[Tall-Corn] Memories of Melva

[Julie McCullough]

April, thank you for posting this. Melva was a remarkable woman, showing us what it means to truly "live the life you want" and living it to the fullest.

You had told me about Melva, and when I was up in her part of the country, I visited her whenever I could, and Virginia and I took her to State Convention with us one year.

If I recall correctly, your brother-in-law, Jerry was among Melva's customers when she had her vending business. I think he had a pop machine outside of his station, which she kept supplied.

Melva told me that she was a foster parent at times. She made her own  
liverwurst. Once, she read or heard that agave can help arthritis. Maybe there is an agave supplement for that. I don't know, but she found agave nectar and thought that was too expensive. So she got agave tequila and tried that, but she decided that she couldn't handle that for very long. I hope she found something that really did help her arthritis.

Melva enjoyed hosting dinners for her family and for state or national dignitaries of the NFB. The NFB was truly part of Melva's family, and she was always appreciative of all that the NFB does to make sure that people who are blind have opportunities to work and to "live the lives we want."

After I moved away, I continued to call Melva for monthly meetings of our At Large Chapter, but hearing was becoming much more difficult for her, and then she often had another obligation on Thursday evenings.

She wasn't afraid to try anything, and she kept as current as possible in her learning. God blessed Melva with a long, abundant, adventurous, healthy life with a can-do spirit. Like Melva, may we all continue to seek out things that will give our lives abundance, joy, meaning and purpose. God bless you, Melva. Rest in peace, and involve yourself in the activities of heaven!

Sincerely,

Julie McCullough