Mary Cue Agnew Parks
November 28, 1922 - August 8th, 2008

My Grandmother - Mary Cue Agnew Parks passed away this morning after a long, wonderful life. She will be dearly missed.

If you asked a group of people who knew my Grandmother, you would repeatedly hear:

Graceful, Dignified, Passionate, Loving, Beautiful, Strong-willed, Optimistic, Caring, Unique, Sparkly, Giggly, Fashionable, Friendly, Smart, Driven

Mary Cue was a woman of unparalleled grace and dignity, a person personified in how she lived her life and treated others. I particularly am grateful and priveleged to have known her and have her as my beloved Grandmother. She was not the type of Grandmother who sewed quilts and made cookies (although she was a good cook), but when seated at a table wtih 14 pieces of silverware in front of me, I have always known which one to touch first. She taught me many things in life, but most importantly, she taught me to be a lady.

She enjoyed the finer things in life and worked hard to acheive those things. She was a true southern woman with a palpable essense about her. Paper plates were not a staple in her home and if offered as a suggestion, the answer was No. This past Christmas, my cousins and I prepared the food for the Christmas Eve tree. Due to some extenuating circumstances, we opted for paper plates so no one would get stuck doing the dishes late in the evening. We did set my Grandmother a nice setting with her china and silver. During dinner, I heard her say to my Uncle Rex, "I don't know why you have to eat on that, I have nice dishes you know."

She was an amazing story teller that listening to her tale was as much fun as watching the sparkle in her eye as she recanted memories of her childhood. There has always been the story of the buttered biscuit that has been disputed through the years. I can't remember exactly, but someone threw a buttered biscuit at the table, I think it was my Great Aunt June, but my grandmother go the spanking for ducking and letting it hit the wall and leave a greasy spot. The debate is always on as to who threw the biscuit and who got the spanking, but always with great laughter.

Grandmother loved her boys. Watching her visit with her children and seeing the love in her eyes is something special only for her three boys. She loved all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren, but there was a special gleam in her eye and softness to her face reserved only for her three sons.

My grandparents were avid gardners who enjoyed working in the yard and creating a space that you could spend hours in. My cousin Mendy wrote: "After Grandpa passed away in 1994 and Grandma moved to a smaller home, my dad uprooted some of the lilies in Grandpa and Grandma's yard and transplanted them into his yard. If you don't already know, bulbs are very hardy and multiply super quick. After about 8 years at Mom and Dad's house, their original 8 or so had become several DOZEN. 5 years ago when Chris and I bought our own home, Dad uprooted some of his lilies and shared them with us. We planted 4 around this tree. As you can see (or maybe not, they are so thick) the 4 are now about 24. They only bloom about twice a year, sometimes only once and they always make me smile and think of him when I see them. These are some amazing "generational lilies" passed down 3 generations and they have survived at least 15 years." I now have some in my yard, along with my parents Clayton and Loretta and my cousins Danny and his wife Sally. Their gardens were always beautiful, quiet places that were full of color and life. The circle of life these Parks' lilies takes on a whole new meaning each year when they bloom.

Family and friends were her delight. Her and my Grandfather were passionate and loving when it came to family; always having a strong bond with their brothers and sisters and enjoyed entertaining the whole group as much as possible. She threw a magnificent party and you never saw her without a dazzling smile, infectious giggle and dressed to the nines.

I hope and pray that we as a family will continue that unity that Grandmother and Grandfather started when they were married. I pray that we will continue to put forth the effort to all remain close and not let a great deal of time go by before we see one another.

While I am sad that she is gone, it is of great comfort that she lived life to the fullest. In her last days, we were blessed with a window of clarity where she was able to see her boys and her daughter's in-law, laugh and visit with everone she loved. She even had the appetite to eat a huge meal topped off with ice cream. How great is that?

As the saying goes, "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate bar in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOOOO HOOOO WHAT A RIDE" That is how my grandmother lived and now she gets unspeakable joy, full of glory, life ever-lasting. What a blessing!