Obituary
Our Mother, Alberta Jean (Gilliam) Real, age 87, passed away on November 20th 2017. She is survived by her three daughters, Deniece, Donna & Debby, as well as, a huge loving family of four sisters, one brother and many nieces and nephews.
Alberta (Bert) was the second oldest of ten girls & two boys. Born to Andrew & Bessie Gilliam, they raised their children in the hills of Wayne County, West Virginia. The stories of their life are many and priceless. The close bond her siblings still have is endearing. Their love and generosity towards family and friends continues to this day.
Working hard was a natural thing for Mom, it was never a chore, and she carried that mindset throughout her life as a single mother raising three daughters.
We were raised in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. Mom taught us by example to be productive, capable and to make our own way in life.
Mom made many life-long friends during her thirty years working at Keebler. Additionally, she had many friends from the Central Florida area, as she split her time between Ohio and Florida during her retirement years.
Mom leaves seven grandkids and ten great-grandkids. Her grandkids have vivid and often funny memories, some which include: the way she hovered over them, took them to the beach (but wouldn’t allow them to get in the water) offer to pay them to get off the frozen pond, or buying her granddaughters’ their first bikini…with Grandma Bert there was never a dull visit. Her funny sayings still make them laugh: “you’re going to have to dance in the hog trough” was one of her favorites.
And of course they all recall the “mandatory perfect hair-do” throughout her lifetime.
In her later years, even though her memory was slipping, she knew all their names, spoke specifically about each one and looked forward to every visit, call or picture of them.
Whether you knew her well or not, you remembered her.
Her outgoing personality, her “just try to stop me attitude” left an impression. We will miss her spunk, her drive, her “I got your back mothering…”and we always knew she loved us.
Per Mom’s request, there will not a memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Cornerstone: Tavares Hospice House, Tavares, Florida.
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