Gathering honors Clare Heyward

I often think about our arrival in Bluffton. We moved here when Don was offered a position with the Sea Pines Company.

Sleepy, quiet little Bluffton was our choice for many reasons as a place to live. I had visited Bluffton several times as a child, so I knew a bit about it. There were no motels or hotels here then. One had to know someone with a cottage and be invited for the day - or to spend the night if you were lucky.

Don and I arrived on a hot summer day with our children Tat and Will. Jamie arrived four years later. We had talked to Martha Crapse several weeks before about a place to rent and were not offered much hope - there was nothing available for rent or for sale in our new hometown to be.

Luck was on our side because a house had just been offered for rent on Pine Island just outside of Bluffton. The road to the island was sandy and not paved and was rather like riding across the Swiss Alps in all sorts of weather. It was amazing to me that the house was very modern, had two bathrooms and three bedrooms and was literally right on the marsh.

When the tide was high - and it was twice a day - we could wade in water in the yard. The only drawback to the wonderful setting was a septic tank that was covered by water quite often. The fabulous Carolyn Fabricant is now happily ensconced in our first Bluffton house.

The first Blufftonians we met were, of course, the beloved Martha Crapse, Bluffton's only realtor at the time, Jan Cantrell, whose family owned the Bluffton Telephone Company; George Scott, another beloved Bluffton icon; Nonie Colonna Johnson; the Robinowich Family at Planter's Merchantile (if they did not have it, you did not need it); Clare Heyward (she and Tommy lived in the Fripp House on Bridge Street); Patsy Hodge; Agnes Pinckney; and Mary Wright. Mary lived across from the Church of the Cross and walked everywhere so I saw her quite often and the other friends I made in our first several months of living here, all of whom I think of with great affection.

The Church of the Cross had a little morning school in the parish house several mornings a week. The mothers of children who attended shared the teaching and play dates so we all got to know each other well. Clare was a wonderful, welcoming presence to all she met. She and Tommy loved to entertain and did so sometimes at the drop of a hat. We would get a phone call inviting us to oyster roasts , sit down suppers, picnics, any excuse for a party. It was a charming time to live in Bluffton.

Clare owned the first ladies' boutique in Bluffton called The Bluff Puff on Burnt Church Road.

Many of us were clothed beautifully in her outfits, some of which I still have. When her children were small, Clare was diagnosed with breast cancer and fought the disease valiantly. Much to everyone’s sorrow, Clare died leaving Tommy and their children - Tombo, Melanie and Laura - and all of us in a state of grief.

Clare’s daughter Melanie got in touch with all of her mother's friends two months ago and proposed a celebration of the 25th year of Clare’s passing. Melanie wanted the affair to be upbeat. She wanted to hear stories and share recipes that would be a testament to her mother’s life. So Melanie reserved Oscar Frazier Park and invited old friends from near and far to bring a pot luck lunch and enjoy the day.

We used to have a wonderful little newspaper here called The Bluffton Eccentric, published by the late Graham Bullock. Clare wrote a column for the paper called Cook’s Corner using her own recipes and those of family and friends.

Jane Bullock put together an album of some of Clare’s recipes and thinks there should be a cookbook compiled of the four years the recipes were printed. Great idea!

Clare’s son Tombo brought her high school scrapbook and was joined by his cute wife Linde and their daughter Abby.

Melanie’s 3 children Kelsey Dobyns,Alan and TJ Heyward also were on hand to celebrate their grandmother. Others attending included Melanie’s sister-in-law Anne Heyward and her three daughters Karen Trybalski, Rhonda La France; Amy Abercrombie; cousin Fran and Bill Bolin; dear friend Helen Smith and her daughter Kate Mueller; Jane Bullock with her daughter Jennifer Zimmerman with her children Kenslee and Kyan, Linda Boulware; Agnes Pinckney; Teddy McCracken; Jane Upshaw; Dianne Reynolds; Carolyn Smith; Lynette Stair; Jacquie Viens; and Betty Ann Hopson.

It was a happy get-together, sharing memories and enjoying all of the wonderful food lovingly prepared by all of the guests.

Rise and shine and eat

One of my recipes I meant to share is one I call Breezy Hill Breakfast Bread named after my mother's Bluffton house.

Breezy Hill Breakfast Bread

2 cups self-rising White Lily Flour

1 .25 ounce package yeast

1 tablespoon sugar (white)

1 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons Hellman's mayo

Preheat oven to 425 . Combine flour, yeast,sugar in a medium bowl. Stir together buttermilk and mayo. Add to dry mixture and stir well. Pour mixture into a well-greased loaf pan. Bake until brown about 25 or 30 minutes. Serve warm with real butter and homemade jam.

Art for the youngsters

Summer Art Camps for children are to be offered at the SOBA Gallery at 8 Church Street in Old Town Bluffton.

The sessions are for ages 8-12, and there are two which last one week each.

June 20-24 and July 11-15 are the dates.

Cost is $100 per week.

For information about these and other art classes available call 843-247-2868 or go to sobagallery.com.

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Gathering honors Clare Heyward."