Faye McMinn, Genealogy Librarian Passes Away 2/3/2009

*****Mrs. Faye McMinn, a volunteer with the Pittsburg-Camp County Public Library for more than 28 years, passed away on Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at the age of 91.*****

February 12, 2009

This is much more difficult to write than I could have imagined. I knew the day would come, but I would never be fully prepared for it. When you work side by side with someone everyday for more than 20 years, you get to know each other very well. You knew that at 11:00 a.m., Faye would have a chicken wrap, a hash brown patty, and a Dr. Pepper. Having owned and operated Dr. Pepper and Double Cola bottling plants, Dr. Pepper was her favorite. We often teased her that if that was the secret to a long life, we had better begin our Dr. Pepper habit now, as we were not getting any younger either. And who would not want to live to the wonderful age of 91 – especially if you could still drive yourself to work everyday. She only recently stopped driving, and she was not happy about that.

I remember when I began working with her, I was not used to working on my feet all day. She was. I nearly killed myself the first few weeks trying to keep up with her, which was really embarrassing when you were 30 years old and she was 72. Not only that, I was working in flat shoes and she was wearing heels. She had my admiration from the get-go.

We learned that it would take a long time to catch up with her knowledge. That is something we have lost a lot of in the past year- knowledge. Mr. Abernathy, Granny Syble, Judge Combest, Faye and many others had so much of our history within them.

Over the years, Faye slowed down a little and we were better able to catch up with her. On her 90th birthday, her family donated a granite bench to the library in honor of her years of public service. She always referred to it as ‘her chair’. At least three days last week, we found a Dr. Pepper can next to ‘her chair’. I do not know what you all may believe, but I know the feeling that came over us when we found the cans – she is still checking up on us. And I have a feeling she always will. Faye McMinn, we miss you. We loved you and you loved us. We knew it; we felt it and are better because of it. Thank you for sharing your life with us.

For information about the library, to make a memorial donation, or to place a book on reserve, please contact us at any of the following: Pittsburg-Camp County Public Library, 613 Quitman Street, Pittsburg, TX 75686; 903-856-3302 voice; 903-856-0591 fax; or pccpl@sbcglobal.net