Mourning # 25
Driving down to County General
to see my dear old Ma
stopped at a light in the crosswalk
an ice cream cone on the ground
I thought that was so sad
they honked at me to go
an ice cream cone had fallen
some clumsy kid had lost a cone
I’m staying at Ma’s house while she’s
laid up, wondering if when she’s done
could I have her spoon collection
whether burial or cremation
they let me look through the tent
all we can do is wave
I’m thankful for the doctors and nurses
and all the people they can save.
---- Shirley Bannister, 57, and her daughter
Demetria Bannister, 28, died weeks apart in
South Carolina. Demetria, who died first was
an elementary school teacher while Shirley
was a gerontology nurse for 30 years before
becoming head of nursing at Midlands Tech.
Both were described as loving, caring, generous
helpers. Demetria was called “a spitting image
of her mother.” “She loved mentoring kids and
making learning fun.” She was known at Windsor
Elementary as “Windsor’s Songbird” because she
loved singing and organized student productions.
Initially she showed no symptoms and followed
all safety protocols. On Sept. 4 she was admitted
to the hospital and died 3 days later. A double
funeral was organized. Dennis Bannister, Shirley’s
husband and Demi’s father called them, “The
light of any room.”
