Lady

My Mom (Lady) was June Mallory Redding McConnell.

She was born in Owenton in Owen County, KY, the next to youngest daughter of Benny Walker (Big Daddy) Redding and Lucy (Lute) Sherfy. After graduating High School in Georgetown, KY she went on to Georgetown College and then to Eastern Kentucky Teacher's College in Richmond. There she met and married Bill McConnell (Pa).

Their early history is given in Pa's biography. Lady was an excellent cook, seamstress, artist and homemaker. She is one of the smartest people I have ever known (she had “the Redding Brain”). When she was as Junior in High School, she took a test with all the Seniors in Kentucky, and scored the highest in all the state.

Lady loved to work crossword puzzles, and filled out book after book in ink. She became a Christian when she was nine years old, and taught the Women's Bible class at our church (Beargrass Christian). Her brother George taught her how to do word studies in Greek. She was also active in the Christian Woman's Club in Louisville.

Lady had many talents. She loved to cook, knit, sew, and also painted. She was famous for making Christmas candies (including caramels – plain, with pecans,and chocolate covered, cream fondant – which she turned into chocolate covered creams and vanilla, peppermint and chocolate rolls, toffee, Aunt Bill's Candy, peanut brittle, taffy – also called pull candy and meringue shells. One year she knitted sweaters for all her granddaughters with their initials on them. She also sewed bride and bridesmaids' dresses for at least seven weddings. Often the bride just gave Lady a picture of the dress she wanted and Lady made up the patten.

She had a delightful (and sarcastic) sense of humor. She could really cut you down with one of her zingers. She was a quiet woman who spent most of her time knitting or crocheting.

I always thought Lady and Pa were an ideal couple.