Gigi’s Celebration of Life
At Chisholm Vineyards, we like to say, Create Your Own Story. We’ve got a story to tell and it begins with my grandmother, Mary Jane Chisholm otherwise known as Gigi. Our story starts years before Chisholm Vineyards opened its doors 10 years ago.
Gigi’s life was full and she readily shared her stories until the end. There were stories about growing up in Russell, Kentucky, a small town on the Ohio River. Her earliest memories were of playing in the neighborhood with all of the other children. They had singing and dancing performances in her garage and charged safety pins for the shows. She worked in her parent’s Grocery store where she learned about human nature and working with the public. Customers would phone in their orders, asking for menu advice, and even have them pickup prescriptions from the pharmacy across the street and bring in their milk delivery to the fridge. There were stories about when the river flooded and how the community would come together, sharing food and helping each other. Gigi said of her childhood that it was very free from worry and very innocent and that she did not feel a lot of pressure.
Her greatest stories ever told were about the love of her life, E. Morris Chisholm or Sweetie. In April of 1945, Morris, then 23, was sent to Russell, Kentucky, from Louisa, Virginia, for a Haley, Chisholm and Morris job on the largest privately owned railroad yard in the world. He boarded in “ole Ms. Sutton’s house,” which just happened to be next door to the home of Mary Jane, then 19. Ms. Sutton told Mary Jane that a nice young gentleman from Virginia was there but would go home if he didn’t meet anyone soon. With a sense of duty to welcome this poor young man, Mary Jane went over for lemonade on the porch, and their courtship began. They were married 7 months later, in November of 1945.
Many stories of farm life were shared. In the beginning, in 1945 when my grandfather purchased Adventure Farm, it was a challenging life for her. At one point she told Sweetie, “If you wanted a farm girl, you should have married one.” She refused to learn how to milk a cow because she knew she would be the one doing it when Sweetie could not get home in time. Somehow, the most difficult times became the best times. She was happy when they settled down in one place, made good friends, and had children. She said, “We sang and danced and farmed and had a good time”. Gigi loved to dance and sang her entire life. At 97 years old, she could remember a 1930’s song like it was yesterday. The songs she sang held the stories of her life.
In June of 2005, I had the pleasure of interviewing Gigi for a Story Corps project. Gigi’s story is one of over 700,000 held in the U.S. Library of Congress.
In the interview, Gigi offered a few words of wisdom. She said, “The most important thing in life is to try to do your best with anything you do. Love is very important, companionship and friendship, and just trying to treat your fellow man right.”
She told her great-grandson, “Whenever you tell someone you will do something you must always be truthful and always do what you say you will do.”
Family was everything to Gigi. Her brother Bob, who was 17 years younger, grew up visiting the farm in the summers. He called her Sissy and they had a special bond. Thanksgiving and Christmas brought everyone together and Gigi was always a gracious host. She taught me to never ask a guest “When are you leaving?” but rather to say “How long can you stay?” Every gathering became a story and every person involved holds these stories within them. Like the delicious meals she made for family and guests, the stories are meant to be shared.
Gigi planted the vineyard in 2005. As she said, “There’s only so much you can do with cattle.” Let’s sing and dance and raise a glass.
Gigi would love it.
