Newspaper, Profile of Lottie Price Corley, LaSalle Parish La.




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Copied by: Pat Ezell. PatEzell@worldnet.att.net
Submitted by: Kathy LeMay Kelly, P.O. Box 219, Trout, La. 71371
From the Jena Times - Olla Tullos Signal Wednesday, April 19, 2000, Section B,
Page 5
Thank You to the Times -Signal for allowing the following to be added to the
Archives. 
A Times-Signal Feature...."Citizen Profile" A Very Special Salute 
There are not many people like this week's Citizen Profile, Lottie Price
Corley. At the age of 88, she still lives by herself, works a good sized
garden, and walks three miles every day - rain or shine.
Mrs. Lottie Price Corley, who lives in the Magnolia Community in southern
LaSalle Parish, is really a unique individual. Her outlook on life and her
zest for living is practically unmatched while she still maintains a core of
beliefs that has guided her throughout her entire life.
Mrs. Corley was born on January 10, 1912, in Little Creek, to Willie Leon and
Mary Hudson Price. Mr. Price was a farmer and worked for the Good Pine Lumber
Company for many years.
She attended several schools while growing up, including the Kitterlin Creek
School, the Hurricane Creek School, the Duke Creek School and the Good Pine
School. She went until the eighth grade.
While going to Hurricane Creek, she met a young boy by the name of Franklin
Corley, who years later would become her husband. But during those early years
there wasn't anything romantic that took place.
"We sent to the Hurricane Creek School together, but there wasn't any lovebugs
early on," Mrs. Corley said. "Years later, we saw each other again on a house
boat on the river and that's when the love bugs started."
He was 28 and she was 22 when they met again on the river. They wrote a letter
or two to each other after the meeting, and one month later he asked her to
marry him.
"When he popped the question I was 22 years old," she said, "so I ought to of
had my mind made up by that time."
Of course, she said "Yes" and the two were married in 1934. They lived in
Trout for the first few months of marriage, while Mr. Corley worked for the
timber company. Then, later that year, Mr. Corley built a house in the
Magnolia Community and he went to work for Bodcaw Timber.
"I've lived in this same house now for over 65 years," Mrs. Corley said. "This
is home, and I don't plan on going anywhere else."
When they got married, Mrs. Corley told her future husband to not purchase her
a big ring with diamonds in it. "I told him I didn't want diamonds," she said.
"You can't dig tatters with diamonds."
Early on, the Corley's had all types of livestock around their home, including
approximately 75 heard of cattle, several hogs, and a hen house full of
chickens. "We would always have fresh milk and eggs and plenty of meat to go
along with it," she said. "And Franklin loved to fish, so we always had fresh
fish as well."
Not only did her husband like to fish and hunt, but Mrs. Corley did also. She
used to be an avid squirrel and duck hunter and still shoots an occasional
wild animal that ventures into her yard. 
"I liked all that fishing and hunting too," she said. "I've killed a many duck
in that lake and my share of squirrels too. I'll still shoot the squirrels,
coons, opossums, and chicken snakes if they get to messing with my garden."
Mrs. Corley remembers many times she and Mr. Corley would be laying in bed
late at night and hear the chickens making noise due to something being in the
hen house. "I'd go out with my gun when the chickens would be fussing and I'd
kill whatever it was in there," she said. "Franklin would hear me shoot and
whenever I got back into the house he'd always ask me if I was all right. He
wouldn't ask me what it was or what I killed, he just wanted to know if I was
okay."
Over the years, both Mr. and Mrs. Corley have killed their share of big game,
however, you will not find any deer heads or squirrels mounted in their house.
"I just never did like having a bunch of deer heads or other things like that
in my house," she said. "My pictures of my family are my trophies."
Above her mantel and on other walls in her house, are many collages of
photographs of her family, which includes her two children, five grandchildren
and 5 great grandchildren, along with their spouses.
In 1984, Mr. Corley passed away after an extended illness. Mrs. Corley counts
herself blessed to have been beside his bed when the end finally came. "The
day that he passed away I was fortunate to be right there, " she said. "I
ended up being right there when he took his last breath. God blessed me with
that."
Mrs. Corley said that when she got married it was for better or worse, for
richer or poorer, and until death did they part. "When you get married, I
think you should love one another and make things better," she said. "If you
don't love them then don't get married."
She also said that God commands that for two people to stay together in
marriage no matter what. "What God joins together let no man put asunder," she
said. "That's what the Bible says and that's what God means. I've been to some
weddings and they (couple) didn't last 3 or 4 years. That's not how God
intended it."
The Corley's had been married for 50 years and had a good marriage according
to Mrs. Corley. But after Mr. Corley died, Mrs. Corley said she knew she had
to go on with life.
"I didn't come back and wish that he was back here with me: she said. "I knew
that he was in a much better place so I went on with my life. I think that is
what God would want us to do."
Mrs. Corley has been living by herself now for 15 years, and even though she
is 88 years old, she has no intentions of slowing down. "I've been walking
everyday for 15 years," she said. "Everyday I get up and go walking - 2 miles
in the morning and then every evening I walk another mile. I've got to stay in
shape."
Mrs. Corley said that she walks everyday, no matter what the weather is like.
"People tell me that I shouldn't walk in the rain, but I say well I just went
in the bathtub and got wet and I didn't get sick so a little bit of rain is
not gonna hurt me either," she said.
Although Mrs. Corley is 88 years old, she says she doesn't feel that old at
all. "Age is a matter of the mind," she said. "If you don't mind, it doesn't
matter."
"A lot of people are ashamed of their age, but not me," she continued. "I'm
proud I've lived this long and I've got a lot more living to do." 
Mrs. Corley said that every year, when she has a birthday, she goes down in
front of her church and has to put in a penny for every year she's had a
birthday. 
"I tell them I'm working on 100, so I can put in a dollar,: she said. "One
person at the church said that when I get to 100 he's gonna buy me a dozen
roses. I told him he'd better start saving his money because a dozen roses is
gonna cost him a pretty good bit."
Her good health and long life is attributed to two things - her faith in God
and taking care of her body. "People need to eat right and take care of
themselves," she said. "Eat a good breakfast and a good dinner, but eat good
food and drink lots of milk."
She also said that people need to get rid of many bad habits that they have,
when it comes to what they're putting into their bodies. "I condemn this
tobacco, drinking and cokes," she said. "People wonder why they're hurting
here and hurting there, well, just look at all that junk they're putting in
their body."
Mrs. Corley said that she is the oldest member of Magnolia Baptist Church,
which is located just down the road from her house. "I've been going to
Magnolia Baptist Church ever since I got here," she said. "I help keep it
clean and I go down early on Sunday morning and Wednesday nights to turn the
heat on or the air conditioner, whatever the weather calls for that day."
Her faith in God has remained unshaken for many years, and she said that she
never worries about what's going to happen. "When something happens, I say
don't worry about it," she said. "That's the way God planned it. You didn't
plan it, God did."
She also warned people about their prayer life. "You'd better be particular
about what you pray for," she said. "You just might get it."
Mrs. Corley said that her best friend in the whole world is her Lord. "The
Lord is my friend, my neighbor," she said. "He consoles me when I'm down and
He just meets my every need. I try to live my life to please Him."
She also encouraged everyone to be careful about condemning other
denominations. "Everybody don't believe a like," she said. "Don't judge one
another, He'll be the judge. You just live a life that is presentable to Him."
Mrs. Corley also said that while times have changed drastically over the years
in America, a lot has changed for the better but some things have changed for
the worse. "There are so many things you can do now that you couldn't do in
years past," she said. "We didn't have no washing machines or dryers or things
like that, so a lot has been for the better. Some people call those hard times
the 'good old days', but to me, there ain't no better days than today."
However, Mrs. Corley did admit that some things have changed for the worse.
While modern inventions and conveniences have made life easier, morality has
taken a spiraling plunge.
"One thing that hurt me is that now we have to lock the church house doors,"
she said. "But people are so wicked today they'll steal from God's house."
She also said that people today do not tell the truth like her generation was
brought up to do and that there doesn't seem to be as much love for their
fellow neighbor as there once was.
"You're supposed to be good and kind to one another, not mean and hateful,"
she said. "And I say tell the truth. Every time you tell a lie you have to
remember it so that you can tell another one so you won't get caught. If
you'll just tell the truth from the start you don't have to worry about it."
"Everybody knows that Lottie will tell you the truth and will not lie," she
said. "If I tell you something it's the truth or I don't know it ain't the
truth."
Another change in American from years gone by is the way parents are bringing
up their children. "People gripe about not correcting youngins," she said.
"But you can't let them do everything, you need to teach them before they go
to school. I also don't understand why parents don't make their children go to
school or got to church. It was never an option when I was growing up."
Mrs. Corley says that she tries to live her life by the motto of loving
everyone. "Love is the most important thing," she said. "I try to love
everybody, know matter who it is."
She also said that one of the things she enjoys the most is getting the
opportunity to share love with other people. "Someone gave me a card not long
ago that says "The love you share with others is the best love of all," she
said. "Everyday I try to share some love with someone else."
One of the ways she expresses her love is her generosity. Her two favorite
hobbies include gardening and quilting. Both of which she uses to bless other
people by giving food and quilts away.
"My garden is my joy and my favorite thing to do is quilting," she said. "I
give away more stuff than I eat out of that garden and a lot of people have
quilts that Lottie made."
Mrs. Corley has made a quilt for nearly every member of her family and with
each new great-grandchild, another quilt is made. Her garden is called her
"heaven on earth", and nearly everyday you can find her working in it.
"I just love being active and it just so happens that the things I enjoy doing
are things that I can share with other people," she said. "And that brings a
whole new kind of satisfaction as well."
She also still makes homemade mayhaw jelly, which is also given out to family
and friends.
Mrs. Lottie Corley is a treasure to this parish, and a one of a kind. The love
she has for others is not just talked about, it is demonstrated every day, and
the love she has for life is an example for the young and old alike.
During the interview, Mrs. Corley made this statement, "I used to be a doll,
and now I'm an old woman." Well, Mrs. Lottie, everyone that knows you agrees
that no matter what your age, you will always be a "doll."