Mother’s Day: Meet Several Local Moms

May 8, 2011

Happy Mother’s Day! NorthEscambia.com invited our readers and Facebook fans to submit stories about their mothers. We’ve selected a few and included them below.

If you would like to tell your mom’s story, or just wish her a Happy Mother’s Day, please do so in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

“Mama Leigh”
submitted by Samantha Bryant

My mother is special because she is always herself. She is never afraid to be just that. She is my best friend and someone that I can tell anything to. I trust her and I really don’t know what I’d do without her.

On March 22, 2009, we were in a bad car accident and she suffered some major injuries. However, she has yet to let the long term effects of her injuries slow her down. She still works just as hard as she ever has to make sure that the family is happy. She supports me in everything that I do.

She is the mother of four kids — Amanda, Curtis, Jessica and Samantha. Also, she is a mother to many of my friends. Everyone knows her as “Mama Leigh”. She is also a wonderful wife to my dad, David. She is a truly beautiful woman inside and out. This is why she is special to me.

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Jeanette Cawthon, Molino
submitted by Chris Cawthon

My husband’s mother is the best mother-in-law ever. Jeanette Cawthon has been a mom to me for 30 years now and, of course, to her son, Jeff, for almost 50.

Jeanette has three children — Doug, Jeff, and Sandy. We all grew up in Molino. Now, however, we all live slightly south of our old hometown. Jeanette has been my cheerleader all the years that I’ve been married to Jeff. She has encouraged me as I raised my own three children and is teaching me how to be an awesome grandma now that I have my first grandchild. Jeanette is a prayer warrior for our family and for that I’ll always be grateful. This year she blessed me for Mother’s Day by accompanying me to the Annual Mother/Daughter Banquet at my church, Heritage Baptist.

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Becky Sepulveda, Molino
submitted by Christina Sepulveda

My name is Christina Sepulveda and I would like to share my story of why my mother, Becky Sepulveda, is a very special woman to me.

The Sepulveda family consists of my father, Scott Sepulveda, me, my younger siblings, Michael, Rebekah, and Rachel Sepulveda, and of course our mother. We live in Molino and have now for a little over eight years.

This year is my senior year at Northview High School, but right before my senior year started I found out that I was pregnant. My fiance, Dustin Yuhasz, and I had our beautiful baby girl, Bailey Nicole Yuhasz, on March 11, 2011. Many others have been so helpful the three of us, but my mother has been especially helpful. She has been there for us every single step of the way and helps in whatever way she can.

She supports us, loves us, and is there for us every day. I would like to give her a day of recognition, a day to herself, a day where everyone can see what a wonderful mother, grandmother (Meme), and person she is. She’s amazing in every way and I love her so much. Happy Mother’s Day Mom!

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Martha McCann, McDavid
submitted by Tammy McCann

I have the best mother in law in the whole world. She has been the best influence in my life. When my husband and I got married 29 years ago, she took me in as her own child.

She loved me as her own. She is a very special person to me she helps all she can. She  helped to show us what was right and what was wrong. She tried to tell us what God would want us to do.

She has 10  grandchildren and six great grandchildren and she loves each and everyone of them. She spends Sundays after church playing with them, and she cooks a Sunday dinner every Sunday for her family not because she has to — it’s out of love. That’s how she is, a very loving and giving person.

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Mrs. Moye
submitted by Shaun Moye

Our mother was the best of the best. Though she lived a hard life, if you were to meet her you would have never known it. She lived the last several years of her life confined to a wheelchair. Night after night in pain, but yet you wouldn’t know it.

If it wouldn’t have been for her I would not be what I am today. Her kids and grandkids were her whole world, as long as they were happy, she was. Many times I know she would do without as we were growing up just to make sure we had stuff we wanted or needed. Though I would have liked to keep her around, I know now she is painless and happy as ever in heaven..and she can actually walk again! I love you and miss you with all of my heart Mom. Happy Mothers Day!

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Sinde Smith
submitted by Jacke Johnston

June 4, 2010 will be a day I never forget. My mom had been battling a bad pain in her abdomen which we thought was a stomach bug that was going around.  My dad had taken her to the doctor a couple of days before and they determined she had a UTI and sent her home, antibiotics in hand.  Little did we know that a huge war was waging in her body.

I got the phone call at lunch time from my dad.  Mom was still hurting badly and he had taken her to ER at Whiting Field.  They did an xray and determined that she had air escaping.  Immediately she was being sent to the Pensacola Naval Hospital for surgery.  We loaded up and went to the hospital.  I will NEVER forget the surgeons faces when they came out.  It was worse than what they thought.  It would not be just a quick fix.  My mom had a ruptured colon that had been leaking waste for days.  Her body was so infected that they couldn’t even close her wound. We rode the elevator up to ICU with the doctors telling us that it was touch and go at this point.

I remember begging and pleading to one of the surgeons to save my momma…I couldn’t get the tears to stop.   I needed her.  My baby girl needed her.  I remember praying to God.  I remember asking everyone who would listen to pray for my momma.  I prayed that my mom would fight.  And fight she did.  She battled a blood clot, lower lung function, and 3 more additional surgeries….all in two weeks time.  We were told it would be a long recovery, and it was.  Due to the blood clot, even after she was released from the hospital, mom had to make daily trips to the hospital for blood checks and to have her surgical site (which still wasn’t all the way closed) checked.  Not one time did she complain.  That’s simply not her nature.  As a matter of fact, in true “mom” fashion, all she worried about was us.

As we approach the year mark of this life changing event, I want to tell my mom how much I love her.  I am so proud of how she fought and never even thought of giving up.  My mom is now back at work, off of her blood thinners, and will be going back in for a final surgery sometime in the near future.  Looking at her now, you would never know what she went through.  I thank God every day that He gave us more time with her.  I thank the people who lifted us up and covered us in prayers during that time.  I will be forever grateful.

So, Happy Mother’s Day, Momma.  I love you…to the moon and back….with all my soul.

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Nadine McCaw, Century
submitted by Felicia McCaw Jones

My mom is such a giver. She has always given freely of herself to others and to the town of Century. I want her to know that Me and the kids all love her with all of our hearts. It is because she chose to have a family that we are all here today. I hope her day is extremely special, as she sure does deserve it! I love you Nadine McCaw!

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I just want to wish my mom Effie Lambeth of Jay a very Happy Mother’s Day. I’m not able to be there with her because I’m in Mexico, but I hope that she knows how much she means to me. She worked hard her whole life to take care of us. It was hard for her because she also took care of my disabled dad until he passed away in 2004. She did a great job! Happy Mother’s Day!

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The person that deserves the best Mothers Day is Sharon Freeman.  She is my sister but she is the best.  My mother past away 21 years ago and is dearly missed.  But my sister has stepped in and become my next to best mother.  She is the back bone of the family even though her health has declined some what through the years.  But she never complains.  She is a strong person with a lot of love.  She is always there to remember birthdays, and the specials occasions that a mother always remembers.  Sharon is the best mother to her four children, seven  grandchildren and a great on the way.  She is the light at the end of the tunnel, she is the most precious voice to hear at the end of the day.  I just want to say I love you and hope you have the best day ever.  Love your sister Sherry Caraway

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Well, my story isn’t exactly about my mother. But it is about my mom — my grandmother Linda Ward.  She is the most amazing woman I know. Without her, my sisters and I would be completely lost.  When things turned for the worse, she was the one who took us in and raised us as her own.  She’d already dealt with her fair share of teenage angst, raising her own two daughters.

And at 58, she’s doing it again with me, Chelsea, and soon, Emily. She’s put up with a lot from the three of us, me especially.  And even though we give her a hard time, she returns the strong emotions in the form of love and understanding.  She’s given us the world and more, and given up so much for herself in the process.  She’s done her best to give us a normal childhood and has done a dang good job of it. She’s raised us to always be thankful for everything, to help people when we’re capable of it, to say yes ma’am and no ma’am, and how a lady is supposed to sit in a dress.  She’s my hero, my role model, and the kind of woman I pray everyday I hope I can be.  She’s my Nana, but more than that, she’s my mom. I love you, Nana. And thank you. — Dezarae Turner

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Comments

11 Responses to “Mother’s Day: Meet Several Local Moms”

  1. the grim girl on May 9th, 2011 7:06 pm

    happy mother’s day you are the best :D love you

  2. robert on May 9th, 2011 10:22 am

    My mom was great!!!! She passed away on February 24, 2011 so this is the first mother’s day without her. i SPENT SEVERAL HOURS YESTERDAY JUST REMEMBERING HOW GREAT SHE WAS. I ALSO SPENT SOME TIME GRAVESIDE YESTERDAY JUST SITTING AND CRYING AND WISHING ALL OF THIS HAD NOT HAPPENED. I LOVED MY MOTHER ALOT AND MISS HER VERY MUCH. i LOVE YOU MOM AND A;WAYS WILL. RIP Donna B. Peebles 9-3-59 to 2-24-11

  3. Kelly Grim on May 8th, 2011 10:41 pm

    Happy Mothers Day to a very special mother Alice Flowers. This woman raised me from 15 and she is my mother-in-law. I love her very much she does so much for me and my family without hesitation. She spoils me all the time, but she don’t forget about her grandkids they are her world. When her brother went to be with the lord in 2003 she took his girls ( they were only 3 months and 2 yrs.) And has raised them as her own, and she is in her late 50s. I Just wanted you to know you are loved very much and I wouldn’t know what i’d've done without you all these years.

    To my mother Rochelle Spivey I wanted to tell you Happy Mothers Day! I love you. Very much. Although I left your house at 15 you did a good job loving me and raising me. You do so much for others and don’t take the time you should to take care of yourself. I love you hope you had a wounderful day.

  4. ProudArmyParent on May 8th, 2011 3:04 pm

    I miss my Mom everyday! she was so beautiful. We had such good times together, even though they were only to last 17 years. On my 16th birthday we spent the day shopping, ate out for every meal and just laughed and laughed. She told me about her mother (the grandmother I never knew.) She made me feel so special on that day. After all I was an only daughters only daughter. (That tradition continues with my daughter and my grand-daughter.) My Mom was so awesome. It touched my heart when my daughter named her daughter after my Mom. (My mom was the grandmother my daughter never knew.) As I said I miss her everyday, I never got to spend my 17th birthday with her because she passed away in the early morning hours of my 17th birthday. That’s right she passed away on my birthday, truly a day I will always remember. When she left this world, God surely took home one of his angels. I love and miss you Mom, always will! Anna Marie Watts, gone but always in my heart.

  5. Them Brooks' on May 8th, 2011 9:56 am

    To my Mother/Mother-in-law Annette Brooks, as fine a mother that has ever walked this planet. Everyone should have a mother as special as her. All her life she has placed everyone first and herself last. She always passes that last chicken breast up so that someone else can have it. There’s never been a child who did’nt absolutely love her after being aound her for a while. Many times we have seen her take gifts to children she knew would’nt be getting much for Christmas. She is the most caring,selfless person I’ve ever known. In the Lords eye’s as well as our own, she’s got to be a saint. For all of you who know her, how about giving her a call today and let her know how special she is. She is the bright spot everywhere she goes, but Bluff Springs would be a lot darker place without her. We love you Mom. Hope you have the special kind of day that you so richly deserve. And yes ,we can see that love light shining all the way up here in the bluegrass state.

  6. Kim Burkett on May 8th, 2011 9:03 am

    I would like to wish a Very Happy Mother’s Day to my Mama , Ann White of Century.. Words cannot even begin to describe the beauty of her but everyone that has had the blessing of knowing my mama knows how truly blessed my siblings Angie, Matt and I are to have her as a Mom. She puts others first and it is not rare for her to go out to her beautiful yard of flowers and make a beautiful arrangement and give to someone just to make their day a little brighter. I am so very proud to say ” that is my Mama”. I Love You Mama !

  7. Dezarae Turner on May 8th, 2011 8:36 am

    Thank you so much for posting my story! It meant the world to my grandmother.

  8. Carleen Spears on May 8th, 2011 8:34 am

    I would like 2 wish my Beautiufl Mother (LIsa Robbins) a very Happy Mother’s Day!:) She’s by far the most amazing mom n the whole world!!! She’s been both a mother & a father 2 my brother, sister, & I all our lives & she deserves the world!:) I hope I can be half the mom to my daughter that she has been 2 me!:) I love you mama i always have & i alway will!!:) Happy Mother’s Day!!!!!!!!!

  9. Peggy on May 8th, 2011 8:34 am

    First of all I would like to give honor to the Lord for allowing me to raise the gifts that he gave to me. The Bible says that our children are “a gift from God”. To my boys. I count it a privilege to be your mother. Thank you mom for showing me how to take care of my family. I learned from you how to be a mother and a wife (the old school ways). Although it has been 30 years now sense you went home to be with the Lord, you are still missed abundantly . My mom was a help-meet to my Dad in his ministry, always there for everybody,making sure we had everything we needed,took care of 8 children (one of whom died at an early age & one that was a deaf mute) and she lost both of her legs. But through all of this she still had time for us. She was a good Godly woman. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!!!!!!!!

    After my mom died, I had a great mother-in-law that was there for me.This lady went to be with Lord 2 years ago.She loved her family very much. There wasn’t a day she didn’t pray for her children,G.children and G.G. children . She also was a Godly woman. A great prayer warrior and friend. I miss you also. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

  10. Tshering Dema on May 8th, 2011 2:14 am

    We siblings are very lucky to have a mother like her. She has been what she is and i being the eldest among the siblings have seen my mom one of the best guide and support to us.
    She is mother to five children, Tshering Dema(myself), Sherab Lhamo, Phurpa Lhamo.Sonam Drukpa(only brother) and Pelden Lhamo. And also mother to many of my friends. She is the role modle to these five children to whome we are proud to have such a wonderful person. And she is the ever best wife to my dad,Tshering Dorji. She is known as ‘Dema Ama’ (Dema’s mom) Cheki Wangmo is her good name.
    That’s the reason for her being our special person….wish you a very HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

  11. Joe on May 8th, 2011 12:51 am

    To My Wife, Mother in Law, and Mothers of the area:
    Happy Mothers day to all the Mothers in the North West Escambia Area. The holiday may only come once a year, but we truly celebrate you all year long. It is with much Love and respect that I say Thank You, for all you have given and continue to give. From our children you have raised, to the companionship we share, The Mothers of the world make it a better place. As a father and a husband, I could not do it without you, and for this, I thank you. May you all have a Wonderful, Blessed Day and always know that you are loved.