- Born: September 15, 1931
- Married: Robert LaRue Herring (1951)
- Children:
- Bobbie Herring Kirk
- Cindy Sue Montross Gitschlag
- Tim LaRue Herring
- Mary Herring
- Lisa Anne Herring Hunsinger
- Married: Donald Dennis (1975)
Martha Francis Deater Herring Dennis —That is our
Mother Submitted by: Bobbie Herring Kirk
Martha, better known as Mickey, and not to be confused with the famous mouse, was born on September 15, 1931, and is still young at heart. She is next to the youngest of twelve. She grew up in Noxen, PA.
Mickey married our father in November 1951. Bobbie arrived in 1952; Cindy was born in 1955; Tim arrived in 1958. Mickey lost a baby, Mary, in 1960. Then our blond ambition and baby of our family, Lisa, arrived in 1965.
In 1955 Mickey moved to Johnson City, NY. She worked for Endicott Johnson making shoes and sneakers. We also got to live next door to Aunt Laura Mae and Uncle Russell on the second floor.
In 1961 we moved about 30 miles from Johnson City to Candor, NY. Mickey lived there until 1975. Shortly after Lisa arrived, Mickey was left to face some challenges when our father left for the “FAR COUNTRY.” She worked at NCR (National Cash Register) in Ithaca, NY. There she did piece work. She seemed to enjoy her job and also worked in the kitchen at a restaurant/bar in Owego, NY some evenings. She kept pretty busy with 2 jobs, a house to maintain and 3 kids to oversee. Yeah, we pretty much were on our own a lot. However, Tim and I turned out all right. We’re still wondering about Lisa (tee hee!)
Lisa remembers mom not being afraid of anything or anyone for that matter. She remembers as a kid opening up the back door in NY to let the dog or cat in and in comes a possum (not once but several times). Those things are mean and ugly! Mom would just grab a bat and beat them to death just like that. The good times always outweighed the bad times. I remember her sitting out on the porch in Candor singing and playing her accordion. We remember riding in the back of her VW convertible with my cousins Nancy and Tonja. What a hoot!
In 1975 Mom married Donald Dennis and moved to Berwick, PA, where she now resides. While there she had her own cleaning business for some time. For several years she and Don had a camper and would travel around to parks camping out.
Lisa always thought mom wasn’t afraid of anything until one day she was in the garden with our little stepbrother, Scotty. Lisa had just taken another load of clothes out to hang. Pretty soon she heard Scotty screaming and running towards the house and mom is just screaming and running in place as fast as she could go (yet she wasn’t moving an inch) all because a snake crawled across her foot. Well let me tell you, I on the other hand am afraid of EVERYTHING but I knew I had to go get her. I’ve never seen her run so fast. (Ha ha).
Mom has had numerous health issues these last several years and keeps both my brother and sister on their toes. I hope they know how much I appreciate what they do for her. Several years ago, over a period of time she was given numerous pints of blood to the point that she jokingly said she didn’t know what color she was anymore.
I also heard that when the town decided to put a sewage plant on her property and proceeded before she had heard back from her lawyer that she went out and confronted the workers and told them they needed to stop working. Well, the workers did not stop; so she said, “Listen, I have a lawyer and a gun.” – and they made tracks fast then. They also called the cops on her. Apparently, the cop said, “Martha, you can’t be threatening people”—to which she said, “I didn’t threaten anyone—I only said ‘I have a lawyer and a gun’ which is the truth! I didn’t say I was going to shoot anyone.”
My mom loves game shows and putting puzzles together.
She likes to gossip and sing; and she is an EXCELLENT “cinnamon bun” baker. She is also very OUTSPOKEN—No matter what or who, she tells it like she views it!
Mom, I love you MORE!—Bobbie
I love Mom BEST!—Lisa (no matter what my stupid sister says!)
“Grandma Mickey”
Submitted by: Kristen Kirk-Paladino
Our Grandma Mickey is truly one of a kind. Our grandma’s heart is bigger th
an the universe. Her laughter fills up a room. She has opened her home to many from her church in time of need. That sometimes meant we got stuck with the couch when we would come and visit. Growing up, we have seen her spirit and charity to others, and she has handed that down to all of us. She taught us that the key to a better world is to “Pay it Forward.” Then there is the “truly one of a kind” that she is: Like spending time with her in the summers and finding a rabbit for dinner in the sink—(Thankfully she had hot dogs for us) —To telling us it was time to shave her whiskers. I hope she doesn’t pass that down to us, but I think she already has.