Sarah Collier celebrates 105th birthday

BY MARY LOU BUSH APPALACHIA NEWS • 565-1386 gabgrandadva@yahoo.com

PEG BOARD DISPLAY

Bruce Large came over to Appalachia Saturday to bring a peg board that will be used with the Acme Drug Display he donated to the Cultural Arts last February.

Bruce thought he would be able to hang the board but when he saw the height of the wall he decided a younger man would have to climb the ladder and do the job.

Bruce looks forward to the completion of the display and so do we. Waiting on warm weather.

Lions Club Will Not Meet

Please remember the Appalachia Lions Club will not meet for their regular stated bi-monthly meeting due to the Virginia Governor Northam’s executive order #72 limiting public gatherings to 10 people or less or until the Governor lifts the executive order.

Happy birthday Ron Flanary

This Thursday, January 28 Ron Flanary is celebrating a birthday. I know he graduated from AHS in the late 60s. Actual years are not that important. Ron enjoyed all his days that are behind him and he is still doing what he loves to do, whether it be music, trains, travel or photography. He enjoys it all, also talking and texting.  Happy Birthday to Ron from your lovely wife Wilma and friends from Appalachia.

Collier Celebrates 105th Birthday

Sarah Collier, formerly from Big Stone Gap, celebrated her 105th birthday last week.

Mrs. Collier lives at The Cornerstone Village in Johnson City, TN, near where Bruce Large lives.

She and her husband, Bob Collier, were in charge of the M D Collier furniture stores. The last 25 years the M D Collier furniture store on Main Street in Appalachia is the home of the Appalachia Cultural Arts Center.

Showing Improvements

Saturday, January 16 our friend Nancy Buchanan suffered a heart attack and was taken to the Holston Valley Hospital. Later that night we were told by her attending physician she also had double pneumonia. Two serious conditions for an 85 year old woman!

With the aid of a ventilator for six days she is now showing much improvement with both conditions. Our last four visits with her we could see a vast improvement in her demeanor each time we were there. I told her on Sunday her church and friends are praying for her and she smiled.

I ask all of you to continue to pray for Nancy. Maybe one day this week she can be taken out of ICU and placed on step down care. I know she will be pleased to be back at The Laurels with her friends. She has made it a family for herself being at The Laurels.

Call from Post Subscriber

It was very good to have a telephone conversation with a Post paper subscriber now living in Ohio, Tom Collier, oldest son of the late Hazel and Otus Collier.

The property Tom’s mom and dad owned and lived on is now the 4-lane highway 23 South.

I would guess the property was sold to the highway department 60 years ago, somewhere in that time span. My grandparents lived there also but not as far back as the Collier Property.

My Grannie Graham would send me and my Aunt Mary up the hollow to buy eggs, butter milk and churned fresh butter from Mrs. Collier.

It was always a joy to get to go to Hazel’s home, she made you feel so welcome. A glass of cold milk and maybe a piece of corn bread. Those were the days you can never have again. All we have is our memories.

Brothers Harold and Graham Hall, Katie and Brother Jim Bowman and my life long friend and sister-in-law Martha Stepp McCarroll and of course Jim Collier, brother to Tom and Mary Collier. These were the youth ones I knew. The Wildcat in the 60’s was not heavily populated. The land was the way of life, used the timbers for home heating and cooking in their homes. Keeping the livestock was the main stay for food and work took up land for pastor fields. Gardening space took up a lot of space in the spring, summer and fall season.  During the winter season the garden was idle, too cold, so we kept a fire and stayed in. This was a time in our history when families worked together to survive, but they all took care of one another and their neighbors. No electronics were in the picture at that time, you actually talked to one another.

Turn Around in Weather

Well, we sure had a turn around in our winter weather this week! Our temperatures changed from being in the 20 degrees to 60 degrees range. Wow. Rain, thunder and lightening.

Beautiful spring like weather on Tuesday, extremely warm. We just got out and enjoyed the warm sunshine. The snow held off for a few days. 

February is almost here and maybe we will have a good day for the ground hog! He is supposed to come out of his hole on February 2 which is Ground Hog Day. If he sees his shadow that means 6 weeks of winter weather.

This is one old saying the news media makes a big fuss over on TV.

Punxsutawney, PA is the site the news media will be waiting to see if Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his earthened hole and sees his shadow.