Hester Glivens Bookhardt, age 93, was given the gift of life on April 5, 1926. Born to the late Julius and Ella G. Jenkins, she was the last of seven children. Proceeding her in death were her four brothers, Julius Glivens Jr., David Glivens, Tommy Glivens, and George Glivens, and two sisters Janie Stroman, and Victoria Curtis.

She received what education she could from the Calhoun County School System. Hester grew up during a time when if you didn't work, you didn't eat. Along the way, having learned many lessons, life was Hester's teacher, and she was a student that mastered it well. Mama aqnd Papa, as she would say, raised her in the church. Hester worked tirelessly in St. Peter AME church all of her life. Not one known to hit a note, Hester has sung on the choir, served on the Usher Board, was a Stewardess and a Missionary, amongst countless other things.

Oh, how Hester adored her Mama, Papa, brothers, and sisters! God blessed her with a beautiful family. Like all children, there came a time when Hester was ready to create a family of her own.

For a while, it was Hester and her two young daughters, the late Sarah Winn Blanding and Carolyn Berry, until she met and married Joseph Bookhardt. To this union four beautiful daughters were born, Jometa (Earl) Gordon, the late Ella Bookhardt Moultrie, Vivian (Willie) Johnson, the late Lavenia Glivens. Then there was Aunt Noonie's (as she was affectionately called), beautiful niece Geraldine (Sis) --- whom she loved and helped take care of as a child, as if Sis were her own.

She loved to dress, cook, and enjoyed a clean house, but above all, Hester loved God, and she instilled the things she loved in each of her children. She had a passion for feeding others, as well.

To make sure her daughters had everything they needed, Hester worked many years taking care of others before retiring in 2013. She worked several years for Leroy and Barbara Seymour. Her heart was big. Hester cared for their three children, Barbara, Buddy, and Teddy, as if they were her own. Don't believe it, ask Teddy. He will tell you, "Can't nobody give a whipping like Hester!" Like her children, he knew she loved them.

Oh, how she loved her children, but those grandchildren were special! God blessed Hester with eight of them. Renee (Warren) Johnson, Sandra (Baron) DeLoach, LaWanda Tyler, Benjamin (Kellee) Watson, Denise (Mark) Thomas, Henry (Tonya) Berry IV, Sean Echols and Rafael Snider. "There's nothing like having grandchildren," Hester would say. As we said, life was Hester's teacher, and in her grandchildren, she instilled knowledge of their history and their civil and human rights. Most important to her was their education. In her home, you would find a set of encyclopedia's (her great-grandchildren and great-grandchildren now call google, but more about "grandma babies" in a minute) to help aid in that education.

During this time, Hester worked at The Methodist Oaks in Rowesville, SC, as a Nurse's Assistant. Hester was actively involved in her grandchildren's lives. They would go to her with raffles and fundraisers to sell for school or Girl Scout cookies to sell, and Hester would go to work with each of their sales sheets before long Hester was sending them back to school for another sales sheet because she had already filled every blank on their sheets with sales from work. She was an excellent saleswoman! Never one to give you a choice, Hester didn't ask if they would buy. She demanded it, and they did.

Hester left The Methodist Oaks and went into Private Duty Nursing in 1983, where she remained until semi-retirement in 1993.

Life wasn't always kind to her. Her beautiful daughters Lavenia, Ella, and Sarah and granddaughter Denise, preceded Hester in death. She would often say, "You don't know pain until you bury your child and grandchild, but having faith in God, I know I will see them again."

Blessed to have lived a long life, God saw fit to give Hester eighteen great-grandchildren. You think those grandchildren of hers were special, Honey, they didn't hold a candle to her great-grandchildren. Brianna, Kesmond, d'Aubrien, Debrauna, Ella-Chanel, Shamerha, d'Aerien, Kobi, Zaire, LaRon, Amaya, Henry, Ashlee, d'Aerrington, Carlo, Aaliyah, Aubrey, and Audree are my "google" babies. She often said her great-grandbabies came here smart. It made Hester proud knowing the sacrifices she and many before them made.  They now have options one couldn't dream of when she was a child, for they live in a world today where anything is possible. When she was their age, Hester didn't have the same rights they have due to her gender and the color of her skin. One of her proudest moments was knowing they will never believe a black person can not be President or anything else they may want to be!

God didn't stop there. Oh No, he truly blessed Hester when he saw fit for her to live to see her legacy continue. She has four great-great-grandchildren. While she's not going to be here to see them grow up like she did her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, Hester was blessed beyond measure to have Princess's Maddison, and Riley, and Prince's Kimani and Sir-Elgin. She knew they would continue to carry the torch she left behind. Hester made sure to lay the foundation for them.

God Has blessed Hester tremendously! Not done showing favor, he gave her countless nieces, nephews, both grand and great. All were special to her in their unique way. Hester has numerous cousins, in-laws, and friends, and they meant more to her than they could imagine.