Born one of six to Theophilus and Mollie (Padgett) Mickler, raised in French Lick and lived there her entire life. At 18, Dessie wed Albert (Plute) Bledsoe on July 6, 1915.
After raising her two daughters, Kathryn and Ruth, she mostly raised Ruth's two children while their father was gone in the Navy, and Ruth and Melvin went through numerous marriages and divorces.
She always worked hard in the home, kept an immaculate house, was at church every Sunday and Wednesday. She loved to have the church ladies in, serving them homemade orangeade and pound cake. Grandmaw made the best-ever fried chicken or meatloaf on Sundays for a sit-down dining room dinner.
She was extremely thrifty, always walked to town up and down the 2nd steepest hill in French Lick, or where she was needed, taking a cab only if she had groceries. She never drove a car, even though it remained in the basement garage all week.
She made lye soap from scratch and did laundry every Monday morning in the basement in a wringer washer, hanging clothes outside in the fresh air to dry. Every day, every week, we did certain structured chores - her unwritten rule (i.e., Monday - wash day, Tuesday - ironing day, Wednesday night - church, Friday - full day of house cleaning, Saturday - grocery day in town, Sunday - church).
She was always there to help anyone out or fix a fresh sandwich for a hobo at the door. She beautifully played her favorite church hymns on the piano, all by ear.
Even though Papaw was gone all week on his truck route, only coming home on the weekends, she never complained of being alone. She was quiet, forever faithful, and had the prettiest peaches and cream complexion.
She suffered severely from Cerebral Palsy and Parkinson's Disease. After Papaw Plute died, she gave up the fight and died in the Gorge Nursing Home in French Lick.
Lovingly written by granddaughter, Chiquita (Heckler) Baker - I wrote of my fond memories of being raised by my Grandmaw for her memorial page on findagrave, but regrettably it has been taken by others and claimed as their own and added to other sites without including my name. I used the date of 1965 because that's when I married and moved away from their home that had included me and my brother on and off our whole lives.
After raising her two daughters, Kathryn and Ruth, she mostly raised Ruth's two children while their father was gone in the Navy, and Ruth and Melvin went through numerous marriages and divorces.
She always worked hard in the home, kept an immaculate house, was at church every Sunday and Wednesday. She loved to have the church ladies in, serving them homemade orangeade and pound cake. Grandmaw made the best-ever fried chicken or meatloaf on Sundays for a sit-down dining room dinner.
She was extremely thrifty, always walked to town up and down the 2nd steepest hill in French Lick, or where she was needed, taking a cab only if she had groceries. She never drove a car, even though it remained in the basement garage all week.
She made lye soap from scratch and did laundry every Monday morning in the basement in a wringer washer, hanging clothes outside in the fresh air to dry. Every day, every week, we did certain structured chores - her unwritten rule (i.e., Monday - wash day, Tuesday - ironing day, Wednesday night - church, Friday - full day of house cleaning, Saturday - grocery day in town, Sunday - church).
She was always there to help anyone out or fix a fresh sandwich for a hobo at the door. She beautifully played her favorite church hymns on the piano, all by ear.
Even though Papaw was gone all week on his truck route, only coming home on the weekends, she never complained of being alone. She was quiet, forever faithful, and had the prettiest peaches and cream complexion.
She suffered severely from Cerebral Palsy and Parkinson's Disease. After Papaw Plute died, she gave up the fight and died in the Gorge Nursing Home in French Lick.
Lovingly written by granddaughter, Chiquita (Heckler) Baker - I wrote of my fond memories of being raised by my Grandmaw for her memorial page on findagrave, but regrettably it has been taken by others and claimed as their own and added to other sites without including my name. I used the date of 1965 because that's when I married and moved away from their home that had included me and my brother on and off our whole lives.
Born one of six to Theophilus and Mollie (Padgett) Mickler, raised in French Lick and lived there her entire life. At 18, Dessie wed Albert (Plute) Bledsoe on July 6, 1915.
After raising her two daughters, Kathryn and Ruth, she mostly raised Ruth's two children while their father was gone in the Navy, and Ruth and Melvin went through numerous marriages and divorces.
She always worked hard in the home, kept an immaculate house, was at church every Sunday and Wednesday. She loved to have the church ladies in, serving them homemade orangeade and pound cake. Grandmaw made the best-ever fried chicken or meatloaf on Sundays for a sit-down dining room dinner.
She was extremely thrifty, always walked to town up and down the 2nd steepest hill in French Lick, or where she was needed, taking a cab only if she had groceries. She never drove a car, even though it remained in the basement garage all week.
She made lye soap from scratch and did laundry every Monday morning in the basement in a wringer washer, hanging clothes outside in the fresh air to dry. Every day, every week, we did certain structured chores - her unwritten rule (i.e., Monday - wash day, Tuesday - ironing day, Wednesday night - church, Friday - full day of house cleaning, Saturday - grocery day in town, Sunday - church).
She was always there to help anyone out or fix a fresh sandwich for a hobo at the door. She beautifully played her favorite church hymns on the piano, all by ear.
Even though Papaw was gone all week on his truck route, only coming home on the weekends, she never complained of being alone. She was quiet, forever faithful, and had the prettiest peaches and cream complexion.
She suffered severely from Cerebral Palsy and Parkinson's Disease. After Papaw Plute died, she gave up the fight and died in the Gorge Nursing Home in French Lick.
Lovingly written by granddaughter, Chiquita (Heckler) Baker - I wrote of my fond memories of being raised by my Grandmaw for her memorial page on findagrave, but regrettably it has been taken by others and claimed as their own and added to other sites without including my name. I used the date of 1965 because that's when I married and moved away from their home that had included me and my brother on and off our whole lives.
After raising her two daughters, Kathryn and Ruth, she mostly raised Ruth's two children while their father was gone in the Navy, and Ruth and Melvin went through numerous marriages and divorces.
She always worked hard in the home, kept an immaculate house, was at church every Sunday and Wednesday. She loved to have the church ladies in, serving them homemade orangeade and pound cake. Grandmaw made the best-ever fried chicken or meatloaf on Sundays for a sit-down dining room dinner.
She was extremely thrifty, always walked to town up and down the 2nd steepest hill in French Lick, or where she was needed, taking a cab only if she had groceries. She never drove a car, even though it remained in the basement garage all week.
She made lye soap from scratch and did laundry every Monday morning in the basement in a wringer washer, hanging clothes outside in the fresh air to dry. Every day, every week, we did certain structured chores - her unwritten rule (i.e., Monday - wash day, Tuesday - ironing day, Wednesday night - church, Friday - full day of house cleaning, Saturday - grocery day in town, Sunday - church).
She was always there to help anyone out or fix a fresh sandwich for a hobo at the door. She beautifully played her favorite church hymns on the piano, all by ear.
Even though Papaw was gone all week on his truck route, only coming home on the weekends, she never complained of being alone. She was quiet, forever faithful, and had the prettiest peaches and cream complexion.
She suffered severely from Cerebral Palsy and Parkinson's Disease. After Papaw Plute died, she gave up the fight and died in the Gorge Nursing Home in French Lick.
Lovingly written by granddaughter, Chiquita (Heckler) Baker - I wrote of my fond memories of being raised by my Grandmaw for her memorial page on findagrave, but regrettably it has been taken by others and claimed as their own and added to other sites without including my name. I used the date of 1965 because that's when I married and moved away from their home that had included me and my brother on and off our whole lives.
Inscription
BLEDSOE, Albert 1892-1968, Dessie 1897-1969
