Memories of Iva Della Robinson (as told by family members)
By Leona Robinson (wife of Della’s son Wilbur J.)
My mother-in-law lost her mother while just a young girl. She had to be self-reliant and able to make decisions. She was not a stranger to hard work. She was quick in her movements, very strong, and could accomplish much in a day’s time.
She never refused to help any of us when we needed her. If Iva Dee saw we had a need, if at all possible, she supplied it. Once she noticed I didn’t have any galoshes. My feet were wet and it was cold and rainy. I had just started back to teaching school and was leaving our daughter LaDell at her house. It was but a day or two and she had a new pair for me.
My mother-in-law was only a phone call away if I needed her after I lost my sight. If one of the kids were hurt and needed to get immediate medical care, she would fire that old Chevy up and be over to the house before I could get them ready. I wasn’t always sure about the way she drove but we always made it all right and she was there when I needed her.
Most of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren can remember the yellow yolk sponge cake that was baked for their birthdays. Did Grandma Della taste the batter to make sure they were all right? Surely not, because she was diabetic!
Iva Dee was a good seamstress. Her sewing graced our bodies at one time or another. She even made shirts for her son by creating her own patterns. Once she was making a garment for someone in the family, she would put in long hours if necessary because she just had to get the “job out of her hair”. There was always another job waiting.
If you wanted to get my mother’-in-law’s ire up, just ask her if she would do something for you when she “wasn’t doing something or wasn’t busy”. She would inform you that she was always busy and that she didn’t have any idle time. No one made that kind of remark the second time if they wanted to stay in her good grace.
Since I was teaching full time, I would pay her to make me some dresses for work. Iva Dee always seemed to know when someone was “expecting” but for once in my life, I got a surprise on her. I had material and pattern in a sack and asked her to make a dress for me. She pulled the pattern out and said, “That’s a maternity dress!” and looked totally shocked. For once, I pulled one over on her. Of course I was 44 at the time! (That’s what happens when you marry a Robinson!)
Cleaning chickens to cook was something she was an expert at. She took the chicken by the head, gave one flip of the wrist, and off came its head. Later it was skinned. She always recycled when it wasn’t a fad. She had different buckets on the porch to separate out the different types of trash.
She was well in her eighties before she quit having family reunions and whole day dinners at her house. Big crowds didn’t daunt her. There were always beautiful meals. One nephew, Heber Rattler said, “Aunt Dell has made enough gravy to float a battleship”
Everyone would agree.
I was always proud of my husband’s mother even after she grew old. When she planned to go somewhere, she was always clean, well groomed with a hat and gloves and dressed like someone out of Vogue. Her posture was excellent. She was the only lady I knew of who could bend over with knees straight and lay her hands flat on the floor with her back perfectly straight even when she was in her eighties. Of course, after an afternoon of showing off this ability several times to my son-in-law, Jim Bartlett, she had an awful time getting out of bed the next day and couldn’t understand why. My husband says that the ability to bend at her hips comes from the Cherokee side.
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