In Remembrance of Tribal Elder Virgie Enyart

By joanie wallace

Photo credit: Eastern Shawnee Print shop/library

If you were to ask me to tell you about my Grandma Virgie Enyart, I would have to ask you how much time you have. When my mother decided to attempt the impossible task of attending college with three small children, the youngest of whom was barely one year old, I had the good fortune of being able to spend a great deal of my early childhood with my Grandma and Grandpa Enyart. We had a blast. The favorite day of the month for Grandma Enyart and I was the day the Social Security check for my Grandpa came in the mail. We would go to town. Literally. We would go and do our shopping, getting only the necessities we needed. There was no extra money for treats, though being with them was a treat in itself. My grandparents were poor people, they didn't even have an indoor bathroom until I was in grade school. I often tell people that you haven't really lived until you have traversed a cow pasture in the middle of the night to get to a dark outhouse. Our family didn't need a TV reality show like Survivor. We lived that.

Though money was tight, there was a lot of love. Each holiday our family would get together – all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and Grandma would cook up a storm. Oh my, how that woman could cook. Everything tasted like she had some secret ingredient or technique no one could quite duplicate. What I would give for just a bite of her salmon patties or her fried chicken with that creamy delicious gravy. What I would give to just be able to sit at her table again. Just one more time.

We may not have had a lot of money, but we didn't realize it. We knew we were blessed with things that money can't buy. At Christmas all the grandkids would line up and Grandpa would hand out our gift of $2.00 each. He took great pride in being able to give something to each of his grandchildren. The running joke was that you knew you were old enough to be considered a grown-up when you could no longer stand in line for your $2.00.

Grandma was a simple woman. She was fiercely proud of her family and her Eastern Shawnee heritage. She passed that on to all of us. She taught us to be respectful of others, yet not to hesitate to speak our minds about things we believed in. She showed us that honesty, hard work and integrity were traits that would greatly benefit us in life. She led by example. She had no patience for troublemakers or those who could not be trusted. They say dogs and children have a sixth sense about people. Add Virgie Crain Enyart to that list.  

I am extremely proud to be a member of the family she created, nurtured, and raised. I flew in from out of state for her funeral service, and the church where the service was held graciously made lunch for our family. I was completely overwhelmed when I walked into the room and saw my aunts and uncles seated at tables with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, because I realized that without this wonderful woman none of us would be here. I knew her spirit was there, and was overwhelmed also. And I knew that she was proud of her accomplishments, our accomplishments. She was a woman of limited means who gave more than any amount of money could buy – her love. The world is a better place because of her.