At the tender age of 82, Myrtle Caison is still going strong. She is used to to being busy and has not allowed the passing of time to dampen her spirit or hinder her drive.
Caison, who lives in Long County, was born in Tattnall County to Enis and Bertha Deloach Todd.
“I was the oldest of 12 children and attended school in Glennville,” she said.
She was married to the late Huey Caison, who died in 1993. After her marriage, she moved to Ludowici and the Caisons raised six children, five girls and one boy. Caison also has eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
“When I got married, we lived in the old schoolhouse, named Beulah, where my husband attended school. My husband and I had three children while we were living in the schoolhouse,” she said. One of her prized possessions is the old school bell.
Four of her children, Lorraine Flower, Faye Mitcham, Guy Caison and Fanny Smith, live in Long County. One daughter, Helen Pedden, lives in Indiana, and another daughter, Eunice Brown, lives in Atlanta. Her son, Guy Caison, is retired from the Fort Stewart National Guard Training Center and lives with her.
Caison knows the value of hard work and decent values.
“I was brought us to be honest and truthful. This is something I also instilled in my children,” she said.
Although she hasn’t been able to fully use her right arm since she was 9 years old, Caison has never allowed that to hold her back. She used to work in the nursery at Rayonier, grafting pine trees.
“If you look at the trees at the end of 196 West and Highway 301 in Glennville, I helped to graft them. I also made fiberglass bathtubs for a company in Glennville,” she said.
Caison used to spend hours making beautiful quilts for her children and grandchildren.
“When I was busy making quilts, it could take two to three months because I worked on them as time permitted,” she said. “I did my quilting in a little house beside my house. I didn’t use a quilting machine. It was all finger work.
“I love to make quilts. We used to have women in Glennville who got together and did quilting a few days a week. The younger generation doesn’t care about quilting. One of my daughters is making a quilt top.”
Caison said her mother did a lot of quilting. “Her quilts were sent to Massachusetts and Florida. She enjoying giving quilts to her nephews and relatives.”
Although she can’t work on quilts as much as she used to, Caison still does a lot of canning. “My granddaughter grew peas this summer and I canned them. I also put tomatoes from my son’s garden in jars. The year I got married, my momma and I canned 600 quarts of vegetables and put them in jars.
“This is the first year my son did a little gardening. Before my health began to fail, I always planted a garden. I used to plant all types of flowers and vegetables,” she said.
Known for her exceptional cooking, Caison said she cooks every day except Sunday. “My grandchildren love my Mexican cornbread and peas and meat.” She said her son eats anything she puts on the table. She cooks fried chicken the old-fashioned way — in an iron fry pan using Crisco oil or Luanna oil. “My daughters are also good cooks,” she said.
Caison also loves to bake. “I make fresh blueberry bread and cobbler.” Her son-in-law grows the blueberries she uses in her desserts.
She is a member of Little Rock Baptist Church on 196 West where the Rev. Brian Anderson is pastor. “I used to help with Bible school and was on various committee. I really enjoyed the Bible school,” Caison said.
“I enjoy reading and watching a little television. I also love to sing, and my favorite song is, ‘I’ll Fly Away.’”
Anderson is the author of “Lack of Knowledge” and “Dare to Soar.”
Caison, who lives in Long County, was born in Tattnall County to Enis and Bertha Deloach Todd.
“I was the oldest of 12 children and attended school in Glennville,” she said.
She was married to the late Huey Caison, who died in 1993. After her marriage, she moved to Ludowici and the Caisons raised six children, five girls and one boy. Caison also has eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
“When I got married, we lived in the old schoolhouse, named Beulah, where my husband attended school. My husband and I had three children while we were living in the schoolhouse,” she said. One of her prized possessions is the old school bell.
Four of her children, Lorraine Flower, Faye Mitcham, Guy Caison and Fanny Smith, live in Long County. One daughter, Helen Pedden, lives in Indiana, and another daughter, Eunice Brown, lives in Atlanta. Her son, Guy Caison, is retired from the Fort Stewart National Guard Training Center and lives with her.
Caison knows the value of hard work and decent values.
“I was brought us to be honest and truthful. This is something I also instilled in my children,” she said.
Although she hasn’t been able to fully use her right arm since she was 9 years old, Caison has never allowed that to hold her back. She used to work in the nursery at Rayonier, grafting pine trees.
“If you look at the trees at the end of 196 West and Highway 301 in Glennville, I helped to graft them. I also made fiberglass bathtubs for a company in Glennville,” she said.
Caison used to spend hours making beautiful quilts for her children and grandchildren.
“When I was busy making quilts, it could take two to three months because I worked on them as time permitted,” she said. “I did my quilting in a little house beside my house. I didn’t use a quilting machine. It was all finger work.
“I love to make quilts. We used to have women in Glennville who got together and did quilting a few days a week. The younger generation doesn’t care about quilting. One of my daughters is making a quilt top.”
Caison said her mother did a lot of quilting. “Her quilts were sent to Massachusetts and Florida. She enjoying giving quilts to her nephews and relatives.”
Although she can’t work on quilts as much as she used to, Caison still does a lot of canning. “My granddaughter grew peas this summer and I canned them. I also put tomatoes from my son’s garden in jars. The year I got married, my momma and I canned 600 quarts of vegetables and put them in jars.
“This is the first year my son did a little gardening. Before my health began to fail, I always planted a garden. I used to plant all types of flowers and vegetables,” she said.
Known for her exceptional cooking, Caison said she cooks every day except Sunday. “My grandchildren love my Mexican cornbread and peas and meat.” She said her son eats anything she puts on the table. She cooks fried chicken the old-fashioned way — in an iron fry pan using Crisco oil or Luanna oil. “My daughters are also good cooks,” she said.
Caison also loves to bake. “I make fresh blueberry bread and cobbler.” Her son-in-law grows the blueberries she uses in her desserts.
She is a member of Little Rock Baptist Church on 196 West where the Rev. Brian Anderson is pastor. “I used to help with Bible school and was on various committee. I really enjoyed the Bible school,” Caison said.
“I enjoy reading and watching a little television. I also love to sing, and my favorite song is, ‘I’ll Fly Away.’”
Anderson is the author of “Lack of Knowledge” and “Dare to Soar.”