*As read by her son, David Price, at her 80th Birthday Celebration
I want to take a little walk down memory lane and share a little about the life of Ms. Nell Price with the people she loves and cherishes. This room is filled with her family, loved ones and friends, and our hearts are rejoicing with her tonight. The smile on Mother's face is priceless.
God has been so good! Mother, He has blessed you with a life filled with great memories, good times and bad. He has taken you from the valley to the mountain top. It is because of your faith and perseverance that you have come out on top. We want to thank you for letting us be a part of your journey.
Now... a little about Mother:
She was born and raised in Monroe, North Carolina. The area where she grew up was always referred to as "the mill hill." That area today is now the home of West Monroe Baptist Church. West Monroe is the church that her father helped build and she attended there most of her life. She remembers going to church every time the doors were open. She remembers as a little girl, telling her daddy that she was too sick to go to church. He told her, "Okay, but if you are too sick to go to church then you will have to stay home all day." She thought that over and decided she better go to church. Needless to say, worshiping the Lord became a part of her life, and it still is to this day.
Her parents were Henry and Effie Elliott. Both were God-fearing people who raised their children in a loving Christian home and instilled good morals and values in them. They taught them to respect others, to work hard, to appreciate the simple things in life, and most of all to always put God first in whatever you do.
She remembers the good home cooked meals her mother would make after church on Sundays and on holidays. She cooked a big meal on a wood stove, and dessert was usually banana pudding. They did not have much money, so they did not eat big meals through the week, but they did usually have biscuits at every meal. They used to put biscuits in their coffee for breakfast and top it with cream and sugar. Believe it or not, her and Myrl still eat that to this day.
She also remembers how hard her mother worked. She had 5 children to clean up after. She washed clothes outside on a scrub board and then boiled them in a wash pot. She rinsed them twice in a wash tub and then she would iron for hours at a time. The house would be so clean you could eat off the floor. Sadly, she had a heart condition and died in 1942 when Mother was only 15 years old. I believe that even in her short life, she instilled a good work ethic in her children, and having big family meals together is still a tradition in our family today. The only difference is that now the meal sometimes comes from KFC :)
Henry Elliott was an exceptional father. He was a positive Christian role model to everyone he met. You could see Jesus in him from a mile away. He had hair as white as cotton and a smile as big as the sea. He was always upbeat and fun to be around. He would wake up in the mornings and walk through the house stretching his arms to the sky, praising the Lord. He walked all over the neighborhood telling people about Jesus. Mother has told us stories about them walking along the railroad tracks to get groceries. She used to ask him how much money he was going to give her. He would say "maybe a nickel" and she would say "what about a dime" and they would go back and forth until he came up to a quarter. She knew a quarter was his limit and she would be happy with that. Hey... for a quarter back then, she could get a hamburger and a milkshake!
As a child, Mother loved those walks with her daddy. They also used to walk to the cemetery. She remembers a verse on a tombstone and still speaks about it today. It read, "Remember son as you pass by, as you are now so once was I. As I am now, one day you will be, so prepare yourself to follow me."
Her dad once placed a quote in the church bulletin at West Monroe that summed up the life he led, "If you are a Christian, never forget that you are always representing the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter where you are or what you are doing. Therefore be kind, thoughtful, honest, pure, and joyful wherever you go." He did just that and passed that on to his children. He was 92 years old when he died of cancer back in 1987. We know that he is rejoicing with the angels tonight.
Mother grew up with 5 brothers and sisters. Her brother Jake Elliott passed away a few years ago and her older brother Deck is now in his late 80's. What a blessing her brothers were and continue to be! Her oldest sister, Pauline, was a sweet and precious lady who died in 1993. They always shared a special bond. There is nothing like a love between sisters. Myrl is her other sister and she is also celebrating her birthday tonight. She will be 87 on April 30th. Wow! Doesn't she look great to be 87 years old?! They have been through a lot together over the years and you will never meet a more loving family than this one.
Mother was a cute, energetic little girl with black curly hair. She loved to roller skate. She has told us stories of how she learned to skate in the house by skating back and forth to her parents. She would skate all over the mill hill looking for cracks in the sidewalk so she could jump them. The skates she had back then were the kind you attached to your shoes. Imagine how good she would have been with the fancy skates kids have these days. She probably could have been a pro or maybe even joined the ice capades :)
She later got a bicycle that she rode everywhere. She remembers the long walks to the store and to Benton Heights - yeah, you guessed it, they even had to walk uphill in the snow to school :) She remembers dirt roads, following the railroad tracks to town, and living with no telephone or television. She remembers when .25 cents would by your way into a movie and get you a bag of popcorn... boy, have times changed!
Mother was married by the time she was 16 years old. She married Louie Price in 1943. They spent their honeymoon at Chimney Rock in the North Carolina Mountains. Just one month after they were married, he was drafted into the Army. He was only 18 years old and World War II was going on at the time. Her brothers Deck and Jake also served in the military during the war. As an Army wife, she began traveling around the world - far outside her comfort zone in Monroe. These times were very hard for her. Her husband was first stationed in Hawaii, and she was only able to see him a few times after he left. I was born January 1st 1945. Once his leave was up we moved to Florida. She gave birth to her second son, Mickey, on February 21st 1947. Myrl was with her during both deliveries. Myrl has always been there. When Mickey was a month old, we moved to Georgia and Dad got out of the Army for a while. We bought a house in Monroe and came back home. Sandra was born March 13th 1951. We then moved a few more times and Dad ended up back in the Army. We had lived in Germany for a year, but the longest we stayed anywhere was Japan. We lived there for 3 years. Looking back now, Mother can't believe she did all of that traveling alone with her children. We were on a ship for 10 days to Germany, 14 days to Japan, and spent countless hours on the train. When we finally came home we went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma but we started having financial trouble so we packed up the jeep and headed back to Monroe.
Mother got a job working night shift at the hospital in 1959. She ended up working there for over 30 years. We rented a house and Dad moved to Fort Bragg, NC. He came home on weekends, but one weekend he did not return to camp. Tragically, he left a letter for Mother and shot himself on January 6th 1960. That was the worst time of our lives. The next few months were very hard - Mother continued working at the hospital and Pauline and Myrl helped take care of us. During times like that you lean on family and pray to God for strength to get through it.
About 3 years later, Mother met Buford Price. He was a patient of hers at the hospital and before he went home, he made a date with her. They were married on July 1st 1964 and were married for 33 years. He passed away in 1997.
Sometimes when you think things couldn't be any worse, you end up in another valley. Mickey was serving in the Army during the Vietnam War and was killed in action January 7th 1971. Again, Mother turned to God for comfort. Our family has learned over the years to never take a minute with each other for granted. You do not know what the future holds. Just remember that family is precious, so cherish the time you have with your loved ones.
Mother has endured many things through the years and she knows that God has always been there with her. She knows that she strayed a few times, but God was always watching over her. She gives Him praise and thanks Him for every blessing.
Mother had 3 wonderful children. I gave her 4 strapping, young, good-looking grandsons and Sandra gave her 4 sweet, special, lovely granddaughters. Together they have given her 9 great-grandchildren and we all love her dearly. She has even adopted Lewis as her son and she loves sharing scripture with him and spending time with his family. The family continues to grow and Mother continues to be at the center of it. God has brought her through so much and blessed her with the sweetest spirit. She has turned into a powerful prayer warrior over the years.
We have shared these memories with you in hopes that you will see that sometimes bad things really do happen to good people, but with God on your side ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE and Mother is living proof of that. May she be an inspiration to some of you tonight. Never give up - never give the devil a foothold. He will try his best to tear families apart, but we have the power to stop him. In Jesus' name we can stop him.
Mother was a cute, energetic little girl with black curly hair. She loved to roller skate. She has told us stories of how she learned to skate in the house by skating back and forth to her parents. She would skate all over the mill hill looking for cracks in the sidewalk so she could jump them. The skates she had back then were the kind you attached to your shoes. Imagine how good she would have been with the fancy skates kids have these days. She probably could have been a pro or maybe even joined the ice capades :)
She later got a bicycle that she rode everywhere. She remembers the long walks to the store and to Benton Heights - yeah, you guessed it, they even had to walk uphill in the snow to school :) She remembers dirt roads, following the railroad tracks to town, and living with no telephone or television. She remembers when .25 cents would by your way into a movie and get you a bag of popcorn... boy, have times changed!
Mother was married by the time she was 16 years old. She married Louie Price in 1943. They spent their honeymoon at Chimney Rock in the North Carolina Mountains. Just one month after they were married, he was drafted into the Army. He was only 18 years old and World War II was going on at the time. Her brothers Deck and Jake also served in the military during the war. As an Army wife, she began traveling around the world - far outside her comfort zone in Monroe. These times were very hard for her. Her husband was first stationed in Hawaii, and she was only able to see him a few times after he left. I was born January 1st 1945. Once his leave was up we moved to Florida. She gave birth to her second son, Mickey, on February 21st 1947. Myrl was with her during both deliveries. Myrl has always been there. When Mickey was a month old, we moved to Georgia and Dad got out of the Army for a while. We bought a house in Monroe and came back home. Sandra was born March 13th 1951. We then moved a few more times and Dad ended up back in the Army. We had lived in Germany for a year, but the longest we stayed anywhere was Japan. We lived there for 3 years. Looking back now, Mother can't believe she did all of that traveling alone with her children. We were on a ship for 10 days to Germany, 14 days to Japan, and spent countless hours on the train. When we finally came home we went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma but we started having financial trouble so we packed up the jeep and headed back to Monroe.
Mother got a job working night shift at the hospital in 1959. She ended up working there for over 30 years. We rented a house and Dad moved to Fort Bragg, NC. He came home on weekends, but one weekend he did not return to camp. Tragically, he left a letter for Mother and shot himself on January 6th 1960. That was the worst time of our lives. The next few months were very hard - Mother continued working at the hospital and Pauline and Myrl helped take care of us. During times like that you lean on family and pray to God for strength to get through it.
About 3 years later, Mother met Buford Price. He was a patient of hers at the hospital and before he went home, he made a date with her. They were married on July 1st 1964 and were married for 33 years. He passed away in 1997.
Sometimes when you think things couldn't be any worse, you end up in another valley. Mickey was serving in the Army during the Vietnam War and was killed in action January 7th 1971. Again, Mother turned to God for comfort. Our family has learned over the years to never take a minute with each other for granted. You do not know what the future holds. Just remember that family is precious, so cherish the time you have with your loved ones.
Mother has endured many things through the years and she knows that God has always been there with her. She knows that she strayed a few times, but God was always watching over her. She gives Him praise and thanks Him for every blessing.
Mother had 3 wonderful children. I gave her 4 strapping, young, good-looking grandsons and Sandra gave her 4 sweet, special, lovely granddaughters. Together they have given her 9 great-grandchildren and we all love her dearly. She has even adopted Lewis as her son and she loves sharing scripture with him and spending time with his family. The family continues to grow and Mother continues to be at the center of it. God has brought her through so much and blessed her with the sweetest spirit. She has turned into a powerful prayer warrior over the years.
We have shared these memories with you in hopes that you will see that sometimes bad things really do happen to good people, but with God on your side ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE and Mother is living proof of that. May she be an inspiration to some of you tonight. Never give up - never give the devil a foothold. He will try his best to tear families apart, but we have the power to stop him. In Jesus' name we can stop him.
