I had the pleasure of spending time with a little old lady in June, talking of fishing and goats, children and husbands, businesses and pastimes. Barbara Ardis, Little Old Lady columnist, happily shared her life with me, speaking of the tears and laughter of a lifetime. The woman I came to know in such a brief time span was thoughtful, intelligent, funny, sweet and inquisitive.
Her career, while as varied as mine, was interesting and rich. During her working life, she was a bookkeeper, a secretary, a business owner and a movie contracts supervisor. She volunteered helping others learn to read, and she volunteered at the hospital, working in HR until they computerized all the files for which she had been responsible for two and a half decades.
Her spare time was filled with home visits to shut-ins, activity with the GOP, at times as an officer, and involvement with her church. She spent time through the years with her late husband raising ducks, chickens, goats and more, and she discovered a deep love of fishing.
Throughout all of this, however, Barbara’s heart was with the written word. In this, I connected with her deeply. She felt the pull and magic of words as a young girl but was discouraged by her father’s insistence she go into any career field but writing.
After earning a degree in English, the closest she could get to journalism and still be approved by her father, Barbara set out on her zig-zag career path, never realizing her dream to write as a career. She never gave up, though.
As a child, she had scribbled her poems onto the blank pages of already published books, giving rise to imagining her own words in print. She wrote poetry throughout grade school, winning a contest in fifth grade. She continued to write and send poetry to family and friends throughout her lifetime.
In the early 2000s, a young hospital volunteer encouraged Barbara to publish some of her poetry in book form, and the publication of Remembered Days in 2007 brought Barbara’s dream to life. In 2011, Barbara followed this book with If You See an Old Lady, a collection of memoir stories.
For almost a decade, Barbara shared her memoirs with Clarendon County through her column, Little Old Lady, bringing joy and laughter and thoughtfulness to local residents each week. At the age of 91, Barbara enjoyed sharing her life and insights, and she reveled in the lovely comments she received from readers.
Now, as Barbara leaves The Manning Times to make the permanent move to Tennessee to be near her daughter, Clarendon County loses a treasured friend and columnist.
Two quotes will remain with me as I think of Barbara. She keeps her favorite quote framed on a shelf and considers it her motto. “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”
The other is her signature poem, also her favorite, and she quoted it to me from memory.
“Will there be new sandy shores to stroll
Warm sunny mornings for our lover’s gaze
Or has the luster of the world been dimmed
And are we lost in our remembered days.”
As Barbara leaves us to move on to the next chapter in her story, I will imagine her continuing to dance in the rain, spreading her joy and peace to those around her. Clarendon County will long stay lost in the remembered days spent reading her words, sharing in her life’s adventures and gleaning wisdom from her experiences.
Barbara, you will be missed, you are loved, and the luster of our corner of the world has indeed been dimmed. Farewell, my friend.
