Annie Mae Ruth Oneal Sophie Mae Tobias

In Her words(almost):

I am Annie Mae Tobias (although I did change my name several times during my life, the other names were to close to others names in my hometown). I am the oldest child of Louis Ashley and Alice McKnight Ashley of Amite County. I was born on October 17, 1917 in Liberty Mississippi. As far as I know my parents have always lived in and around Liberty. My father was a carpenter and my mother was a homemaker.

I began elementary school at age six in Liberty. At that time there were only two teachers because first thru eighth grades were all taught in one room. I continued to maintain average grades all through school.

The person who had the most influence on my life is my mother who taught me to believe in myself. At present I am married to Eunice Tobias who works as a wood hauler. We have eleven children.

For the past 20 years I have worked with the Head Start program. My position is that of a teachers aide. I enjoy my work very much. My job is fulfilling because I am doing what I like best helping deprived parents and their children. While working with Head start I have been able to help a lot of children.

Now that all my children are grown I plan to work at Head start until I retire. Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies although sometimes it feels like a chore. I also like reading the Bible a great deal. My family and I attend church regularly and occasionally take short vacations together. My greatest pleasure is gardening.

p.s. I would be amiss if I did not mention Modeer's community involvement. She was a devoted member of Oak Grove church and served on several boards there. She was also a loyal NAACP member at a time it was very dangerous to even say the word. She always stood up for herself and her family. Everyone in her community knew loved and oftentimes depended on her. Whether you needed money, a meal (I miss her pies and cakes right now), a smile or just a kind word you knew you could find it at Ms. Annie Maes. She was the ultimate ambassador for Christ and could sit in a roomful of folks arguing and find a way to agree with everyone. Once she could get everyone to calm down and find common ground she'd fix whatever was wrong and send all away happier than when they came. She was some special, there will never be another.