A Tribute to My Mom

By Pastor Mark McAdow
My mother, Donna Mae Burner McAdow, would have been 92 on May 3.  She was born right here in Enid on May 3, 1931.  She shared a birthday with my Great Uncle Horace Williams, who lived in Willow Lakes but died prior to her in 2019 at the age of 102!  Mom went home to be with Jesus on April 15, 2020, during COVID after a massive stroke on Easter Sunday. My family roots are here in Enid.
 
My mom was a beautiful woman.  She was a model during high school for a couple of the famous downtown Tulsa clothiers of the day.  I can easily see why my father fell for her.  (He used to have a small black-and-white photo of her in a one-piece swim suit on the inside cover of the kitchen cabinet with the phrase written in pencil:  “Ooh la la – my pinup girl!”  For the longest time I didn’t know what that meant.  It’s been said the best thing a dad can do for his children is to “love their mother,” which he certainly did.  With only a high school education, he also worked two jobs to provide for her, my sister and me.
 
Mom loved Dad as well for all his great godly characteristics.  Before I was born, she worked as an executive secretary for Gulf Oil in a very responsible job.  When I came along, they made the decision she would no longer work outside the home but be a revered “stay at home” mom. They were willing to make the financial sacrifice for the sake of their growing family.  Of course, that’s what most people still did in the two-parent families of the 1950s and 1960s.  My sister, Valerie, and I were blessed because of it.  We had a mom actively involved in our local church –Will Rogers UMC - a children’s bell choir mom, Hoover Elementary School PTA member, homeroom mother and so much more.
 
Mom was the one who cared for most of our needs, as Dad worked shift work at the Texaco Refinery in West Tulsa and installed draperies on the side for the J.C. Penny Co.  She was the one who helped us with our ABCs, multiplication tables (Dad made flash cards from posterboard), cursive writing (anyone remember that?), spelling words, drama lines, etc.  Dad was a Navy cook, so he did his share of cooking, but Mom took care of most everything else around the house.  When I began working for Casa Bonita Mexican Restaurant in Tulsa, she made me take off my greasy shoes and clothes in the garage so she could wash my enchilada-stained uniform.  (I’m sure the smell is still in the garage that my sister owns today!)
 
Thanks, Mom, for taking such great care of Valerie and me.  We were blessed with a wonderful childhood and two loving parents.  I know not everyone is blessed in the same way, but we are all blessed with a most loving Heavenly Father!  As we honor all women and moms in particular this Sunday, I’m reminded of these verses from Proverbs 31:29-30: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.  Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”  We praise you, ladies!
 
Yours in Christ’s love,
Pastor Mark
 
All ladies will receive a carnation this Sunday in appreciation for all you do for all of us! Have a blessed Mother’s Day in worship remembering or celebrating your mom.