Aunt Cora

Aunt Cora was my Mother's oldest sibling and was 11 years old when my Mother was born. At the age of 20, she married Smith Gilmore, a Methodist minister, and lived much of her life in either Perryville or Danville Kentucky - only a few miles from my hometown of Somerset.

Cora Belle Judd Gilmore

There are a few stories about Aunt Cora that make me chuckle. Here are a couple and I hope they bring a smile to your face, too.

Because most of my Mother's family was originally from Tennessee, we visited there often (especially for funerals.) We had driven down to Cookeville for a relative's funeral. As we were returning to Kentucky, Aunt Cora pointed to a dirt road and said at the end of that road was where one of her relatives was born. Her daughter, Bettye Grace, said, "No Mama that was in North Carolina. Aunt Cora then said, "Well, where are we?" Betty Grace said, "We are in Tennessee." Aunt Cora was quiet for only a few moments and then said, "Well, I'm not!"

Aunt Cora lived until the age of 91. When she was very elderly, her family made the difficult decision to place her in a "rest home" which would provide superior care and comfort. Apparently, she did not agree and soon told her daughter that she didn't like it at all. The family encouraged her to "give it a try." Soon she gathered and hid discarded paper in her room and eventually placed it in a trash container and ignited it. The "rest home" managers had to quickly evacuate the rest home of all people inside while the fire department extinguished the fire. Of course, that event caused the nursing home to immediately and permanently remove Cora from continued or future residency. She then spent the remainder of her life living with her daughter.

Cora Belle Judd Gilmore on Boat (Sea Major)

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