[Nfbofnc] The passing of Mabel Conder

[Jerry Moreno]

I agree


Jerry

Sent from my iPhone

> On Oct 5, 2017, at 2:04 PM, Gary Ray via NFBofNC <nfbofnc at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Gary Ray here.
> 
> We truly stand on the shoulders of giants!
> 
> Mabel will be missed!
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFBofNC [mailto:nfbofnc-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jerry Moreno
> via NFBofNC
> Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2017 1:17 PM
> To: NFBofNC at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Jerry Moreno
> Subject: [Nfbofnc] The passing ofMabel Conder
> 
> it is with much sorrow that I tell you of the passing of mabel cunder.
> she was instrumental in the formation of our state affiliate. 
> Mabel will be sorely missed. Mabel Martin was born in Cleveland County, NC.
> January 8th 1928. Her father was a part-time carpenter, and her mother was a
> full-time mother of nine. Her entire family pitched in to grow cotton, corn,
> and vegetables on the family land to make ends meet. Her early childhood was
> during the depression. Even as very young children, Mabel, as well as one of
> her sisters, had severe vision problems. Later, to be diagnosed with R.P.
> (retinitis pigmentosa), Mabel would become totally blind by her late teens.
> As a little girl, she started 1st grade, but unlike most children, she
> boarded a bus to go over 200 miles from home to the Governor Morehead School
> in Raleigh. She would go months at the time without seeing her family. Her
> parents were people of limited means, with no car and many demands of their
> time. Even though Mabel describes those years at the residential school as
> cruel and difficult, she made many great friends for life there. After
> leaving the Governor Morehead School, Mabel moved to Charlotte, which had
> many more opportunities for a young blind woman than her rural home. She
> found accommodations at the YWCA, and obtained employment running the snack
> bar in the basement of Belk's Buyers' Services in downtown Charlotte. She
> worked there for the next 7 years. In 1949, she married Don Conder. He was
> also legally blind, and they had 2 children, a daughter and a son. She spent
> the next several years being a full-time Mom. After her children started
> school, she began installing handwoven cane bottoms in antique chairs, which
> was something she could do at home and still be around when they needed her.
> She also found time to take a sewing class at Central Piedmont Community
> College. Despite a constant financial struggle due to limited employment