Every one of her sisters went looking for the city. Leola Robertson stayed. I am Tyronne Jacques, and my great-aunt — Aunt Hag, to all of us — kept Pine Grove lit so the rest of this family always had somewhere to come home to.
While all of her sisters were making new lives and branching out into the bustling city of New Orleans, Aunt Leola — known so affectionately to all of us as “Aunt Hag” — made a profoundly different choice. She remained right there in the country, staying closely devoted to my great-grandmother, Big Ma, and holding down Pine Grove with unmatched love and generosity.
Oh, how I absolutely loved visiting Pine Grove when I was a kid! The journey itself was a treasured event. The moment our long parade of cars from New Orleans finally left the paved highway and turned onto that familiar orange dirt road with the “forever rocks,” the anticipation would peak. Even from across the distant cow pasture, you could already see Aunt Leola. She would be out there in the yard rejoicing, lifting her hands in pure praise, overflowing with happiness to finally see her family arriving from the city.
Her heart was deeply anchored in her family, and she never wanted to move far from her mother’s loving embrace. She married Joseph Howard. Together, they built a warm home, and she adopted and reared one wonderful son, Mr. Kenneth Wayne Howard, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They were the whole of her world, and she poured her entire soul into caring for her boys while always remaining a steadfast pillar for Big Ma.
Aunt Leola departed this life on January 5, 1984. Even though she has passed on, our family remains deeply comforted in the knowledge that she will live on in our hearts and minds forever.
Her true legacy is vividly etched in my mind through the profound, unbreakable love she had for her sisters. Even as they all entered their retirement years, whenever those city sisters returned to Big Ma’s house in Pine Grove, time simply stood still. They would all slumber together like giddy teenagers at a sleepover.
Watching my grandmother, Mary, alongside Aunt Leola and the other sisters completely change their persona and demeanor in the presence of their mother was a magical, unforgettable experience. That little dry wooden house of Big Ma’s would come alive with the glorious sound of their testimonial services. It was an absolute privilege to sit there and witness Aunt Leola and her sisters joined in joyful song, their voices carrying powerful hymns passed down from slavery to our generation.
It was Aunt Hag who taught us all what it truly meant to “come see about me.” I thank God every single day that we made those drives down that orange dirt road from New Orleans to Pine Grove to see her, to feel her spirit, and to witness the incredible bond of the Robertson women. Her legacy is one of unwavering devotion, and she will forever be a cherished cornerstone of our family’s history.
Sadly, any original photographs we had of Leola Robertson were lost to Hurricane Katrina. Because we did not have any surviving pictures of her, her beautiful portrait for this tribute was carefully re-imagined by drawing inspiration from the features of her sisters — Ethel, Mary, and Beulah. We are incredibly pleased with how the final rendering captured her warm spirit and full cheeks, and we hope you enjoy seeing her brought back to life for our family record.