Thursday, February 17, 2000

Lynnhaven misses queen of Valentine's

Stafford

It is a tradition that Lynnhaven Nursing Center staff and residents look forward to every year: electing a king, queen, prince, princess, duke and duchess, a court of royalty that takes center stage during its Valentine's Day celebration.
   This year, Lynnhaven's oldest resident, 107-year-old Mamie Stafford, was crowned queen during an early coronation celebration held last week.
   Sadly, three days after receiving her scepter and crown, and two days shy of Feb. 14, Lynnhaven lost its "queen of hearts." Stafford died Saturday.
   "Sometimes, it seems we spend more time with these folks than we do our own families, and so they become a part of your family," said Berta Marez, Lynnhaven's assistant director of nurses.
   "When we lose one of them, it really hurts. And we really miss Mamie."
   Early lessons
   Stafford's formal education ended at the sixth grade.
   However, she quickly learned the value of a dollar and hard work. In her youth, Stafford worked for Proctor & Gamble Co., traveling by train from supermarket to supermarket throughout South Texas, promoting a detergent called Oxydol.
   "We learned so much from her," said Pam Moore, Stafford's granddaughter and owner of a local commercial and residential cleaning service.
   "I remember when we were real young, we'd go with Mamie to the Laundromat, where she'd have us empty out the machines, count the coins and roll them. Today, four of her five grandkids own their own businesses and one is a bank teller."
   'Very particular'
   That independent spirit also wasn't lost on Lynnhaven's staff and residents.
   Jeanne Lewis, an assistant administrator at Lynnhaven, recalls the first day she met Stafford.
   Lewis made the mistake of welcoming her to her new home by offering her a wheelchair ride into the facility. Stafford insisted on walking inside.
   She also insisted that her hair be braided a certain way.
   "She was very particular about that," said Elida Lozano, a certified nurse's aide, who usually did Stafford's French braids.
   Living for the Lord
   Because the Valentine coronation also was a belated celebration of her Feb. 5 birthday, Lozano asked Stafford if she could do something different with her hair.
   "But she said no," Lozano said, " 'You know how to do my hair,' she said."
   Stafford's answer to another oft-asked question was also always the same, her granddaughter said.
   When anyone asked about her secrets to longevity, Stafford simply said: "I'm living for the Lord."
  
 

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