WS Chronicle

By Mattie P. Sanders

Sixty people attended the 5th Hudley Family Reunion, descendants of Edmond and Bertha Davis Hudley, on Oct. 5 in Winston-Salem.

The theme on our T-shirts read: “A Family that Prays Together, Stays Together.” It gave us an assignment to do if we are to flourish. Relatives came from as far away as Philadelphia, Pa., and ranged in age from five months to 75 years old.

Edmond and Bertha were from the Bennettsville, S.C. area and together they gave birth to eight children, seven females and one male. All of them are now deceased, but the family brought them back to life when we lit candles that attested to their giant footsteps left for us to follow. The siblings were: Amie Hudley Folsom, Beatrice Hudley York, Pauline Hudley Lilly, Florence Hudley Powell, Marie Hudley Thompson, Jessie Hudley Blair, Ellen Hudley Warren and Clarence Hudley.

It was a one-day affair, but the time, love and effort that went into making it a success puts it in the realm of each member’s lifetime. The entire affair was held at the Oak Summit City Park and playground located at 370 Oak Summit Road in Winston-Salem.

We had a well-organized and fully packed program that provided honor to our family members who were and still are military veterans. They were honored with certificates and medals. There were dedication poems that challenged the family to take the baton and run on a little longer. Impromptu singing broke out which reminded us of the good old revival days that took place when we were growing up. We were favored with a praise dance that touched our very souls. We had line dancing, recognition of our educators, entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, author, coaches, caterers, designers and more.

The children were treated to a special celebration when the Winston Salem Fire Department showed up and stretched their imaginations and tested their knowledge of what to do if there is a fire that is threatening their lives. They learned about the fire equipment, the reasoning behind the clothes worn and the gadgets associated with the truck itself.

One of the biggest and most attention getting activity had to do with the FOOD. There was a lot of it – there was food galore. There were all kinds of meats, vegetables, starches, casseroles, drinks and desserts. No one left the facility with an empty stomach!

Our lone family member who stepped outside of the box and took the responsibility of organizing the reunion was Lisa Renee Moore Banner. She recruited individuals to help her and her hard work resulted in the beautiful Hudley Family Reunion. Kudos to Lisa for a job well done. Our thanks to her was an engraved Pyrex casserole dish that told of how she “cooked up” a dynamite Hudley Family Reunion, along with a framed certificate showing the entire family’s thankfulness.

The Hudley Family is hoping that Lisa’s hard work inspired the next Hudley to take on the effort of organizing the next Hudley Family Reunion.