Ester Berle Young- My Nana

Esther Berle Young was born on May 13, 1915 in St. Landry Louisiana. Her mother was Frances Emma Walker and her father was Luther Dutch Young. She had two siblings, Luther Dutch Young Jr (LD) and Elsie. She married Daniel Joseph Wise Junior on September 18, 1937. They had two daughters- Bonita and Sandra. They moved to Alaska after World War 2 and then retired to Arkansas. They were married for 41 years. Daniel died in 1979 and Esther continued to live alone in Arkansas until she moved in with her daughter Sandra in Bellevue, Washington. She died on April 11, 2010. She was 94 years old and was buried next to Daniel in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.  

Esther was my great grandma and we called her Nana. She was a small woman with dark hair and beautiful eyes. She was such a huge inspiration in my life. When I was little, she would write me letters from Arkansas. She had beautiful handwriting and her letters were filled with details about her life. We visited her in Arkansas when I was a child. Nana lived in a home all alone. There were pictures of her dogs and my Grandad. There was a winding staircase to the basement and the basement was filled with every movie you could think of. This made us children VERY happy. She had a tree outside that Eric would climb. 

When she moved to Washington in high school she told me more of her life. She would tell me stories about her jewelry, her TV shows, her dogs and Grandad. I remember that she opened her ring case and told me the story of each ring. Nana loved beautiful things and she was the kindest soul. Nana was Catholic and once a week the local priest would come visit her. I am grateful for that. She also loved Pepsi.

 Nana never got ill, she just got old. By the end of her life she could not really see, hear or speak. I remember the last time I saw her. She was so tiny. She couldn't see or hear and was just lying in bed. I was leaving the country and went to say goodbye. She was lying in her bed and her eyes were shut. I held her hand, kissed her cheek and told her that I loved her and I thanked her for everything she had done for my grandmother, mother and me. I cried a little, but was reassured that I would see her again in the next life. She passed away a few weeks later. Nana was a huge part of my life.

 Pictures from top to bottom- Nana as a baby with LD. Nana as a teenager. Nana as a young woman. Nana and Grandad planning a project. Nana, Grandad and my mother.