A Bit of Leah Vivian Sproles Barker

My mother’s name was Leah in the youngest part of her life. However, she was teased by other kids saying “Lear Sproles in Mud She Rolls. She was then called Vivian because, apparently, the rhyme didn’t work as well with Vivian as it with with Leah (or “Lear”).

I’ll have more about mother on this blog as I find things.

For today, when I was cleaning out the storage area of our home office, I ran across this picture of Mom and her family. It’s probably taken in the 1930’s and I”m sure it was taken in Mendota.

Sproles Family

Left to right: My maternal grandfather, Will Sproles; maternal grandmother, Eva Fleenor Sproles; Aunt Lou; Aunt Lorene (I hope I spelled that right); Mother, and Uncle Ralph.

Mother was wearing jeans…she was a tomboy and didn’t like dresses. This preference lasted all of her life.

There’s lots I can and will say about Mother, but today, I’ll sum it up with a letter she wrote to me. I look at it several times a year and wonder if she knew what a gift she was really leaving.

Mother's Letter to Me

Mother — I draw on that account every day.

Do you remember anything about my mother that I might not know?

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11 thoughts on “A Bit of Leah Vivian Sproles Barker

  1. Patsy

    Eva that is so sweet. I remember your Mom “helping” me make a jumper for Home Ec when I was in the 9th grade I think. Billy has lots of memories of her and your Dad. (He can get going sometimes.)

  2. Gayle

    Oh my goodness! That letter is totally priceless! Made me cry!! Thanks for sharing, and you look sooo much like her! Also, BTW, Uncle Ralph was a HOTTIE!!

    1. Eva Post author

      Gayle…Thank you! Thank you for reading about my mother. It makes me feel closer to her just speaking her name. And I am cracking up…we are way too much alike…that was the EXACT SAME words I said when I looked at Uncle Ralph! Verbatim. Hope I spelled verbatim right!

      Love you!!

  3. Alisa

    Eva, Such a treat! I shared this post with Andy. My mom’s name was “Edwina” in the “youngest part of her life”, but when she was a teenager her family moved and some boys in their new neighborhood asked my uncle what his sister’s name was and he said it was Bobbie (a popular name at the time), because she had always been teased before with “Edwina”… and it stuck! And to this day, she is “Bobbie”.

  4. Alisa

    Andy said his mom has the same picture. He has done alot of research on Ancestry.com on his dad’s mom’s (Norton) side of the family. He may start doing some of the Sproles side. Have you ever done any of that?

    1. Eva Post author

      Alisa…I have not,but my sister, Pat, has, and she knows quite a bit about your Will and Eva Sproles. They had very interesting lives. When he gets ready to start, we need to hook up with Pat.

  5. Lori Jessee Carter

    Hi Eva, just wanted to say hi and that I enjoyed this picture very much. My Mamaw (my great-grandmother and “Aunt Lou”) is in this picture too. What a great family!

    1. Eva Post author

      Lori…Thank you! We need to plan a reunion! Your cousin, Andy Lamb, and his wife will be here next weekend with their mother, LaVerne, who was your great grandmother Aunt Lou’s niece.

      Where do you live?

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