Carol Skillings
My mother, Dorothy Skillings, and Mabel were college roommates in rented houses at the University of Michigan. They were the best of friends. After college, they both got jobs at Shell Oil Company in Shreveport, Louisiana. My mom moved away after marrying my father so he could attend the University of Michigan, and to start a family. My sister’s middle name is Louise for Mabel’s middle name. I fondly recall a family trip to New Orleans to visit Mabel when I was 17, one year shy of the drinking age btw. We had a lot of fun and Mabel joined us on some of our outings and dinners. We visited with her at her home where she was dedicated to taking care of her elderly parents, whom she referred to as her dear ones. I asked about living in a warm climate, and Mabel said she missed snow and how it would crunch under her boots when walking in Chicago. When we left, her father got up to hold the door for my mom, and mom said he was a true southern gentleman. My mom regularly exchanged corresponded with Mabel and missed her. We heard how she was flooded out by hurricane Katrina and had to be rescued. She stayed with family in another town, maybe another state. My mom passed away 4 years ago and I tried writing to Mabel but didn’t hear back and I probably had a wrong address. I will always remember her as a gentle, kind lady that would never say anything upsetting.