Mary Lee Sandifer (b. January 05, 1904, d. May 04, 1990)
Mary Lee Sandifer (daughter of Charlie Otho Sandifer and Etta Anna Cain)1 was born January 05, 1904 in Live Oak/Adina, Bastrop Co., Texas1, and died May 04, 1990 in Gridley, California1. She married Horace Earl Wicker on August 31, 1930 in Greer Co., OK2.
Notes for Mary Lee Sandifer: [gregory1.FTW]
Rosemary Gregory, wrote in a short story, "Not One! Not Two! Not Three!" about her mother, Mary Lee Sandifer's kitchen. She said that it "had several locations in Live Oak (California); however, the great food that was produced was not altered by the location. May was an artist when it came to shipping up an Angel Food Cake. It was always the peak of perfection, light, fluffy, moist, and golden brown. One time, while living on Pennington Road just south of the high school she became the proud owner of a kerosene stove and her maiden voyage was to bake her specialty, an Angel Food Cake. The new stove passed the acid test. It baked the perfect cake. This project always resulted in making two cakes. The yolk of the eggs was always made into a sponge cake. When the family moved to the Buttes at the Vantress Chicken Ranch, these cakes were a family staple. This cake recipe became a traditional birthday cake for family celebrations.
GRAMMY WICKER'S ANGEL FOOD CAKE
A 9 inch Tube Pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift twice: 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups sugar Sift separately before measuring 1 cup cake flour Resift the flour 3 times with 1/2 cupful of the sifter sugar and: 1/2 ts. salt Whip until foamy: 1 1/4 cups egg whites (10 to 12 egg whites) 2 Tb. water 1 Tb. lemon juice Add: 1 ts. cream of tartar Whip the egg whites until stiff; but not dry. Gradually whip in about 1 Tb, at a time, 1 cup sifted sugar. Fold in: 1 ts. vanilla 1 ts. almond extract Sift about 1 cup of the sugar and flour misture over the batter. Fold in gently. Continue, until all the mixture is used. Pour the batter into an ungreased tube pan. Bake about 45 minutes. To cool, turn upside down over milk bottle." **** From left to right ... Cornelia & husband Ormond O. Sandifer, Mary Lee Sandifer Wicker, Weldon W. & his wife Ruby Lee Williams Sandifer.
Photo taken on 19 July 1970 at the "pea farm" -- Ormond Sandifer's home - Cottonwood, TX
Candace, sorry this is not very "bright" -- my 35 mm camera was almost worn out! REALLY. That is what they told me when I took it to be fixed. I was living in Washington, D.C. at the time & literally wore a Minolta 35 mm camera out. :o) **** Candace,
Weldon Woodrow Sandifer and wife, Ruby Lee Williams Sandifer, visiting daughter Suzanne Sandifer in Arlington, VA --Photo taken on 6 June 1965.
We MUST have been going to church. Daddy never dressed like this unless he was going to a funeral or church -- or, while visiting me in the D.C. area (Arlington, VA), he would dress up if we were going to a fancy restaurant or play, etc. And, Candace, all the ladies wore "short" gloves as you can see from what mother was wearing.
Speaking of gloves, that reminds me of my Aunt Mary Lee Wicker (your "Grammy"). The summer of 1958, mother, daddy, Yvonne Sandifer Peevy and her daughter Stephanie Denise Peevy (she hates Stephanie) and I started from Kermit, TX in our almost new 1957 Plymouth --- with those big fins on the back and was that car ever long & loaded for this trip. This trip lasted about six weeks and we went to New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, California (Live Oak & Gridley), and then back to Texas, bringing your "Grammy" to Texas with us. That is when the picure I sent of her was made -- at the Train Depot in Monahans on her way back to California from Texas. Believe me, that was SOME trip -- it was mainly for "daddy's nerves" and he had just retired from the Lumber Company. All I can say, is it was SOME trip that I will never forget. Denise was about 3 years old and you were in a highchair being fed, the first time I saw you, Candace.
Anyway, back to the gloves and Aunt Mary Lee. We were all getting dressed on a Sunday morning to go to church. Uncle Horace was, as you know, unable to go due to emphazema. Aunt Mary Lee was putting on her "short white gloves" and asked me where mine were. I looked at her, probably with a big "question mark" on my face. Then I asked why did we all have to wear gloves. I was a curious gal (this is the summer between my Junior & Senior years in high school). Well, her answer was: "You just don't go anywhere without wearing gloves -- just think what you might catch from other people if you had to go to the bathroom. You never know where other people's hands have been -- and if you shake hands with people, well, the gloves protect you from germs or diseases." I can just hear her telling me that. Oh my, was it HOT when we were visiting in Live Oak -- in that valley -- and HUMID. Of course when one comes from "dry" West Texas where folks don't even know what "humid" means, well, it was HOT & HUMID in Live Oak and of course your grandfather Wicker could not have air conditioning for some reason -- due to his health, of course. NOW, you know the "glove" story!
I also remember from visiting in Live Oak that summer, I would sit with Aunt Mary Lee on the floor of the little closed-in back porch of their home. She would smoke one or two cigarettes and that was it. She told me she was "driving nails in her coffin." I can just see us sitting there as if it was yesterday. I think that was probably the only time of day she smoked. Also, while there, I was drying dishes as she was washing them. She handed me a plate, or whatever, and it was not clean so I handed it back to her. She looked at me and told me that a "good dish dryer always got off the plate what the dishwasher left on." ha! ha! I always felt close to her even though I was not with her much in her lifetime. Maybe I had those feelings because daddy loved her so much and as I understand it, she was very good to daddy during the depression era & when he was a kid and times were hard.
Oh yes, on the way back to Texas from California, of course Aunt Mary Lee came to Texas with us. I remember we stopped in Las Vegas (1958) for gasoline for the car -- there was the first "slot machine" I had ever seen -- and, at the "filling station" as they were called back then. Aunt Mary Lee got a coin out of her purse, put it in the slot machine, and won about triple of what she had put in. She took the coins (quarters, I think), put them in her purse and said she would not press her luck! She got more than she put in and she was stopping.
Here I go again -- "chatting" too much! I hope you are enjoying some of these little peices of "memories" I have.
I MUST close for tonight and will "try" to get back to you tomorrow night. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for me, getting mother situated at her temporary home, etc.
So goodnight and take care, your cousin (once removed), with love, Suzanne Sandifer
2 October 2000, Abilene, TX
More About Mary Lee Sandifer: Date born 2: January 05, 1904, TEXAS.3 Census 1: 1930, Page 8A, District 1, Wheeler, Wheeler Co., TX. Census 2: 1920, Page 12B, Precinct 1, Wheeler, Wheeler Co., TX. Died 2: May 04, 1990, BUTTE.3
More About Mary Lee Sandifer and Horace Earl Wicker: Marriage: August 31, 1930, Greer Co., OK.4 Marriage license: Book 12 Page 362 .5
Mary Lee Sandifer (b. January 05, 1904, d. May 04, 1990)
Notes for Mary Lee Sandifer: