My Grand Aunt Lola Effie Dodd was the 7th of 12 children born to my great grandparents, John Henry Dodd and Mary Caroline Bragg, on Wednesday, 24 Mar 1897, in Jumping Branch, Summers County, WV.

She was 12 1/2 years old when her mother died 1 month and 6 days after giving birth to her baby brother, John Henry Dodd, Jr, so she had to help her oldest sister, Hessie, - along with her next oldest sister (just over 1 1/2 years younger than herself), Cora 'Dale' (my paternal grandmother) - tend to the housework and care for the younger children, excluding John Henry, Jr, who was taken in by a local doctor's family to raise.

When Grand Aunt Lola was 14 or 15 years old Great Grandpa John Henry moved her, along with all of the rest of the family (with the exception of the older boys and the baby, John Henry, Jr) to the Winter Park, FL area. Lola would join with the rest of the "of age" members of the family in helping to form the First Baptist Church of Winter Park. Lola was one of the charter members.

On Saturday, 23 Aug 1919, at the age of 22 Grand Aunt Lola married Arthur Harrison Meadors - my Grand Uncle Arthur - in Orange County, FL. They would have three children together: Thelma B (born Thursday, 23 Sep 1920, and the only one of their children to survive her); Warren H (born Saturday, 17 Mar 1923, and died Saturday, 25 Oct 1924); and Carl Bruce Meadors (born Wednesday, 17 Nov 1926).

Grand Aunt Lola lost her husband, Grand Uncle Arthur, on Saturday, 3 Apr 1954, 2 1/2 weeks after I was born and she was 57 years old.

Grand Aunt Lola lived on her own in Orlando, FL for the remaining 24 years of her life and passed away on Sunday, 9 Apr 1978, in Orlando, FL exactly 24 years and 6 days after losing Grand Uncle Arthur. I don't remember my grandmother, Cora 'Dale' Dodd Sloniger, even mentioning that she lost her sister, but then I had just had my first child 5 days before the death of her sister and a new baby in one's life has a way of upstaging even the closest and most tragic events in another's life - even someone as special to me as my dear Granny. I'm so sorry, Granny, for your loss back then and for not knowing or at least being oblivious to your personal pain. I know that you and Grand Aunt Lola forgive me under the circumstances.

I am sure you are both resting in peace and are in the presence of God's eternal love!