Hattie L. Oxford

To write a story of a life, of a person and all that makes them who they were, it requires time. It requires dedication with loving attention to detail to accurately illustrate the picture and the unique attributes that create that individual. To write a story of your life dear Nanny, I can do nothing less and hope earnestly to portray in these few words the wonderful woman that you were to all who knew you. You were born October 17, 1918, Hattie Louise Crenshaw in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The youngest of five siblings, Ike, Florence, Benny, Lorraine (Tootsie) and Louie (surviving), your life began in tragedy as your mother died giving birth to you and your father had already passed. So, you and your siblings were adopted by different family members. However, despite these tragic circumstances you were raised in a home full of love, generosity and hard-work ethic--attributes that defined your character throughout your life. Growing up as a farm girl in rural Oklahoma, only a handful of years prior to the age of the Great Depression, the chores of everyday life could be described as nothing short of challenging and difficult. On top of it all, as a young woman you cared for and nurtured your entire family in times of great sickness and poverty. Those qualities, caring for others selflessly and tirelessly, were things that you carried throughout your life as well. Also, born in you during that period of your life was an innate sense of value. You were never a person to waste, to use or spend needlessly but rather took pride in fixing things that were broken-- a true example of your resourcefulness and respect for what a hard-earned dollar bought. As a young woman, you became a striking beauty. Really, that was something that never left you your entire life. Raven black hair, large pool blue eyes, always with red or colored lips to match and of course those high cheekbones reminiscent of your Cherokee Indian heritage that you lovingly celebrated in much of your home decorations but never accepted benefits for. Your constant beauty was admired by many and at the age of 21 your were married to Timothy Crowe with whom you gave birth to Lillian ""Billie"" Crowe, your one and beloved daughter. The marriage did not last, mostly in part to the fact that you were a strong, independent woman and not one to be taken advantage of nor treated with anything less than respect. In this day and age, the patience, strength and perseverance of single mothers are rigorously tested, however, the degree of their struggles certainly pale to those you most certainly faced as a single mother during the early 1940's. Unsurprisingly, you took it in stride. It was 1941 when you moved to Merced, California with Billie and a close friend from Oklahoma. Always a worker, strong and dependable you started your career at Montgomery Wards. From plumbing to electrics, hardware to house ware and especially home décor, you diligently and with great pride maintained that job for fifty years. You always provided everything that was necessary for yourself and your daughter. You were independent, self-sufficient and though there was never great extravagance all the time in your lives, you and Billie certainly never lacked the occasional shopping trip. For instance, every Saturday afternoon during the 8th year of Billie's life, after enjoying lunch together and during your break, you took her to JCPenny's to buy her a new pair of colored shoes. Also, despite your full-time work schedule at Ward's, keeping up with the housework, (which you have always held to an extremely high standard) and the obvious responsibilities to your growing daughter you enjoyed an exciting and active social life. With lack of a better or more original term, you could be classified as the quintessential social butterfly when you lived in Merced, California as you always had lots of friends. You were fun. You were energetic and full of life and even a little mischief. You were a dancer. You dressed beautifully, many times in dresses you had hand-made yourself and always you accented with gorgeous jewelry. You took pleasure in making sure you looked your best and many took notice of you. Sometimes, it seemed sad that you never found a steady relationship with a man, someone who was comfortable with a woman as strong and self-sufficient as you. However, it never really was that way nor was it a lack of suitors as shown by beautiful love-letters that you kept for years. It was apparent early on that it was your choice; family was the most important thing in your life and that was what you put all your love, time and effort into. That never changed and the tremendous amount of love you gave flourished and multiplied beautifully throughout your life. Billie was married in 1957 to Wilburn ""Will"" Beshears, a match that has proved invariable and full of loving commitment. The beginning years of their marriage began in Merced, California and they became successful dairy farmers. You were always there, right alongside them in those first years of marriage. In 1960, Jana Renee Beshears was born to Billie and Will and you became a proud grandmother. Only four years later came Brian Lee Beshears and you had your hands even fuller than before. You were a doting grandmother, reliable and a constant pillar of support. It was also during this time that you acquired the name that your family knew you by, Nanny. Never one that liked to be thought of as old, because really you could do and did everything, it perturbed you when Will tried to teach Jana to call you Granny. You'd whisper right back in her ear, ""No, Nanny""! Thus, from then on all of your grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even extended family began calling you by the name we all hold dear to our hearts, Nanny. The time spent in California was not to be permanent as Will, Billie and their children moved to Littleton, Colorado in 1975. It wasn't until after approximately a year after the family had relocated that you joined them in the house you all would call home for the next eight years. Living in Colorado provided limitless possibilities for Jana and Brian to play outdoors and as a lover of the outdoors, gardening and yard work you encouraged their participation with enthusiasm. Not only that, you were never one to just be an observer but get right in there and play right along side them. Your active participation in Jana and Brian's childhood in Colorado as well as California, your constant presence, your sweet demeanor and boundless energy are what fill most of their memories during that time in their lives. You were always there, in all of it. You were adored and it is easy to see why. There were those nights you stayed home at night with Jana, while Billie and Will went to an late-evening function, and you would run to her room after they had left and shout ""There gone!"" and thus would begin the night full of popcorn, ice-cream and movies instead of bedtime. Then there were those days with Brian, your constant and loving companion, who you would pamper endlessly and let stay home from school, pretending to be sick so he could stay and bake with you all day. It is important not to forget what you brought to your daughter's life, as well as to Will's during this time. You also were a constant figure, always cooking or baking something sweet for your family, many times you could be found on a ladder in the garage, fixing lights on the house or in the yard racking leaves. You were a cornerstone of that house and in particular the kitchen. Really, nobody could fry chicken quite like you. Without your help, surely, things would have been different, just a little bit harder. A little bit less enjoyable or fun. You were there to smooth that path, make it prettier especially with all those years of flowers planted along the way. When Jana got married and became Mrs. Stephen Alan Schubert you were there looking elegant, the picture of happiness; the same happened when Brian got married a few years later to Cherie. Around this time is when you had your own house in Littleton, Colorado and where you lived for twenty plus years. The house that you took pride and with dedication maintained and updated over the years symbolized the value you held for your independence and self-reliance. That house, for us your family, symbolized love, nurturing and always great food. With the birth of great-grandchildren, Rachelle and Matthew by Brian and Cherie and Amanda and Mitchell by Jana and Steve there began, for you, more than two decades of growth, love, togetherness and devotion to your family. The childhood memories of your grandchildren and great-grandchildren are filled with you. Christmas time and summer time were the best of times as it always meant time for family togetherness, good food as Mitchell and Matthew always said, games (especially cards) and love. There was never a holiday vacation, birthday celebration, dance recital, football game, Easter or Halloween that you were not apart of. As always, you were a constant in our family. I think my brother Mitchell said it best - you were uncomplicated. You loved your family, we were everything to you and you showed it. I think it was easy for you. Your cute little yellow house in Littleton, Colorado was the home to countless Sundays filled with yard work, directed by you of course, and of course a grand Sunday dinner. You could be counted on, without a doubt, to always cook more than enough food, ""To feed Cox's Army"" and even though you always had to preface the meal by stating ""it was not fit to eat"" it was always so delicious that we were usually overly-stuffed and completely satisfied. That house was full of so much. Whether it was the aroma of fried chicken, the sound of GAC's country twang with George Straight's voice, or the laughter and conversation of your family, your house was full of it all. When it came to the holidays and Christmas time here in Littleton or in Dallas at Billie and Will's house, you were as excited as a little kid. You loved presents, but more so it was giving them and seeing the reactions that thrilled you. You were always the first one up on Christmas morning, getting the kids out of bed to start the day. During those hot Dallas summers, where the family was practically every year, you sat on that great back patio with all the adults watching the kids swim all day long in the pool. You were there, always watching over us like a guardian angel. A guardian angel. That is probably the best way to describe you. You were as good as an angel, pure of heart and love and you watched over your family with devotion and care. I can imagine that is still what you are doing now, in Heaven. The story of your life could be so much longer. Really, it could be a book full of so many specific memories that here are left unsaid, but not forgotten. But truly, what is here written on these pages rings true. The real message is here. You loved all your life and gave of yourself completely. That love was reciprocated. You were loved and are loved eternally by all who had the privilege to know you. Although your story in life has ended, you live on in us, your family. The day May 24, 2008 will be remembered, the day that you passed but it will not be the sole time we think of you. It will be daily. It will be in all of life's beauty, in memories and future happiness to come. The day will come for all of us to pass on and although in life it is a sad event, in eternity it will be happy because we will be reunited and together again. Written by: Amanda Schubert Great-Grandchild Hattie L. Oxford, 89, of Littleton. Mother of Lillian (Will) Beshears. Grandmother of Jana (Steve) Schubert & Brian Beshears. Great Grandmother of Amanda & Mitchell Schubert, Rachelle & Matthew Beshears. Memorial Service Tuesday, 2:00 pm, Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 3101 S. Wadsworth. Interment Golden Cemetery. Memorials to The Denver Hospice.