GELIEBTES | Martha Harriet Foster Girardeau
TERMINE | Oktober 14, 1914 – Juli 29, 2011
FRIEDHOF | McRae City Cemetery
LAGE IN FRIEDHOF | Maingate around towards the fence and the grave site is by the fence.
FUNERAL HOME | Bowen Donaldson Startseite für Beerdigungen, 420 Liebe Ave., Tifton, GA 31794 - T: 229 382 4255
Martha Harriett “Happy” Foster Girardeau, 96, died Friday, Juli 29, 2011, at her home in Tifton after a brief illness. Die Beerdigung findet statt 11 a.m. Thursday at Tifton’s First Presbyterian Church. Lay Minister Reginald Chung will officiate with a private family graveside service to be held in McRae City Cemetery. Elders of the First Presbyterian Church, Dick Chalfant, Alvin Marshall, Charles Drexler, Lee Fant, Doug Smith, Norman Glaze, Jerry Hopwood and Carter Choate will serve as pallbearers. Die Familie wird von Freunden erhalten 7 until 9 p.m. Wednesday at Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals.
Happy was born Oct. 14, 1914 in Quincy, Fla. to Annie Munroe Foster and Oscar Eugene Foster. Arriving two months premature, and not expected to live, Happy defied the odds and thrived during childhood. Early on, she loved nature and marveled at God’s creatures, spending blissful hours examining bugs and butterflies.
On her 8th birthday, her much-loved mother died and three months later, she lost her devoted father. Through a series of unfortunate circumstances in her extended family, Happy was placed at Thornwell Orphanage in Clinton, S.c.. It was while on the train ride to the orphanage that Martha Harriett Foster changed her name to “Happy” in an attempt to leave her past behind and start anew.
After graduating from high school at Thornwell, Happy pursued her dream of becoming a scientist. Through hard work and determination, she graduated with honors from Florida State College for Women (now Florida State University) and was the first woman to receive an MS degree in entomology from the University of Florida in 1936.
The United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C., employed her as an entomologist to study insect damage to crops. Although the men in her profession tried to make a secretary out of her, being feisty and standing not quite five feet Happy stood tall, gaining respect as an entomologist. In 1939, she returned to Georgia and married Jack Girardeau of McRae, who was also an entomologist. While Jack served in the Pacific during World War II, Happy worked in Atlanta with the U.S. Department of Health doing research on mosquitoes, helping to test the first mosquito bomb created to protect the troops overseas from malaria.
In November 1945, Happy and Jack bought a house with a bee business on 14th Street in Tifton. This was Happy’s first permanent residence since orphaned in 1922 and here she lived for the next 66 Jahre. Happy created a research lab in her backyard and raised a variety of animals to sell to pet stores. Many squeamish mothers counseled with Happy when their children wanted a pet snake, resulting in Happy being affectionately known as “the snake lady.”
While under contract for the pest control company, D-Con, Happy developed a formula for an effective roach poison, still used today. During her career at the University of Georgia Animal Disease Lab, her research was instrumental in the eradication of hog cholera (swine fever) in the South.
Through her life, her family and community were of utmost importance and she continually sought opportunities to serve. At the age of 60, she became an ordained medical missionary for the Presbyterian Church, traveling twice to work in the African Congo. While there, she tirelessly labored to help eradicate hookworm disease found in children living in remote villages.
Happy was a volunteer with the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and developed an effective fertilizer for orchids. At the young age of 81, she accompanied fish farmer, Ken Holyoak, to the rain forest of Brazil. While Ken studied fish, Happy studied orchids in their natural habitat.
For 12 Jahre, Happy served on the board for the Tifton Housing Authority. She helped restore order and balanced the budget within the agency and the Happy Girardeau Boardroom was dedicated in her honor in 2005.
In 2000, Happy began her career as mentor, counselor and friend to people from all over the world as a teacher of English as a second language through the Literacy Volunteers of America. She taught with love, gave wise counsel and kept up with her students after they left Tifton. For this, Happy will be remembered in all parts of the world.
Happy is survived by two sons and one daughter-in-law, John Howard Girardeau III and wife, Elizabeth, of Vonore, Tenn., and Thomas Frederick Girardeau of Tifton; drei Enkelkinder, David Girardeau and his wife, Caroline, of Pittsboro, N.C., John Girardeau IV, of Glen Burnie, Md., and Ann Porosoff and husband, Stephen, of Indianapolis, Ind.; zwei Urenkel, Riley Bell Porosoff and Gabrielle Girardeau; and long-time caregivers and friends, Rosetta Taylor and Susan Hancock.
Beloved husband, John Howard “Jack” Girardeau Jr.; vier Brüder, Thomas F. Foster, Frederick L. Foster, Oscar E. Foster and Stuart M. Foster; und eine Schwester, Florence Foster Simpson, predeceased her.
Memorials may be given to Thornwell Home for Children, 302 South Broad Street, Clinton, SC 29325, or to the charity of your choice.
“When I go it will be an adventure and whatever is in store for me, I know it will be right and good because of God. The greatest accomplishment in my life has been to understand God’s love.” But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13.