Leta Joy and Emma Jo

My “Granny” was born Leta Joy Woodruff. She had a sister named Emma Jo Woodruff. We called her “Aunt Emmer.” To be honest, I don’t even know who was the older sister. There were five kids, the two girls, then three brothers. There are hilarious stories told about Granny and Aunt Emmer’s antics together.

Granny is on the top left, and Aunt Emma on the top right

My mom remembers being on a trip with them and Emmer’s son, Harold. They stopped at a gas station and somehow Emmer slammed the station attendant’s hand in the door. Emmer turned to little Harold and said “Harold Wilson Swain, look what you did to that man’s hand.”

I remember going to see Emmer every day, or almost every day, when we would stay with Granny and Pop-paw during the summer. I remember them as being really good friends. There are stories about them being VERY emotional, too. I remember at Granny’s funeral, someone saying that they thought that Christy and I were going to be the next Woodruff sisters.

That was all kind of brought up again when Pop-paw died last winter. We were blessed to have a girlfriend and cousin come and stay with the babies at the house. My boys sat with Christy’s in-laws, Brian was a paw bearer, and Mark was sick and sat in the back. So Christy and I held hands and walked in together. Just like when we were little girls. I don’t think I will ever forget the amount of love I felt in her hand and how much security holding my baby sister’s hand brought me that day (yes, I am crying right now, what’s it to you?). Anyway, we were both trying to hold ourselves together and not wale out, when my mom turned around from the front row and looked at us. She started laughing, and poked my Aunt Jody and my dad to turn around and look at the “Woodruff Sisters.”

They were amazing, funny, strong, vulnerable, loving, and somewhat crazy women. I can’t think of anyone else I would prefer to be compared to – or a better woman than my sister to be compared to them with.