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Jay Cooper 0:00
Hi, I'm Jay Cooper here with Peggy Pendleton. We're gonna be talking about her life growing up in rural North Carolina and challenges she may have faced and how she dealt with it. So to start off with some basic background information, where you're from, how you grew up and stuff like that,

Peggy Pendleton 0:15
okay, I grew up in Nash County, which is between Nashville and Rocky Mount out the global community. I live with my grandparents, who would always consider them as parents, and my granddad, always call him dad. So we're gonna say, Dad, my daddy was a farmer. And he always grew tobacco. And there was a family across the road from us. That was always real good neighbors, and my daddy had heart problems. And one day he got sick, and they had to take him to the hospital. And of course, he came back home and he could then get sick again. But anyway, he started putting in tobacco, it was in July because I've been in tobacco. And they call my mom at lunchtime and said that he had gotten worse. So he went to the hospital, she went to the hospital where he was at three o'clock. They call for my real mama and me to get to the hospital. I was 11 at that time. And he passed away just as I was walking into the Parkview hospital. And I won't ever forget when we got home, my mom told me she said, go tell the family in front of us, which were good friends of ours, they had a large family that your dad just passed away. So I went down and told the Collie family that he passed away and I to this day, I'm still amazed that when I said, they said Peggy, how is your dad, he asked if he just passed away. He looked at his family. He said go get the boys out in the field, they were putting in tobacco that day. And he said go get the boys out of the field were through right here and leave everything we're going to get Mr. Baker's in. And that family left all their stuff sitting there, came to our house and got finished getting the tobacco out of the field that was supposed to be prime that day, and they got it all fixed and in the barn. And then they had to worry about theirs the next day. And I've always thought you know, that was just really good families how people live back then today, people don't really care for all of their neighbors like that. But anyway, as I grew up the in my I always stuckwith my mom, because she was she was my mom, I was just very fortunate. I had two moms. I lived beside my real mother when we got married. But I always took care of my grandma. And I guess I could should be, a lot of families today would have thought that I would have been really jealous. The other ones would have really been jealous of me because mom always looked to me. I always took her to the doctor to the hospital. But I let the other ones know what was going on. I had a sister that lived in South Carolina, and one was in Wilmington, and the one in South Carolina and now we're very close together are very close. And so when Mama would get sick, I would always call her and let her know what was going on. And when she passed, I met her at the airport in Rocky Mount a friend of theirs had a plane and flew her in and she said hey, can we got everything under control? I said no. We're going to the funeral home from here and you're going to help me. She says we're there to support you. My sister in Wilmington said we support whatever you do. Because mama knew what you that you were going to be with her and you work with her and you know my mama likes because as I say we're going to be right there with you but you've made the arrangements. So we do and I picked out everything for the day after the funeral. I've told them before they left I said okay, we need to get together. And let's go through mama stuff. Let me tell y'all what mama had and everything and they were like you just take care of it and I'm like no, no, no, no. So I went and got her checkbook which I was in control of and they are wondering how much is that part of the funeral? What is the expenses we're gonna pay for it? And I'm like no, we've got that taken care of mama had I said in fact there was some leftover I'm going to give right to all the check but I want you to see the checkbook. And they were like No, no, no. You just take what mama's got, whatever Mama's God is yours. And you know I have thought about they could really have been jealous of me. They could have really said you spent Mama's money or you did this or that, but you know, they never did until the day they passed away. One passed away, April of last year, and one passed away this February made a year. But until the day they passed away, we were always still very good friends, and they still thank me for taking care of mom. And I guess without some of that support, I'd never made it. But I just got through now, trying to keep the family together, just trying to hold on what I think mama would have wanted everybody to do. Of course, I've had a lot of surgeries, my church family, my family has stood by me. And my husband is sick a lot and because I have to take care of him and but yet the family is right there backing me and whatever I do. And I just had surgery again on my eyes. That's why I have my glasses on looking like a movie star today. But my family still right there, supporting me. And I'll my grandchildren right there. And they seem these little notes text me, I love you, which means very, very much. And I don't guess I've really had an exciting, exciting life. But to me, I've had a good life. The Lord has always been there to help me through and sort of lead me through along with my pain.

Jay Cooper 6:39
That was pretty much the main question I was gonna ask you answered it was just good. Um, so you said a church has always been a big, big role in your life.

Peggy Pendleton 6:49
Church has always been a big role in my life. I've always been in church.

Jay Cooper 6:54
So is that something that was installed as you're growing up? Or was it something that maybe you had to learn by yourself? Or?

Peggy Pendleton 7:02
Well, mom and dad, he didn't really go to church every Sunday, every week. But I had a cousin that stopped every Sunday morning and picked me up and took me to church and brought me home. And so yes, I can say it's been pretty much all my life. I've been in church. When I first got married, and my first daughter was the one we sort of didn't go every week, we sort of lagged a little bit, put my sister that I was so close to she would see me on Sunday afternoon and she'd say, Where were you today? Well, I just didn't get up in time now. Well, that's no excuse. We were praying for you and Louis, then you get back in church. So her and her husband always was there to nag me on our tag to lead me on that was the word to be sure that I was in church and the girls when they were coming along date they when they weren't home and in high school, when they would date on, say Sunday night, the guy always had to go to church with them, or else they couldn't date. So I just, I've just always had a church family behind me standing behind me. And I know through this surgery, just before I had the surgery, Louis was real sick and in the hospital. And then they sent him to rehab, and he could not get out of the chair. But I did not want the rehab that they sent into. And I was really in tears that day, the girls and I are at the hospital, the ones that couldn't get there that was working. We were all on the phone crying, because that's not where I wanted to go. But I look back now. And the Lord was leading that because he put him in the place where he got the most help. He has more energy now than he's had in six to eight weeks. And I had to go into the church. I've never asked the church for anything to help me with anything. And I went to two of the guys that Sunday morning before he came home and I said, Hey guys, I need some help. They said, What do you need? I said, I need a ramp. You've got it. So that we that put a ramp up at my house so I could get him in the house. And that has just been a blessing and now that I've had surgery the day after I came home the pastor came and brought lunch for us that day and yesterday I had a lady in the church call In fact, I had a couple of ladies calling me telling me that for the next few nights or days they gonna fix dinner a meal and bring me and I told him I don't expect that. But I've always been in charge of the benevolent at church and always got meals for the families that had And then they are saying, but Peggy, you have done so much for the other ones, let us do this for you. So they're gonna bring me dinner tonight and next week, I guess, but I'd much rather be fixed and putting them

Jay Cooper 10:17
So as far as the church aspect, how have you seen it develop as you've gotten older? And compared to when you were younger? Do you think it's made progress in a in a better direction? Or if it was maybe a little? gotten a little bit maybe maybe not made as much progress? And how do you feel about the church as it's been involved in your life?

Peggy Pendleton 10:38
Well? Oh, I kind of be it I love my church family, but I do see changes in all the churches today. I don't think they and I know the preachers study like they did, and and they they have the same Bible, but I don't think preachers really preached today, like they did when I was small, we don't have that Hell fire that they used to preach about. And all today, they more or less, will preach it preach is hard, and he preaches good. But still, I can see a difference even in the music and all there's a difference in the church, and none of a slight change, but we got through changes. And you know, I don't know maybe God is leading that way. I don't know. We just have to see.

Jay Cooper 11:30
Well, moving away from the church aspect as when you're growing up. Was there anybody friends family, so many new that may have went through something very traumatic. So maybe we had a serious injury or something happened to the house, a natural disaster or anything like that? Can you remember anybody going through something like that?

Peggy Pendleton 11:52
No, but I remember a family that lived a couple of houses down that had they had a large family. And I know their baby passed away. And I have always just looking admired her. She was so strong during that time of losing that child. And then I had another friend that was in church with with me when I was really little that really made a big impact on my life. And she had two small children and her husband passed away. And she was just until the late she died. I always when I say I tell a Beulah, you made such an impact on me. And I don't know why. But she just did. You were just so strong. And in her faith, that it just and the way she still continued to bring those boys up. And do they they're just good boys. They're good minion.

Jay Cooper 12:53
So, so who do you think maybe helped her that her life? So as far as neighbors, family, friends, health care professionals? What do you think she really relied on to help her get through that?

Peggy Pendleton 13:07
Well, I think her family, her church, family, friends, they were all there to support her. So it's just been a combination of family, church family. And I think without I just can't imagine somebody not having a church family to lean on, or to be there to support you when you need it. I don't know how that would be.

Jay Cooper 13:35
So as and when you're growing up? Do you think communities are a little more tighter due to be in a rural area? Not quite as many people do you think just the the quality of the community was a little bit better back then?

Peggy Pendleton 13:50
Yes. People back then they cared. They looked down for each other. They would go the extra mile to make sure that that down that went down the road that was going through a little bad time? Should I say the other ones were there to support them and help them through which today they a lot of times we don't know who our neighbors are today. But in the community like I grew up, everybody knew everybody. And if you were say if you say I got put in tobacco tomorrow, but I just can't find the help. Well, when the tomorrow morning comes, the neighbors were there to help you. I mean, they were always there to help with everything. And people didn't have to say well, let me pay you today to help you one. You help that neighbor and then when that they would need to something they helped you and they just never paid they just went around with goodness. They just helped each other

Jay Cooper 14:50
so what would what do you think is really the reason for that change in man to even get it's like you said the money is what people have been taught up, or maybe just the amount of people out there is now what do you think is really the the reason that has the community aspect has changed.

Peggy Pendleton 15:08
Because people don't reach out and care for each other like they used to. It's today it's all about me. And the one that I got to worry with. I'm not going to worry about you because you can take care of yourself, I can take care of myself, which I think has led to a lot of the the shootings and all where people just were not close and didn't talk with each other. People don't care for people today, they don't have respect for other people like they used to.

Jay Cooper 15:44
Well, that's pretty much it all questions that have asked, Is there anything you want to say? No, maybe give advice to people our age and people that maybe struggle with that? Being so self centered, any advice you give them wisdom, anything like that?

Peggy Pendleton 15:59
Well, all I can say is just love your neighbor. Do what you can when they can to help each other. And as long as you are there for each other. And God to the center, you're gonna make it through.

Jay Cooper 16:17
Thank you.

Peggy Pendleton 16:19
Jay, you were very nice than that.