Throughout the years I have written about those special people who have graced the stage of my small hometown. It is usually in their passing when these memories occur or when they are brought up in a conversation as a memory is shared. The truth is that these strong personalities left an imprint on the lives of many and words cannot quite replicate the impact they have created simply by being a highly unique individual.
I thought of this when I heard about the loss of Ms. Gayle Foret, the mother to a long-time friend some know as "Dr. Chris." So many memories flooded my mind at once. I knew I would need time to let them settle to form a column worthy of her presence in my life. I even had to pray about it a few different times while I worked in my garden and my house. I just asked that He give me the words to honor a lady whose family had had such a significant bearing on multiple generations in Franklinton.
My grandmother left us at the ripe old age of 98 and took it to her grave that Dr. Gerry Foret was a part of the reason she had lived such a long healthy life. No doubt Dr. Foret would agree that was also mixed with her stubbornness. It was when I read the obituary of Ms. Gayle that I realized she had helped him manage their medical office for a few decades. This did not surprise me in the least because Ms. Gayle was just one of those southern ladies who filled up a room and could accomplish just about any task with dignity and grace, showing little signs of a sweaty brow.
One of the first friends I made when we moved back to Louisiana at the age of 5 was Chris. He would spell words that were not really words, but Ms. Gayle would often spell words around him that he was not supposed to hear, so he thought this was a "thing." I remember this because Ms. Gayle believed it so funny she would tell the story often.
Ms. Gayle was tall in stature, glamorous in fashion, and laughed loudly. She had a walk that was completely her own and any lady trying to mimic it would seem foolish. She could toss her head with a big smile and throw out a one liner tinted with her New Orleans Southern drawl to spur a laugh. When we were kids she drove a big van, and I will never forget the time she took our whole Sunday school class to Anything Goes in New Orleans. This was a short-lived themed restaurant with various settings at each table. It was my first time to try crab au gratin which was her recommendation. I had never heard of it, and it is still one of my favorites to this day.
What amazed me most as a young girl watching this great lady in my church and town was the way she made our town her own and yet was clearly a city girl with city style and a flourish of refined personality. I can venture to say that growing up I often heard the words "come here people" but she never hit that mark. She didn't really fit Franklinton, Franklinton fit her. I don't believe there was anyone or anything that would not fit her if it was her intention. And the beautiful tall red brick home we enjoyed as children and teenagers was just another extension of that style.
The Foret family has been a part of Franklinton literally since I was born, and in all honesty I cannot imagine what our town would have been like had they not set up shop right here.
Like every small pocket of this world, the community becomes the people who inhabit it, and thanks to Ms. Gayle for breathing into it her amazing spirit. We were blessed.
