As a mother and wife, there was no one more devoted than she was. Never once did she ever even hint at regretting giving up designing. Her life was not easy as a wife and mother.
When our father was diagnosed with leukemia, they made the difficult decision to move from Houston to a ranch they had bought in Louisiana. Our Daddy remained in Houston to work and he came home on weekends. The 500 mile round trip got to be a bit much so it eventually changed to him coming home every other weekend. He wanted to make sure his sons knew how to run a ranch and make a living so Mamma would not have to go outside the home to work.
So, there is our mother, 15 miles from any town on an 850 acre ranch with a herd of cattle and 8 children. But she managed everything and everyone with such grace. She never lost her flair for fashion. I remember her wearing dresses and pearls even on the ranch!
Our mother was the prime example of Christ-like sacrificial, unconditional love. She was the most selfless person I have ever known. Her children were her world, and we knew it! She was our biggest cheerleader. In her eyes we could do no wrong. She instilled confidence in us.
One day as I was visiting with her, in her older years, I saw a piece of paper sitting on the table in front of her with 3 words on it – self-confidence, courage, faith. I asked her about it and her comment was, “If you have these 3 things you can do anything.” And she exemplified this through her life.
When our daddy retired for health reasons, she was the sole caregiver for 9 years with no complaints. He passed away in 1979.
In the early 1980’s, I found a cardboard box in the bottom of her closet with the original 1939 pictures of the historical dolls. I contacted a professional photographer to help me find a special album to preserve the pictures in. He was quite intrigued by the pictures and story behind them. When Christmas came that year, the family presented this album to her, which was a huge surprise and which she cherished.
A year or two later, we gifted her with a trip back to New York City. She had not been back in almost 44 years. She retraced many of her steps from decades earlier. She stayed at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, toured Traphagen School of Fashion and the Effanbee Doll Company. Needless to say, it was a highlight for her!
Whether one knew her as a designer, mother, or an ordinary person, she was the same incredible person no matter what. Everyone that knew her loved her. She was a gracious lady of tremendous integrity. She had incredible inner strength, was very wise, exhibited utmost dignity, had monumental faith, and was truly a virtuous woman.
When she passed away in 1994, I remember the pastor describing her with words that all started with “P,” saying she was a woman of:
Principles
Priorities
Purpose
Patience
Perseverance
Persistence
Peace
Positivity
Pleasantness
Patriotism
Prayer
I think of the Scriptures that describe a virtuous woman, “Strength and dignity are her clothing. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. HER CHILDREN RISE UP AND BLESS HER….” and that is what we do today.
Thank you for the opportunity to honor our mother – a long overdue honor. We are so very proud to be here to “unveil” who the mystery designer is of the incredible Effanbee Historical Dolls. Her talent in the designing world is evident to all.
We give a BIG thank you to Tammy Trujillo for the passion and love she has for these dolls. Had it not been for her incredible website, I would still be searching for the story of these dolls. She has done a phenomenal job in putting this presentation together. The time, effort, research, and love she has put into this website is beyond one’s comprehension. So, my family and I thank Tammy for everything she has done to bring this recognition to our mother and the dolls she created.
Yvonne Caps with one of the 14 inch replica dolls and the album she had made for her Mother, Sharmel Elliott, showing the original picture of the Display Series version of the doll 1711 Colonial Prosperity