Hallmark Heartache and Humor

By Stella Hallmark

All the stories in this book are true. Our family has decreased with six gone to be with the Lord. The ones still living are Donnie Corsby, Carrie Thorp, me, Clyde Hallmark and his wife Jean Hallmark, and the twins Vera Vandiver and Vada Landers. We still have get-togethers when we can. All of the families live within driving distance of each other and remain very close.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685174309

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Hallmark Heartache and Humor

Stella Hallmark

Copyright © 2021 by Stella Hallmark

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

What the World Needs Now!

Hallmark Heartache and Humor

Hallmark Heartache and Humor

Mama’s Vacation

My Dad

Lassie

Vester

Chester

Donnie

Donnie

Carrie

Odis

Melvin

Stella

Doctor’s Day 1981

Clyde

Vera

Vera

Vada

Carrie

Clyde

Judy

The End

In Memory of Pearl and Lawson Hallmark and their descendants

What the World Needs Now!

Written by Olie Onstott-Tuscumbia, Al. May 1993

How refreshing to experience and be a part of a happy story, relative to the Mrs. Pearl hallmark family.

Aunt Pearl Hallmark, (as known by all) was born 86 years ago. Married Lawson Hallmark, now deceased and they raised twelve fine, happy children. She has 40 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren, and 19 great-great-grandchildren.

Her large, wonderful family has always been very loving and supportive through the years. Of course, many families have this distinction. However, this family has always seemed to go that extra mile.

Recently Aunt Pearl fell during the night and broke her hip. Surgery was required and quite a stay in the hospital resulted. The doctors informed Aunt Pearl that she could no longer live alone in her home and it would be necessary for her to move to a retirement home of some sort.

At this point, the family of eleven remaining children stepped in and agreed 100% that this would not be necessary. Five of Aunt Pearl’s girls are nurses. When their mother was ready to leave the hospital, the children took her to her home and set up a 24-hour schedule enabling one of the daughters, sons, or grandchildren to be there to help and take care of Aunt Pearl. This plan worked to perfection and the recovery from the fall has been remarkable.

Now, this is not the end of the happy story. As soon as mother was able, her seven daughters rented a 14 passenger van and took their mom on a week’s vacation to the smoky mountains. She was in excellent hands as she had plenty of nurses there to care for her. They stayed at the mountain meadows lodge, visited dolly wood, etc. They had a wonderful time and Aunt Pearl made the trip just fine.

The moral of this story is simple: the world needs more love and more families like the Pearl Hallmark Gang.

Hallmark Heartache and Humor

My mom and dad were married on February 29, 1920, which was one hundred years ago from February 29, 2020. My sister, Vera, and I wrote this in honor of this celebration with the many relatives, Lawson and Pearl Hallmark.

Their life together started on a Sunday of leap year. Times were hard, and jobs were few, but God would calm their fear. They only had each other. As time went slowly by, they knew someday, better times would come; so they never asked God why. He said he’d always loved her since the day they first met. She said he always cared for me through times I’ll not forget. When you have someone to love you, through sickness and in health, although poverty’s your neighbor, you’ll always have great wealth. With hard work and devotion, they raised a family. Love was taught, and prayers were heard around our Mother’s knees. Friends dropped by throughout the years, and laughter filled the house. Everyone loved everybody, of that there was no doubt.

As I listen to the stories, I can now understand, we made million-dollar memories and we loved our family band. Time has passed, and some are gone, but memories never die. We’ll cling to all the good ones and let the bad ones lie.

Stella Hallmark and Vera Hallmark Vandiver

Mama

Hallmark Heartache and Humor

By Stella Hallmark

All of the stories that are written in this book are true and based on facts. Growing up in a family of twelve was very interesting. Being the eighth child and a girl at that, you never knew whose socks, panties, or bra you had on; sometimes there was none to have on. When that happened, you wore the boys’ jeans so no one could tell that you did not have any on. My story starts at the very beginning with my mother. I will try to write more about the humor than the heartache although there was plenty of that.

Mother could shoot a rifle better than anyone I knew. One time, when I was a small girl, a hawk flew down and grabbed a chicken. Well, she grabbed her rifle and shot the hawk, and the chicken fell back to the ground. One of her sayings was if you want a helping hand, look at the end of your arms. When she was fourteen or fifteen, she and her sister used to go to dances and square dance all night, she said. Sometimes the sun would already be coming up by the time they walked home. One time, she and her sisters and brothers were coming home from a dance just before the sun came up. They were walking in front of this old house that had a field off to the side, and they all saw seven women who were all dressed alike, and they could see everything they had on but their feet. One of her brothers hollered out and said, Don’t y’all know you are not supposed to hoe in the field on Sunday? Mama said that every one of them dropped their hoe and went