Mary Richard Early Life

While holding on to their familiar roots, they were planted, they grew, and then they were able to burst into bloom. This is not only true for the 1940’s harvests on a diligent farmer’s property, but also the families that nurtured and cultivated each other. Mary Richard, born May 29th, 1930, grew up a modest southern girl in a miniscule agricultural, country community outside Church Point, Louisiana. There wasn’t much extravagance to take part in locally, or opportunity to travel too far away from neighboring communities, so most life experiences worth keeping close to her involved family, friends, and the days spent together. Life did not always take a pre-paved pathway, but the people Mary surrounded herself with, shaped and enriched the great memories in the making, but also gave her strength in the tough times. Starting from a young age, she faced an opposition to the “stereotypical” family dynamic as she acknowledges, “We didn’t have an ordinary
Strong and strict in their faith, they would attend mass every Sunday at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Church Point, while also praying the rosary and going to confession consistently. Making a quick remark, “Family drove us to Church on Sundays, and all those things; whatever was available through The Catholic Church.” Transportation was limited to surrounding areas of Church Point, but attending mass was one of the primary reason for heading out of the house, “Sometimes when we were going somewhere; my older brother had a horse, sometimes he would ride his horse and we would get in the buggy. We had our own horse and buggy; mostly to get to church.” While living with her aunt, Mary rode by car, but when she moved back in with her father, it was horse and buggy; at least until he would end up purchasing a car. “Just before we (Oray and I) got married, my dad had bought a car. I believe it was a 1949 Chevrolet