Ethel May Piper

I was scanning through Erin's flikr page, and came across this photo of my great grandmother. This photo hangs in Pipers Quilts.

My daughter, Piper Rowan Dunlop, was named after my great grandmother, Ethel May Piper. I have always been a big fan of family names, especially when the person you are naming your child after was so amazing. She was a school teacher. I think she died at 105. Taught well into her 80s. She was married and had two daughters, Aline and Kathryn. Her husband died young. She was hopelessly in love with him. She talked about him often. She never remarried.

My grandma Aline was my favorite. Tough as nails. My grandma Aline wore big diamonds and loved the outdoors. She too worked well into her 80s. She and my grandpa Lincoln owned Schubach Jewlers. They ran the businesses together for years. My mom tells me stories of stinging pearls when she was a young girl. My mom learned to sew from my great grandma Piper. She was a rule breaker. She stayed up late eating ice cream and sewing, and she let my mom do anything she wanted. This is exactly how my mom is.

Piper and I come from a chain of hardworking, amazing women. I hope this is what I can pass on to my Piper girl.