I Have Always Wanted To Be A Wicked Woman

This title is a statement from Agnes herself during a snippet of her one woman show performed on the "Hollywood Palace" show in 1966 just as she is launching into a reading of Proust's piece "Swanns Way" from his publication "Remembrances of Times Past."  The main character is Odette de Crecy, a courtesan, who ultimately marries a wealthy man named Charles Swann. The character of Odette Swann appealed to Agnes for many possible reasons.

1. Odette De Crecy Swann was the original Madame Mauve.  It was her color she wore it in some manner with every single outfit she put on or as Agnes would say, "As often and as safely as I can."
2. Odette was a real woman.  A courtesan in Paris at the end of the 19th century Odette was famous for her flamboyance and outrageous behavior,  
3. Odette was a courtesan, a scarlet woman, sold by her own mother as a child
4. Odette was a sexual adventurer. She loved men and women.  She was bisexual and Proust was very open about the lesbianism in the story of Madame Swann.
5. Odette was successful and ultimately or unfortunately she ended up at the top of society in Paris at the turn of the century.

Remember that Odette was courtesan and that was immensely different that being a prostitute who is a street walker.  Courtesans are prostitutes with very wealthy clients.  They often carry on very public relationships with their clientele who were either male or female.  They were a part of the demimonde or half world.  They lived with incredible freedom and in very opulent homes.  They operated public and often had salons of followers who joined them for various and sundry private events.  This is all hinted at in the piece delivered by Agnes.  Doesn't it make you wonder why on earth she would select this of all things to deliver on a public television broadcast?

Well I Have Been A Wicked Woman Many Times

Not a statement casually spoken by Agnes during the performance but a fact as she goes on to say "on the stage, in movies, on television, it felt wonderful and I got it out of my system that way, thank goodness."  Well, in all honesty I think that at the age of 65 most people have gotten it out of their system and it's more a condition that anything else.  Our bodies work that way as we age.  The wickedness of our youth becomes a thing of the past because of hormones.  We would rather read a book than climb into bed and frolic about.  We tire of sex because our bodies are built to do so.  Just as they are built to enjoy the sexuality and sexual experiences of our youth.  Where am I going with this?  Read on my dear, read on.

Recently my attention was directed to an interview conducted with the character actor and stand up comedian Will Jordan.  It was long and discussed many well known people and their personalities from Jackie Gleason to Douglas Fairbanks Junior.  It discusses things we already know like Maurice Chevalier's famous cheapness and things we may not have known like Louis B. Mayer pumping John Barrymore full of morphine to keep him going.  I read it and then, then I ran into a blurb that, quite frankly, blew my mind.  I put it down and walked away from it.  I came back reread it and then walked away again.  Ever since my mind has been going a million miles per minute.  I've debated discussing it here for hours at a time.  Then finally I made up my mind to write this piece.  But not without hesitation and much consideration.

In My Most Exotic Moments

First, I think it's important to define the word exotic,  Why? Because it is a word used repeatedly by authors of every ilk who have written about Agnes since she started her rise to the top of the genre of radio.  It is particularly common in newspaper bits about her in the 1930's when she was a voice who required description.  She was described as beautiful, exotic, elegant, regal and the list goes on making impossible to provide every reference here.  They describe her hair in great detail, her movements, her clothing, her eyes, which by the way are described as blue green and stunning, her speech, the way she walked.  Every possible thing about her was described vividly so that audiences got a picture of who they were listening to.

So, what does exotic mean? This: "strikingly, excitingly, mysteriously, different or unusual."  Now I know that many people only associate Agnes with the films of the 1940's and 50's or with bewitched and while she is beautiful in each of those periods she was drop dead gorgeous in the late 1920's and 1930's.  Just amazingly seductive, listen to "Dracula", every single time she spoke on the radio.  Listen to her work with Orson Welles as Margo lane.  She had a voice that would melt chocolate with a face and body that worked it like a room at The Sands.  Honest to god she was freaking AMAZING.

It is worth noting that I listened to all of her vocal work in the 1930's and I have a large collection of photographs from that time period.  She oozes sexuality in every photo and her voice backs up what the body shows.  If you have ever listened to "Dracula"you'll understand but for those who haven't let me explain.  Dracula was produced in 1938 by Orson Welles and performed by the Mercury Theatre of the Air.  In it Agnes plays Mina Harker.  In one scene where Dracula first visits Mina she produces a sigh as Dracula makes her "flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood" that is positively orgasmic and if it doesn't make you warm all over when you hear it you have no soul.  I could rewind and listen to just that sigh for the rest of my life and never cease to blush!  Trust me and get a copy.  You will not be disappointed. Forgive me and let me get back to where this all makes sense.

I've Always Wanted To Be A Scarlet Woman
So, the article, well, there is no way to ease you into this so I'm just going to lay it on the table with the blurbs and please do not, do not be offended I am just sharing exactly what was written by somebody else:
Will Jordan: Oh, it's worth seeing. It shows you what you can do without sound. I'll give you an example of a great voice and a great actress. I'll tell you a woman that did the greatest things on radio and yet she did a TV show, didn't say a word, and was just as good. How many times has that happened? Agnes Moorehead. She did Sorry, Wrong Number. With all respect to Barbara Stanwyck, Agnes Moorehead was very hard to beat. But what about the Twilight Zone where she doesn't say one word? How's that for acting!
Will Jordan: The rumor goes she used to give sex shows for Orson Welles. She was gay or bisexual and her lover was Debbie Reynolds. Debbie told Eddie Fisher that if he ever mentioned it that she would kill him. In both of his autobiographies he does not mention it - but he did mention it to the biographer that he fired - Herb Goldman - who wrote the great books on Jolson and Cantor. He was the editor of Ring Magazine. He did tell Herb Goldman that Debbie did have an affair with Vic Damone's wife, Pier Angeli. She came in one night and I can tell you, she was gorgeous, no question about that. The story goes - again this is rumour now (but when I hear it two or three different times there must be some truth to it) I do believe she was bisexual. But in order to keep Orson entertained she would have sex shows between women. I think Orson would have been amused (laughs). He never struck me as super macho, but I never heard that Orson was gay. Look at his wives. None of his wives looked like... oh, well, why get into this...

Will Jordan: Anyway, I did a television show with her in Los Angeles, a George Jessel show. At that time I was not in tune to how really interesting Jessel was. Much more interesting than most people say. He was a very incredible guy, actually and [Agnes Moorehead] was there and she was so nice and so beautiful. I know people think she was ugly, but at this point she was not ugly. You saw her when she was older - you didn't see her when she was younger. She was stunning. When she worked for Welles he didn't make her look attractive in Citizen Kane or Magnificent Ambersons. She must have been tremendous and, of course, they all loved her. 

Are you on the floor? Get up, we aren't done here and for heavens sake pull yourself together.  Get some coffee and a tranquilizer then get yourself back here.  OK.  Think about these blurbs for a minute, lord knows I did.  If you're shocked don't be you have a right to be.  I was and I'm still a wee bit shocked.  My first reaction, as well as the person that brought this to my attention, was OMG, what, did I really just read this?  Aside from the obvious conflicting time line, Orson and Debbie were not part of her life at the same time, It simply states that Agnes gave sex shows for Orson Welles and that she was bisexual and that she was gorgeous.  Only one thing in that sentence is a face slapping "SAY WHAT."  When I first read this I was gob smacked.  I kept running the scenario in my head with the same result and that was "No way that ever happened."  Then I began paying attention to the sound of her voice as Margo Lane with Orson as The Shadow/Lamont Cranston and  I really began to notice that she repeatedly talks about loving Lamont but not understanding him or even knowing him.  I found in these moments, which occur randomly throughout "The Shadow," that the tone of her voice changes.  It sounds as if she's making a real statement, a declaration if you please.  I began then opening my mind to what may have been, Orson and Agnes.  An affair that may have gone on in her heart for many, many years and was right in front of us all along.

Cool And Luxuriant
Let's break down the Will Jordan blurb to its basics.  "The rumor goes she used to give sex shows for Orson Welles....she was gay or bisexual and her lover..."  In June of 1935 an article was written about Peg LaCentra and her room mate Agnes Moorehead enjoying a night out at the Ziegfeld after a steak dinner.  Not out of the ordinary right?  Yes, yes it is because Peg ditches the man who has just sent her orchids to wear out dancing for an evening with her "room mate" Agnes Moorehead and because at that time Agnes had been married for five years to Jack Lee.  Yet here she is room mate of Peg LaCentra.  The most common reason for Agnes sharing a flat is that Jack was on tour.  I've searched and searched and searched one thing I can say with great certainty is that Jack was not on tour at that point is his rapidly declining career. I can say that because of an article published on June 5, 1935 commenting on the upcoming journey of Jack Lee's aunt Harriet S Lee to New York to visit her brother and her nephew.  Marshall Lee is currently on the stage and Jack is allegedly a radio actor as is a niece living there also.  No place in the article is Agnes mentioned as being included in the visit and yet 3 years earlier during a California leg of tour involving Agnes that Jack was traveling with her she is described as Jack's wife and she is mentioned to have visited Jack's family with him.  Just saying that in 3 years 100 percent mention to zero mention and the Peg LaCentra article was published July 1, 1935.  Mind you that would have been pretty much at the same time his family was in New York to visit with him and yet his wife isn't with him.  I'm sure you see where I'm going with this right?  For the remainder of 1935 Agnes and Peg are mentioned together in many articles and blurbs as spending their summers together taking in shows in New York because radio won't let them get away together.  The rest I leave to your imagination.

It isn't until 1937 that it appears Agnes begins an association with Orson Welles that will alter her life forever. During 1936 she tours the country with Phil Baker and performs individually at different functions around the east cost from New York to Florida.  After the end of 1935 Peg LaCentra disappears from mention in anything involving Agnes Moorehead.  Every article written after 1935 seems to indicate that Agnes is a single person living in New York enjoying the high life. I have found record of Agnes working with Joseph Cotton as early as January 3, 1937 on radio and I think that it could be safe to assume that her association with Orson actually began in late 1936.  In any case her media is highly controlled at this point by either herself or a very excellent agent.  Jack is finally mentioned only as her "husband" in an article dated December 13, 1936.  My point is that Agnes appears to be tied to Jack by some very weak threads between 1932 and 1938.  The article from December of 1936 actually states that Agnes has been just a shade behind the fashion trends because "because my husband won't take me out if I'm wearing anything in my hair:even a diamond tiara, if I had a diamond tiara."  All I can say is good luck sorting out who was living where and when but do not for one minute believe that Jack ruled Agnes with an iron hand, yet.

"The story goes-again this is rumour now( but when I hear it two or three different times there must be some truth to it) I do believe she was bisexual. But in order to keep Orson entertained she would have sex shows between women.  I think Orson would have been amused (laughs)."  So this intimates that this "rumour" has been repeated two or three different times.  Repetition is often based on truth or at least a portion of the truth.  In order to figure out how the rumour started we would have to know who started it.  In my opinion there are only 3 or 4 people who could have repeated and they would have been there.  I am reasonably sure Agnes didn't repeat it.  That leaves the other women involved and Orson Welles.  Wrap your brain around that I dare you!

For the moment I am going to stop here and try to get back to this tomorrow.  As it sits I've been writing for 5 hours and it has gotten late.  In addition the more I read the more I want to really have a good look around in the papers.  Plus I'm sure you need to take some aspirin and rest your brain because this is a whole bunch of stuff that is just super mind blowing.

Cool and Luxuriant....indeed, indeed.

A Wee, Wee Bit of Unraveling Sean

It has been brought to my attention via an anonymous source that Sean's sister, who was according to several sources adopted, was adopted by Harry Cohn and his wife Joan Perry.  She was subsequently named Catherine Perry Cohn.  She was born in 1947 in California.  I can find a record of one marriage in 1966 to Aaron Guy Stuart.  They were divorced at some point before 1988.  In the book "The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row: Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures" there is a section where the distribution of Harry's estate is discussed:
"...they had later adopted a girl, Catherine Perry Cohn, who was also included in the trust.  Harry, however, expected fidelity to the Cohn name: as one journalist remarked Catherine Perry Cohn's initials were the same as Columbia Pictures Corporation's.  This was, no doubt, coincidental, but as a Cohn, her financial future was shaped by Harry's Columbia stock.  Harry specified that if Catherine chose not to consider herself part of the Cohn family, her trust would be discontinued.

Side note...after Harry Cohn's death his widow, Joan Perry, married Harry Karl......and it just keeps getting weirder.....

Change of Heart

I've once again opened things up so anyone can read or comment.  I review every comment posted and decide if it gets shown to the public, so those leaving hateful shite will be relegated to the trash.  If you want to be rude don't waste your time writing it down because you are the only one who will ever know that it was ever written!  Ta ta cheries!!

FYI

As a result of some really hateful and rude comments left anonymously this blog will now require that comments only be left by registered users.  I have opted to do this because the information I put here is information that I wish to share with the public but I've had enough of pointless trolls who apparently have nothing better to do with their time.  I refuse to let these small minded ignorant pathetic examples of humanity insult the dignity of this sight with their rude musings any longer.

Images 1951 through 1967

Growing Up Moorehead

 United Presbyterian Choir from Hamilton, Ohio.  Photo dated 1906 from the George C. Cummins collection:

Front Row:Louise Jacobs, Dr. J.H. Morehead, Edwin Henes, Mrs. J.H. Moorehead

Top Row:Dr. J.A.B. Stewart, Robert Henes, Clara Aten, Mrs. Thomas Beckett, Helen Beckett, Thomas Beckett, Addie Bruning.                                                 

Organist immediately to the left of the picture is Dr. F. C. Mayer                                                                              

This picture was taken the year Peggy was born. Now we all know exactly what John Henderson Moorehead looked like and you can see Agnes in his face very clearly.  This is the man she idolized.       

First grade Harrison School, 1906. Teacher - Margaret Caldwell. Class of 1918 HHS. First grade class. (First row) Carl Sauter, Meinie Geckler, John Kuhn, Wilbur Schneideer, unidentified, Sol Greenberg, Neil Millikin, Luther Soehner, Theodore Hackley, unidentified. (Middle row) unidentified, Freida Keiser, Agnes Moorehead, Sylvia Berkowitz, unidentified, Lucille Hendricks, 2 unidentified, Shirley Bruck, unidentified, 2 unidentified. (Last row) _____ Brown, Minor Heinie, 2 unidentified, Maxwell Richardson, Albert Muntz, Lester Keohler, _____ Dawson, 2 unidentified.                                                                                                                                            

Agnes is the lovely young girl in the middle row with an A penciled on her.  She would have been 5 or 6 years old, depending on when they allowed her to start school.  Such a beautiful pensive child.

Traumatic Time Line

The Events
 July 30, 1927 Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio, 12:30pm, Trumbull Steel Company, an accident occurs with a crane and Terence Edward McCauley is killed by a blow to the base of his skull. He is 62 years, 2 months and 4 days old. His residence is listed as 305 Buckeye and his informant, his wife, Margaret McCauley is listed as residing at 1136 Walnut in Canton, Ohio.  It is stated on the death certificate that Mr. McCauley had been a resident of Warren, Ohio for 12 years.

November 11, 1927 Rich Hill, Muskingum County, Ohio, 12:00Pm, Hannah Mariah Humphrey Moorehead dies of old age at home.  The informant of her death to the county is listed as John H. Moorehead of St. Louis, Mo.  She is 86 years, 28 days old.

January 7, 1928 Falls Township, Muskingum County, Ohio, 1:30pm, Hugh Forsythe Moorehead dies at home of acute indigestion and congestion of the lungs.   The informant of his death to the county is his son Robert Hugh Moorehead. He is 86 years, 6 months, 17 days old. He is a paternal great uncle to Agnes Moorehead.

1928, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, time and cause unknown, Mary Jane McCauley dies.  She is the eldest sister of Terence McCauley. She is a maternal great aunt to Agnes Moorehead.  Her daughter, Lucy Cole Logan, commits suicide on June 27, 1911 by drinking carbolic acid.

April 29, 1929 Rich Hill, Muskingum County, Ohio, 8:00pm, Robert Henderson Moorehead dies at home from a combination of old age and complications from a thigh fracture.  The informant of his death to the county is listed as Mrs. Harold Bay, Aunt Cam. He is 90 years and six months old.

July 14, 1929 Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio, 7:50 am, Miami County Hospital, Margaret Ann Moorehead dies by her own hand after taking bi chloride of mercury.  She is 23 years, 2 months, 21 days old.  The informant to the county of her death is her father John H. Moorehead.

October 29, 1929, Black Tuesday, the Great Depression begins with the crash of the stock market.  Work becomes hard to find on Broadway and Agnes must turn her attention to radio to support herself.

May 22, 1938 Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, 11:00 am, Kohr Memorial Presbyterian Church, John Henderson Moorehead dies while in his pulpit during the service of a massive heart attack.  He has been treated for high blood pressure since 1936.  His wife Mollie watches him die in front of an entire congregation.  He is 65 years old.

September 26, 1938 New York, New York.  Today Agnes and Jack Lee return from their "Honeymoon." They have been married for 8 years, 3 months, 23 days.

October 20, 1938, Massillon, Stark County, Ohio, 4:50pm, Bridget Caroline Doyle dies of lobar pneumonia.  Margaret Doyle McCauley is her sister. She is the maternal great aunt of Agnes Moorehead.  She is 69 years old. The informant of her death to the county is her daughter Mrs. Harold Hose.

January 27, 1939, New Kensington, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Mary Doyle dies of lobar pneumonia and a fractured hip.  Margaret Doyle McCauley is her sister.  She is the maternal great aunt of Agnes Moorehead. She is 78 years, 6 months, 23 days old. The informant of her death to the county is her daughter Mrs. Mary Mazie Kerr.

March 14, 1939, New Concord, Muskingum County, Ohio, 6:00am, Camilla Urso Moorehead dies of a heart attack at her home.  She has been treated for cardiac arrhythmia since 1936.  She is the sister of John H. Moorehead.  She is the great aunt of Agnes Moorehead.  She is 62 years old. The informant of her death to the county is her niece, Mrs. John Park, who would go on later to sue both Agnes and her mother claiming property left to Agnes by an uncle.

February 28, 1949, San Francisco, California, Mrs. Susan Ping Lee O'Neill dies at St. Luke's Hospital of unknown causes. John (Jack) Griffith Lee is her son.  She is the mother in law of Agnes Moorehead. She is 88 years old.  Her funeral cost $1018.50, a tidy sum for the time, it would cost $9,940.00 measured in today's money.

April 14, 1949, Cambridge, Guernsey County, Ohio, Marcus (Mark) Humphrey Moorehead dies of a massive heart attack. John Henderson Moorehead's brother. He is the paternal great uncle of Agnes Moorehead. He is 78 years, 4 months old.  The informant of his death to the county was Mrs. John Park, his niece.  This is the uncle who gave Agnes the land that Mrs. Park would later attempt to sue over.

June 15, 1949, Los Angeles, California.  Agnes Moorehead officially files separation papers severing ties to Jack Lee.

October 1949, Los Angeles, California.   Agnes plays hostess to the parents of Robert Gist at her home as they visit with their son, Robert Gist.

 What Does Any Of This Mean?
Well, we all deal with certain amounts of trauma over a lifetime.  Sometimes it feels as if we are being sucked down by a whirlpool of events and often we find ourselves weeping, withdrawing or attempting to compensate with our pain via any distraction available.  Consider the pattern of upheaval and compare it to drastic life changes that ensued for Agnes:

August 14, 1926, New York, New York, Agnes auditions for AADA and is ultimately accepted into the class of 1927.  Typically classes begin at AADA begin in September for what amounts to a semester that ends in the middle of December and again in January for a semester that ends in June.  So that means that as Agnes was preparing to go to AADA in 1927 her maternal grandfather dies in an awful industrial accident in Ohio.  He dies on
July 30, 1927. Less than two months later Agnes is in New York beginning her studies at AADA.   Approximate 60 days after the death of her maternal grandfather her beloved maternal grandmother Hannah dies on November 11, 1927.  Agnes has, at that point, approximately one month before the semester ends.  It is unknown whether or not she was able to attend the funeral.  I don't know about you but I was quite young when 3 of my 4 grandparents died and it was very traumatic.  My biggest worry was elementary school and I cried myself to sleep.  I cannot imagine bearing up under the demands of higher education in my chosen profession and attempting to cope with the loss of two beloved family members within two months of one another.

1928 would fare no better for Agnes and family passings.  In 1928, the specific month and day are not documented, Mary Jane McCauley passes away.  She is the sister of Agnes' maternal grandmother and herself the mother of the first documented case of suicide in the family, Agnes' cousin Lucy.  At the beginning of 1928 on January 7th approximately 4 days before the beginning of the spring semester Agnes' uncle Hugh Forsythe Moorehead dies in Ohio less than 60 days after the passing of her grandmother, Hannah.

Moving right along to 1929 we find that on April 29th Agnes' beloved paternal grandfather Robert Moorehead passes away at his home in Ohio.  This happens 30 days after the end of the spring semester for Agnes at AADA.  Then on July 14, 1929 Agnes' only sister Peggy dies after taking bi chloride of mercury in a suicide.

 Agnes was enormously busy with school in her second year at AADA.  In January of 1929 Agnes performed in a production of "Captain Applejack." On February 1, 1929 Agnes performed in a production of "Chinese Love."  On February 15, 1929 Agnes performed in a production of  "Gloria Mundi." On March 1, 1929 Agnes performed in a production of "Mrs. Cheney" which was the sixth production of the AADA season.  On March 18, 1929 Agnes was graduated from AADA. Two deaths, six plays and a graduation occur with in a span of less than 6 months.  In addition, we know that at some point around the time of her sister passing away Agnes agrees to marry Jack Lee once he graduates from AADA in 1930.  Add to this already explosive mixture the demise of Agnes' dreams of working substantially on Broadway.  Theatre has suffered greatly because of the Great Depression.  Suffice it to say that this is a horrendous year.

Once Agnes got in to radio her schedule was so hectic and so demanding.  She routinely did in excess of seven performances daily.  By 1938 she was one of the most prominent female voices on radio.  She was at every theatre performance that mattered and was always in an excellent seat with Jack at her side.  Often it was said nobody had any idea who she managed to be in the same place so that she could be seen every time.  By her own account during her testimony in the hearing for her divorce from Jack Lee had been heavily drinking since 1935.  1938 brought to Agnes the biggest loss of her life.  On May 22, 1938 her beloved father passed away at the age of 65 while in his pulpit preaching at Kohr Presbyterian Church.  It must have been shattering for Agnes.  His death was very sudden, although he had been treated for high blood pressure since 1936.  Within 4 months Agnes and Jack would take the honeymoon that had been "put off" for 8 years.  Less than a month after their return Agnes' maternal great Aunt Bridget Caroline Doyle dies at the age of 69 during a visit with her daughter and sister, Margaret McCauley, in Massillon Ohio.  Agnes threw herself into her work rarely taking any time for herself or Jack other than public appearances and interviews. 

1939 would prove to be no better.  On January 27, 1939 Agnes' maternal great aunt Mary Doyle dies of pneumonia at the age of 78.  A little less than 3 months later Agnes' beloved Aunt Cam dies of a heart attack at the age of 62.  We all know of Aunt Cam because Agnes' regularly talks about her and her quirks in her one woman show.  In less than a year Agnes has lost two of the people she loved most in the world and two maternal great aunts.  Yet by the end of 1939 Agnes would uproot and move to Hollywood to begin her motion picture career under the direction of Orson Welles in "Citizen Kane."

For 10 years from 1939 to 1949 Agnes managed to maintain some stability in her world with the exception of her marriage to Jack Lee.  They separate in 1945 but reconcile and hang on for another 4 years.  February 28,1949 Jack's mother Susan Ping Lee O'Neill passes away.  The tab for her funeral is $1018.50.  In today's money that funeral would cost $9940.00 and Jack was billed for it.  Less than two months later on April 14, 1949 Agnes' paternal great uncle Mark Moorehead dies of a massive heart attack.  He is 78 years old.  By June 15, 1949 Agnes' has put Jack out of the house and filed for a separation.  In October of 1949 Agnes' plays hostess to Robert Gist's parents during their visit to Hollywood.

Every event seems to be at the bottom of or caused by emotional upheaval in Agnes' life.
She handles stress by acting out and making life altering decisions.  It was a pattern that would stay with her all her life.  If she was stressed she would shut down and often just make statements that usually had very little basis in reality.  It is little wonder though because she had so many truly traumatic events in her life.  Starting with the tragic death of her maternal grandfather and ending with her divorces Agnes went through a seriously of complex, painful, stressful events.  It makes you appreciate the level of commitment and skill she maintained in her professional life.  At times when most people would throw up their hands and resign themselves to mourning she continued on with grace.