By Liesha Wessinger-Huffstetler
Mrs. Margaret and Mrs. Millie have truly enjoyed life. Mille was an accomplished runner and ran marathons. She began running at the age of 50 to accompany her son, who had also started running. Amazing. I cannot imagine running marathons, let alone starting at age 50. She began as a bank teller and retired as an accountant.
Maragaret’s dad quit his job as a teacher and began working at the Chapin post office, delivering mail. She and her parents moved to the lake on Lake Tide, outside of Chapin, when she was 13. Her parents didn’t have to buy lumber for their house. All the boards that were used for their home were cut and milled from the property. Margaret is the reason Lake Tide got its name. She wanted to name the road after her father, Lewis Taylor. She wrote a petition to Lexington County, name the road “Lake Tide” so it would bear her father’s initials.
Life in the early days was very different. Millie said that trucks selling produce would come to the mill’s neighborhood in Aiken. She even remembers a Mr. Wessinger who would sell potatoes and eggs. I wonder if he was related to the Wessinger’s in our area? Margaret would ride her bike 5 miles down the Amick’s Ferry Road, a dirt road, to visit friends.
Margaret and Millie love Southwood and have met some great people. One year, on October 31, they decided to dress up and walk around the neighborhood with their walkers to hand out candy treats. They met Wayne, a man who had just moved in down the street. Meeting Mr. Wayne turned into a great adventure. He, Mille, Margaret, and 3 other ladies went everywhere together. What widower would not love to have five ladies as company! They went to restaurants, Myrtle Beach, the mountains, and other places. On one beach trip with Wayne, the ladies pretended to be the “Golden Girls.” Don’t you know that it was a fun trip!
When Millie Courtney and Margaret Robinson decided to attend a grief class at Mt. Horeb, they had no clue their life would change for the better. Both are only children and have adopted each other as sisters. Beautiful!
Mille and Margaret gave me good advice that applies to all of us. They told me that while you are living, you might as well enjoy life. They agree that getting older is hard, but they try to have a good time with friends, even while dealing with age-related issues. The older and wiser generation has a lot of insight into life, and thank you, Ms. Mille and Ms. Margaret for your wonderful advice to us all.
