May Livesley Martin, My Mother

May Livesley was born in Salford, England on March 24, 1919 to May and John Livesley of 80 Davies Street. She was christened into the Church of England at St. Simon's on April 16, 1919 by the Reverend J. Waring, Rector. She spent most of her childhood on Davies Street eventually moving to 41 Davies Street with her parents and brother Harold. As a child she attended St. Simon's School which merged after a number of years with St. Matthias. During World War II, she met and married a Canadian serviceman, Clarence Martin. After the war, they moved to Canada and eventually settled in New York.

Over the course of time, Mom lived in Huntington, Halesite, Hauppauge, Commack, and finally Kings Park. While living in Huntington in the Nathan Hale Apartments, she gave birth to me, Carole May, on March 31, 1951. After moving from the apartment to a small house in Halesite, she gave birth to my sister, Joan Deborah on February 19, 1954. We lived in Halesite until 1965 when we moved to a larger house in Hauppauge. We remained there until the death of my father in July, 1984 and then Mom and I moved into an apartment in Commack. I accepted a teaching position in Queens and moved in to be closer to my job, and once Mom got on in age, we moved her into the senior citizen apartments in Kings Park where she remained until her passing on October 6, 1996.

My Mom was always very special to me. One of the most prized possessions that I have is her last Christmas card to me which said how proud she was that I was her daughter. I will never forget my reaction or hers when I read that card. I starting crying and so did she and we shared a very special moment. Looking back over the years, Mom and I always had a little thing about getting cards with roses on for each other. My last Christmas card has a bouquet of roses on it, and it means more to me than anything. Last year I visited my Aunt Margaret in England and she brought out an envelope of pictures and things she had saved. One of the things she had was my birth announcement. I had never seen it before. On the cover was a tiny baby with roses all around her. I was overwhelmed to find that the roses had started with my birth. Thankfully my aunt said that I could have the card, and it has a place of honour next to Mom's last Christmas card.

I owe my Mom a lot since if it weren't for her, I know I never would have made it through college. I was the first one in the family to ever attend college, and there were times when it was rough, but Mom was always there. Another moment I'll never forget is how proud she was of me when I received my Master's degree. There was a look on her face that said everything that was in her heart. The greatest tribute I could give to my Mom is that one day I hope to be just like her.

I am happy knowing that I was one of my Mom's greatest joys in life. She had told me that many, many times. And though she is no longer with me, I know that one day I shall see her again. Until then, I have many memories to hold onto that I will always cherish.

I'd like to share some pictures of my Mom with you.

This is my Mom at about age 5. Her uncle was a professional photographer and this picture was in his window.	My Mom's Whitsun picture with her brother, Harold.		My Mom on skates. What a beauty!!

Mom's wedding picture. Since she was married during the war, white material could not be obtained, so she was married in pale green. To Mom's right is her father and seated next to him is May Grant. On the left of my father is the best man, and my grandfather's second wife, Mary, is seated next to him.	Mom with her only grandchild, Kailyn May Terlato.	This is the last picture I took of my Mom before she passed away October 6, 1996. It was taken in August, 1996 in front of her house.	My birth announcement "Baby Is Here!"
The last Christmas card my Mom gave me and one of my most prized possessions.