My mother-in-law, Ottie Franklin, passed away on December 8, 2023 at the beautiful age of ninety-two. I sat in the funeral home reading her obituary, and a familiar thought ran through my head. How does a family take a loved one’s life and boil it down to a few paragraphs? Oh sure, type up the service arrangements, then the birthplace and date. Add in the date of death and there’s a good two paragraphs. With the instructions on flowers and donations, the obituary is sitting pretty at a quarter of a page. But what about the most important part? How does a family condense a person’s life into four more paragraphs?
As I scanned the page, I saw nothing new. She was my mother-in-law, so I didn’t expect any surprises. The familiar words at the bottom held no special meaning—they decorated the ending of these short but important obituaries. “Left to cherish her memory and continue her legacy are…” But then Miss Ottie’s grandson, Ryan Hammett stepped up to the podium and brought life to those words.
But let’s back up a bit—what is a legacy? Cambridge defines it as “An amount of money or property left to someone in a will.” In this situation, that’s not what the family meant. The other definition is “The long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life.” Ah, that’s it!
Ryan told us of a book his Memaw gave him one Christmas, filled with her life story, memories, and a charge. Miss Ottie had instructed Ryan to pass on her rich legacy to his children and his community. She challenged him to boldly go out and impact the lives of others. But how?
My mother-in-law attended church every day that she was able. She could have left instructions to follow the Bible and thrown in a few verses for good measure. If you knew Miss Ottie, you’d know that wasn’t her style. She had a gift for taking general instruction and personalizing them to fit the situation. That left no doubt in the listener’s mind of the advice she was giving.
In Ryan’s book, his Memaw detailed her joys and her sorrows, and how they formed her beliefs and outlook on life. She’d had multiple tragedies in her life—the deaths of a husband, a daughter, five siblings, a son-in-law, and a second husband. But she’d chosen to focus on the joy, to see the beauty in the ashes. She could have dwelt on those sorrows, becoming bitter and angry. Instead, she counted her blessings of five children, two beautiful marriages, ten grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren, two stepsons, and five step-grandchildren. Her gift of finding the joy in sadness drew countless people to her for friendship, advice, and prayers. She was a mighty counselor and prayer warrior. Ryan has his hands full carrying on his Memaw’s legacy.
What is your legacy? What is the long-lasting impact of the events, actions, etc. in your life? Is it worthy of passing on to the people around you? For me, I plan to take a hard look at my legacy—I’m sure it needs adjusting. I am going to be more like Miss Ottie, and leave this world a better place than I found it.
Jann Goar Franklin graduated Russellville High School in 1985 and lives in Grand Cane, Louisiana. She also writes books, which are for sale at The Village Loft in downtown Grand Cane. You can learn more about her at www.jannfranklin.com, or reach her at jann@jannfranklin.com