Editor’s Note: Ann Moran, one of Miami Mom Collective’s founding contributors, passed from this life on July 1, 2025. She loved her family deeply, and her love for Jesus led her to love and serve her neighbors and community in eternally impactful ways. In this tribute, which she wrote in August of 2018, she generously shared lessons she learned from her mother. We’ve republished it to honor her memory and share some of her wisdom with you.
Betty, who just completed her ninetieth year, was born a farm girl from Grandville, Michigan, number 8 of 10 children. She had no indoor plumbing until high school. She worked in the fields every summer. Bread was homemade. Amazing! Betty married at 20 and started a family. The first 4 children came in 5 years. Four more children followed over a span of 13 years. The last one was born when she was 43.
Betty is an inspiration to me in taking life a day at a time.
Betty is my mom, and I do not remember her complaining about the hard work of raising kids. She loved us kids and we knew it. She did not have the benefit of a car so all the shopping had to be done at night or on the weekends. A washing machine was in the cold basement next to a coal burning furnace, a staple for Michigan families. Clothes were hung up to dry in the basement or outside if the weather permitted. (I personally think that washing machines and dryers are the greatest inventions created for moms!)
As the children came along she gave each one loving attention and trained the older ones to assist and be kind to the younger ones. By 1960 she had a car but still bore the responsibility of grocery shopping and purchasing clothes for 6 children. Today we can buy clothes and groceries, gifts and household items online and they simply need to be picked up or they are delivered to our door!
In Mom’s day, every child had a job to do and was expected to complete it regularly.
Mom had the good fortune of marrying a physician. However, having come from humble means, she and my dad kept a tight budget and taught the value of saving money and sharing our good fortune with others.
Though she had many blessings, life was not always easy. Mom tended to look on the good side. Mom loved playing games and competing with her kids. She was quick to share with not so fortunate friends and relatives.
Getting 8 children through school and college was quite a feat. When the last one went off to college, Betty looked for other ways to utilize her talents. She went to the neighborhood elementary school to volunteer and became a mentor to a Haitian family who had lost their mother to AIDS. There were 4 children, ages 2nd grade to 5th grade, who were also infected with AIDS. Betty taught them hygiene skills and housekeeping, brought them swimming at her pool, took them shopping for school clothes and followed them through middle school and into adulthood.
What did I learn from my mom about being a mom?
- Look for the good in whatever comes your way.
- Have fun with your kids.
- Our capacity to give and love lasts a lifetime.
- Never give up on your kids.
- Always look for an opportunity to communicate.
Updated July 2025
