Oakley Dean Baldwin

Lora's Stories Appalachian Child Oakley Dean Baldwin

Mom had quit school in ninth grade to marry my father. Later in life after having nine children, seven of whom survived to adulthood, she took classes and earned her GED in her mid-forties. She was so proud to have completed her GED and we were proud of her too. Mom belonged to the Presbyterian Writers Guild in Lexington North Carolina. They encouraged her to write her personal experiences. Mom passed away in 2009. Mom's dream was to publish her stories and her poems; unfortunately, none of these stories were ever published. These stories were just kept in a box with her Bible that I received after she died. All of these stories are true to the best of my knowledge; the smallest things would make her happy so I am typing up her stories for you all to read. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have, as these are memoirs of her life growing up as an Appalachian child. I am publishing these stories in honor of her memory and love for the gift of being her son.