made my own soap, carried water from a well, washed clothes in two tubs over an outside fire, ran all over the fields picking berries, and canned gallons and gallons of fruit and vegetables,” she said.
Nellie also told of the time that she cut up a 300 lb. Hog by herself. Another time she stirred a kettle of apple butter. “Homer was working and wasn’t always around to help, so I learned to do things myself. We drove two horses and a wagon and I could hitch up those horses just as good as any man,” she said.
“We worked hard, yet we had a lot of good times together as a family. In the summer, we would go to Coal Grove, get a big chunk of ice, then go home and make ice cream. I always baked a lot in those days, usually five and six pies at a time. I made my own mincemeat and we liked mincemeat pie. And the big coconut cake that I made for Christmas soon became a family tradition.”
Last year, due to illness, Nellie had to forego the cake, but she continues to bake whenever she takes a notion. “My children keep me supplied with food so I don’t cook much any more,” she said.
Ninety-one years have come and gone, yet the memories of good times still linger. And Melinda Gaynelle Remy smiles on remembering that special day 74 years ago when a handsome young man spoke those magic words, “Hello, Nellie.”
Malinda Gaynell McKee Remy
Grandpa Remy met Grandma at church the first time. They went to a Buffaloe Bill show on their second date. They drove in a covered wagon pulled by a team of horses. They ate dinner in town and had pictures taken. They dated about every two weeks. He lived at Ice Creek and she lived at Soliday, so it was quite a ways. There were no cars until after Garland (their oldest) was born. They had to go 2 ½ miles to church and they walked it twice a day. Grandma was secretary of the Sunday School and a member of the choir when she was married.
Grandpa Remy was a member of the Soliday Choir. They dated for a year and a half then got married. They were on the way home from a date. He was 24 years old and she was 19 years old. He said, “Let’s get married,” and she said, “you don’t mean it”. He said Yes I do. She talked with her mother and was married one year later onAugust 20, 1913. They were married by Uncle Henry McKee, a Baptist Preacher, at the court house.
Grandma Remy farmed, cooked, washed by board and ironed for 8. She did all this when she was 16. Her mother sewed most always. She sewed for her family and others. Dad Remy was a farmer and a deacon of Ice Creek Church. Grandpa Remy was a good man. They had 6 boys and 3 girls. All were born on the farm at home. Mom never went to the hospital but all were delivered by a doctor. There was no water to wash with and we had to go to the creek to wash.
They moved to a new house with indoor plumbing. They were so happy. They had electricity in the old house three years before they moved. Grandpa Remy passed away on their 45th wedding anniversary, Aug 20, 1958.
Grandma Remy had beautiful flowers and a lovely yard. She canned quince jelly, picked blackberries, made pies and jelly for Christmas. She always baked three or fourlayer cakes, coconut, banana and white cakes whenever she knew family was coming.
Homer Eli Remy
Grandpa Remy had epilepsy. He got this after he was married. The children noticed it first. When Grandma first notice it, they were going to bed and he asked her to blow the light out and then the second time he told her to blow it out again. She thought he may have been losing his mind. He got worse. He sometimes would pass out and turn his plate over. He would motion for the girls to come and they would be scared. He fell often and hurt himself. One time he was walking around in circles and one of the boys came and told Grandma. She went to him and found he had cut himself with an ax. He had spells all of the time and the family lived in constant fear. Grandma Remy was always afraid that he would not come out of it. He had a spell when they were at the market. Two men helped them and bought them a ham sandwich. Grandpa couldn’t remember eating it. Sometimes he would be out for hours.
One time Grandpa left to go way over the hill to plow. He had been gone for so long that Grandma went to look for him. Her heart was in her throat. She saw the horses and he wasn’t there. She was scared to death. He said he had lost part of the plow and was looking for it. She was always looking for him and he very seldom knew it. He had attacks when he least expected it. She hated for him to be out of her sight. He called the family in and told them he was going to die. This was when the school picnic was an all day affair. He said, “You can’t go with me but you can come to me.” He had these spells without warning until he passed away. He didn’t take pills to help control it. His lips would go blue as indigo. He would never complain about it and would wake up and say “I’ve slept a good while.” Grandma said it nearly scared her to death.