Person:Blanche Arant (1)

!Blanche's obituary appeared in the Charlotte Observer 27 Nov 1966. Her funeral was held at Shiloh True Light Church where she was buried. Her death certificate states she died of multiple heart failure in Hillcrest Manor, with contributing factors "old fracture of hip and humerus." She was 93 years old when she died. Her husband adored her and "whatever Blanchie wanted, Blanchie got!" Her daughter, Vivian, used to take her out for her favorites - an orange soda & a Moon Pie! Vivian took care of Blanche in her old age. When Blanche was about 83 she was diagnosed with some rare, fast-growing cancer in between the wall of her stomach. They could feel the large lump, and the doctors gave her about six months to live. The cancer disappeared and she lived another ten years. One of Blanche's favorite things to eat was hot dogs. Vivian took her to a Howard Johnson's restaurant once, hoping Blanche would order something besides a hot dog! As Vivian got through giving the waiter the order, she looked over at Blanche, who was grinning from ear to ear... and her teeth were sitting on the corner of the table, right by the water glass! Blanche was very old-fashioned and shy. When her husband needed to travel out-of-state, she would not accompany him. She was an avid homebody. She was said to walk with both feet turned out and she took tiny little steps! Even though Blanche was a shy woman, she loved to have her picture made, and she had lots of them in her old house. Back then they had to tint pictures with watercolors to have a color photo. One of the portraits in the old parlor had her with blue eyes. She loved it - though her eyes were brown! Blanche's granddaughter, Shirley Haywood Taylor recalls about Blanche: "She could make the most delicious cakes I have ever had anywhere. She made the layers only half as thick as normal, so there would be seven or eight layers, all filled with chocolate, or coconut and seven- minute frosting, or pineapple. They were so moist they were almost wet and so-o-o-o good! Grandma made her own sauerkraut. It was not quite so sour as normal, a touch sweet, and had hot peppers in it. One of my biggest regrets was that my mother never got the recipies for all those goodies before Grandma's mind went. There were always many bowls of chow-chows and picalillis that Grandma or her sisters Sally and Virge might have made... One time in the early forties, we had a family reunion at our house on Winter Street in Charlotte, and EVERYONE came. Grandma and Grandpa, Floyd and his wife Brunette, and children who were home on leave from being missionaries in Columbia, South America, (not Floyd, just Brunette and the two children), Dwight and Margaret with Marilyn, Bunk and D.L., Walter and Thelma, and all their children, Vivian and Jack and Jackie, Vera and Hampton with Donald and Jewel, H.M. and Vernalee with Larry who was just a baby. There were around thirty people, and they were eating everywhere. I can remember the tall ones eating on mantles and some short ones even eating on a garbage can. It must have been Thanksgiving, because mother had to cook the turkey 7 and a half hours which was normal in those days before tender turkeys..." Shirley continues: "...she wouldn't go to church with him [Harvey] either. She belonged to a sect called The Truelites, or Truelights. They were branched off the Mennonites who were branched off the Amish. When I was about 10 or 11, for some reason I stayed the weekend with them and I went to church with them on Sunday down below Mint Hill, out in the country...and I was surprised to find that the women sat on one side and the men on the other. The men of the congregation took turns preaching on Sunday, and the Sunday we went, Uncle Josh Arant, her brother preached. You stayed all day. Preaching all morning, then dinner on the grounds, and some more preaching in the afternoon. They had some of the attributes of the Amish...I remember that the women wore plain white shirts buttoned up to the collar and no neckties..." Blanche's grandson, Jerry H. Parker, relates that his mother (Hazel Harrison Parker) confirmed that Blanche was a good cook and Hazel was always in competition with her with to try to cook as good. Jerry writes: "She [Jerry's mother] said several of grandma's delicious dishes were macaroni and cheese, chicken and dumplings and egg custard. Mother said she tried to make them as good as grandma's and especially the egg custard: since dad was running a grocery store she said she would bake the custard and if it didn't measure up she would throw it out and go back to the store and get more supplies and try again - until she got it right." Jerry continues, "I remember grandma's chicken and dumplings which were delicious. I think the thing I remember more were her hot biscuits though... I always enjoyed eating at grandma's house... I spent quite a bit of time at the 1224 South Mint Street home of grandma and grandpa. I guess the thing that sticks out in my mind was the old refrigerator they had... It was about four or five foot high (the main box) but on the top of it were the big round coils. The refrigerator sat right outside the kitchen in the hall, as I remember. There was no TV when I was there but a big old fashioned radio... A couple of the pieces of furniture I remember very well since I have them in my home now. Dad had them when he died... I have an old hand wind Victrola, including a few 78 rpm records and a drop leaf desk. Grandpa was short, bald headed and wore glasses. He talked with a little rasp in his voice... I do remember he always prayed at every meal and his prayer was the same each time. I thought I'd always remember the words, but time has erased them."