On This Day - Sudie

Mary Susan Eppard Rucker
29 Oct 1875 - 14 July 1958

My maternal grandmother’s mother Mary Susan “Sudie” Eppard Rucker died on 14 July 1958.

Rucker house

I was in elementary school when she died, so my memory of her is rather faded. She had a beautiful Craftsman-style house on Fourth Street in Shenandoah, Virginia. In the parlor, the old stereoscope which she kept on a table kept me occupied quite a long time. My cousin recalls how Grandma Rucker always got mad at us when we played on the steps outside. We jumped back and forth from one side of the steps to the other – daredevils, that we were.

Sudie Rucker loved St Petersburg, Florida, for some unknown reason. She always brought back souvenirs – usually little ashtrays or other trinkets made of shells.

Sudie loved lemon drops. One time when Grandma gave her mother a box of chocolate candy, Sudie was not one bit polite. “Take it back. I only like lemon drops.” It became a family joke. Ironically enough, Grandma often had a bowl of lemon drops by her chair in her later years. Like mother – like daughter.

Wendy

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