Sunday, July 3, 2022
/public-file/55057/Ultra/fa8c6280-0fb5-414e-a74f-5211d9177870.jpeg
I have learned throughout my life that you become acquainted with many people, but it is rare that you will find people who will become a life-long blessing to you. Such was the case with Hester Betty Conley—or as I (and all my close childhood friends) called her- Mrs. C.
I can unequivocally say that she was the mother hen of our brood of young roosters. We were typical boys of the 50’s and 60’s and she was the quintessential TV mom. She was always there to feed us, talk to us, guide us and love us. I loved her like a second mother! Even though I left Woodbury when I was 19, to join the Navy, Mrs. C always kept in touch. She would call me on my birthday and usually every New Year’s Eve. She was always interested in how I was doing and how my own family was.
People say that you can never go home again but that’s not my experience. Even though I lost my parents at a young age, I always felt like I was going home when I would visit. I owe that to the warmth, kindness and love that emanated from her. My memories of her go all the way back to when Buck and I became friends, in the second grade. I still remember everything about their home at 67 N. Evergreen. She was the person that my mom informed about my fear of thunder and lightning when I was young. She would be my comforter whenever a storm would occur, and I was away from my home.
As a young boy, I remember having delicious tuna fish sandwiches and iced tea for lunch, at her home, many times. Also, I would eat hot dogs, hamburgers and potato salad at one of her many cookouts. Her home was always a gathering point when Buck and I would go to school dances and proms. Then, in our teen years, when the family moved to their new home in Woodbury Heights, we would spend many nights around the kitchen table playing cards and laughing. I can still vividly recall the sounds, smells and feeling in her home. There were many weekend mornings that she would make bacon and eggs for breakfast, and I was treated like one of the family.
I have nothing but wonderful memories of her—enough to fill a book--and I will always be grateful for the love and kindness that she showed to me all my life! She was a one of a kind woman and generous to a fault. She will live in my heart forever.
Rick Morandi
Call: (856) 582-3800 
Live Chat
