Louise Martin Lovette, known as Mother Lovette, is a special kind of mother. She is well known throughout the community. And while she is the birth mother of seven children — five sons and two daughters — she also serves as a mother figure to many in her neighborhood and church.
Lovette is an old-fashioned mother, the type who used to safeguard the neighborhood. These mothers knew what was going on and were well-respected. Children were on their best behavior while in the presence of these women. Children and adults alike flocked to them for guidance.
“When I was raising my children, I had to work, but I had good neighbors who would let me know if they did something they had no business doing. The neighbors were really concerned about children in the neighborhood and watched out for them. I appreciate my neighbors,” Lovette said.
“I washed my children’s clothes at night and dried them by the heater so that they would be clean because we did not have much,” she said. Always thrifty, Lovette planted a garden to help feed her children. “They were never hungry, and I made sure they ate first. I had some faults, but God looked beyond my faults and saw my needs,” she said.
“When my children were young, I couldn’t afford the $50 and $100 shoes. But I gave them love and helped them to get a good education. I told them with a good education, they could afford the $100 shoes. It was love and prayer that held my family together,” she said.
Lovette urges mothers to teach their children values at an early age. “Give them a whole lot of home training. Set aside priority time with them, make time to talk with them and listen to their response.”
Her children are involved in community affairs and the church.
“I am so proud of my seven children. My oldest son, Charlie, is a construction manager in Syracuse, N.Y. My son Donald is the laboratory manager at Liberty Regional Medical Center in Hinesville, a Liberty County commissioner and an accomplished playwright. Daryl is a minister in Vero Beach, Fla., and travels extensively preaching the gospel, and Harvey and Kenneth are both in law enforcement in Rex and Port Ritchie, Fla.
Louise said her daughters, Elaine and Charlotte, are both gifted speakers. Elaine, better known as Jackie, is a data entry operator and Charlotte is a reservations assistant at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Lovette also has 15 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Lovette has seen firsthand the positive impact of raising her children with a firm hand and lots of love. She sees the things they have done and the awards and honors that have been bestowed upon them.
Donald Lovette has written and produced many plays about the roles of mothers. Last summer, he wrote and produced “Mama, Turn the Radio On,” which earned him great recognition and a wide audience.
In honor of Mother’s Day and the special relationship he has with his own mother, Lovette put on a Mother’s Day production titled “You Don’t Know Me Until You Need Me.”
Although she may be 76, Louise Lovette is constantly on the move and enjoying her children and grandchildren. She is a helper and pitches in wherever needed.
“Being busy keeps me young,” she said. She is a gifted singer and whenever there is a program in the community, she’s always willing to assist.
“I love fellowship and when I see a need, I don’t wait for someone to ask me,” Lovette said.
An active member of Pleasant Grove African Methodist Episcopal Church in Hinesville, Lovette serves as a church mother, choir member, missionary and class leader.
“God is so good, and I depend on Him. He is the same yesterday, today and forever,” she said.