It has been said “necessity is the mother of invention,” but widowed at 38 with four children aged five to 15 meant being a mother made invention necessary for Nell Thompson of Red Bay.
Thompson is a special mother in Red Bay who has overcome numerous difficulties to successfully rear her children and be a productive citizen in the community.
Now a grandmother, she anticipates Mother’s Day as a special day, but not only because it’s a time, as are all holidays and birthdays in her family, for all 18 of her family members to be together and celebrate.
“I love holidays because they are a rallying point for our family. We use any excuse to celebrate.” she said.
“We’re a family of pranksters and that adds life to our family get-togethers.”
Thompson recalls the years following the death of her husband, Fred.
“After Fred died, I attended the University of Alabama and majored in accounting. I could have left Red Bay and obtained a government position, but I wanted to know who my children were with, what they were doing, and to ‘sit’ on them if necessary. And, sometimes, it was necessary. So, I remained in Red Bay,” she said.
“One of the things I was determined to do was to make certain my children were not deprived of what other children could do. My children were encouraged to participate in as many school activities as they chose, such as football, band, clubs and I was the chauffeur.
“We took trips, going to Washington, D. C., one year and to California another year. We had car trouble on the trip to California. I can laugh about it now, but it was a challenge then for a woman to deal with problems while out on the road,” she said.
“When it was time for my children to start college, I thought I could not provide for them. I thought ‘Lord, they’re yours. Take and do as you please.”
“I don’t know where the money came from, but it was there. We ran TAW Electric business from 1945 to 1965, the last three years by myself. Now I began any and all kinds of jobs,” she said. “I sold insurance, did bookkeeping, worked for Hollis Bullen (cotton buyer), sold World Books, and did any type of work where I could be home at night.
“In 1971, I began a temporary job as bookkeeper at Nabers and Company that lasted until 1989.” she said.
Thompson now spends much of her time providing care for her mother who has Alzheimer’s disease.
“This is a 36-hour a day job. We play hide and seek. She hides items and I seek them,” Thompson said. “I’ve had to learn that with a child you can tell things once or twice, but with a victim of Alzheimer’s it must be repeated perhaps 15 times.”
“I have to be two steps ahead of her, not just one step ahead. It requires a great amount of patience. Frustration and irritation must be controlled, and I have to work to control my tongue.” she said.
Thompson has found time through the years to make positive contributions to the city.
She served as the first woman city clerk in Red Bay. She was one of the first women in Franklin County to serve on the grand jury and one of the first to serve on the Red Bay City Council. She helped organize the Civil Defense and was the first woman to take the census in Red Bay. In 1985 she worked to have all houses in Red Bay numbered. She was also the first World Book salesman in Red Bay. Most recently she made it possible for Red Bay High School to have an exchange teacher from Japan by providing a home for her.
Thompson enjoys collecting plates, crocheting, and visiting with her children and grandchildren. All of her children – Delores Sparks, Susan Ledbetter, Tommy Thompson, and Janet Kennedy – live in Red Bay.
When asked if she had anything else she wanted to accomplish with her life, she replied, “Stay busy, stay healthy and travel.”
“I plan to continue to work for fair treatment for ‘notch babies’ from the Social Security Administration, get direct dial to Florence, get street addresses in the telephone book, and get city mail delivery.”
