Milford CT--Lavenia Green Faulkner Robertson of Milford CT passed away at CT Hospice in Branford on June 18, 2023 a little over a month shy of her 96th birthday. Known as Beanie to some, Memi to others and mom to her seven children, she was born in Alert, Sandy Creek Township, Franklin County, North Carolina on July 24, 1927. She was the daughter of the late Sidney Franklin Faulkner, and Lelia Hale Faulkner.
Lavenia was nicknamed Veanie and then Beanie by her older sister Pat who was too young when Beanie was born to pronounce Lavenia. As a very young child, Beanie remembered having ice cream suppers at her grandparents' home. In the early 30's, however, her grandparents lost their farm and life became very hard as it did for many during the Great Depression. Her family moved eight times, always staying in the community. Food was often scarce. Sometimes all they had to eat was peanut butter and Karo syrup on a biscuit. When she was old enough, she went to work in the fields alongside her mother and brothers stripping tobacco and chopping cotton. What sustained her was the love and faith of her parents along with family stories, sibling pranks, laughter, and school. Her mother, who could not read or write at the time, wanted her daughter to have an education so she sent Beanie to school. It wasn't hard to make her go every day. She loved school. With her natural curiosity and encyclopedic memory, she excelled. Plus, she made lifelong friends. By the time she was in the eighth grade, she was almost six foot tall with long auburn hair. She was a striking young woman who knew so many people in the community and was so well trusted that at election time she was allowed to sit in the room where people voted and vouch for those who could not sign their names.
After graduation from Gold Sand High in 1944 where she was a National Honor Society member as a well as a champion basketball player, she moved to Henderson NC to pursue a career with the US Cadet Nursing Corps. While waiting to meet the age requirement, she got a job in a textile mill. A year later, she met the love of her life, a handsome young marine just home from the South Pacific. They met and married in less than a week on Christmas Eve 1945. It was a whirlwind courtship that turned into a 57 year marriage. Six months after she married, she and her husband, James P. Robertson, left NC and moved to Bridgeport CT, a rapidly growing industrial and manufacturing center. Four years later with three children in tow and one on the way she and her husband moved into their home in Stratford CT.
They didn't have furniture but they had a home. She loved her new home and she loved living in Stratford. She raised her seven children there and considered them her greatest achievement. She wanted them to become loving, caring, honest, and responsible individuals who knew right from wrong.
She told her children she would always love them no matter what they did. She gave them her unconditional love. She also told them, however, that if they did something wrong, she was going to let them know. True to her word, she did. She was proud of her children and would often tell them "I love you with all my heart."
In the 1960's she went to work, first working part time in retail at Alexander's at the Milford Post Mall and then at Brooks Hirsh in Fairfield. She moved on to a full-time position in the accounting department at the Acme United Corporation where she remained until she retired at age 70. She enjoyed working and had fond memories of her many co-workers. At work, she was known as Memi. This was the nickname her husband gave her shortly after they met. He did not care for the nickname Beanie. It simply didn't fit her tall graceful stature.
She loved to sew. She could combine or rework a pattern to give it her own flare. When her children were young, she made most of their clothes. She enjoyed decorating, and was passionate about gardening. Her yard was filled with beautiful flowers. She loved to shop for presents and little treasures and delighted in receiving them. She was also an avid reader. It was not unusual for her to be reading two and sometimes three books at a time. Her mother once said if they made a statue of her, she would have to have a book in her hand.
She will be remembered for her beauty, grace, charm and incredible memory. She was great at Jeopardy and often knew more than Ancestry about her many relatives.
She is survived by her children Juan P (Julianne) of Long Beach, CA; Paula Denike (James) of Newtown, CT; Cheri Scholl of Milford, CT; Timothy (Kate) of Phoenix, AZ; Russell (Jing) of San Bernardino, CA; son-in-law, Thomas Bryk, Derby, CT; sister-in-law, Carolyn Faulkner of Franklin, VA; dear friend, Andrew Lerer, NJ; six grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, three great great grandchildren, two nieces and three nephews.
She was predeceased by her husband, James Paul Robertson, of Stratford, CT; son Donald of NYC; daughter Kyle Bryk of Manassas, VA and her son-in-law William P. Scholl of Milford who welcomed her into his home for the last 10 years of her life. She was also predeceased by her brother, David Lee (Fannie) of Rolesville, NC; Sidney Franklin (Fayelene) of Henderson, NC; Charles Fenner (Gladys) of Butner, NC; sister Pattie Mae of Alert, NC and one grandchild.
"A great Lady has passed."
A Tribute to Mom will be held at the family's convenience.
Paid obituary |
