A Life Lived: Gereel Cable enjoyed being a mom, teaching, raising cattle

Published 11:53 am Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Some people live their life and never leave much of an imprint … but Gereel Cable left a big imprint everywhere she went. One student on the funeral home tribute page wrote: “… she was my first grade teacher. Mrs. Cable had a profound impact on me. She patiently taught me to read and write, skills that have been invaluable throughout my life. I am extremely grateful … for the strong foundation she provided.”

Another former student wrote: “She blessed me with knowledge in school and, more importantly, in church.”

Cable, 92, died July 10. Almost half of those years were spent as an elementary school teacher in Carter County, and all except for one year at Hampton Elementary School. She taught different grades, ranging from first to fourth grade.

Cable was a farmer’s wife, and spent a lot of time in the fields with her husband, Jim, tending cattle, raising hay as well as a vegetable garden. “She had a passion and heart for children and cattle,” said her daughter, Carol Buckner.

In addition to Carol, she had a second daughter, Teresa Brinkley. She was also blessed with three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. “They were the light of her life. Whatever they did, she supported them in it — from the classroom to sports.”

Although Cable was not musically inclined, she insisted that both of her daughters take piano lessons.

“And, there was no question about it, my sister and I knew we were going to college without ever being told. Also, all three grandchildren went to college,” said Carol.

Farming was a family chore, and both Mom and Dad and both daughters had a tractor and they used it, especially when it came to putting up hay. “Dad would usually mow the hay and Mom and either my sister or I would rake it or bale it or drive the truck to pick up the baled hay,” shared Carol.

In addition to cattle and hay, the Cables also raised tobacco and a large garden.

“Often, Mom would go straight from the classroom to the kitchen or to the garden or the hayfield. On Thursdays after school my sister and I had piano lessons, and we would go to the Dairy Queen for supper. That was a special time for us as we didn’t go out to eat much,” said Carol.

Carol noted that her mother was a good cook — the old-fashioned kind. “There was only one way to cook with Mom — well done. We used to joke that her meat dishes were charred,” Carol shared with a laugh. She mentioned that her mother made a lot of casseroles, and cooked vegetables grown in the garden, and “she made the best biscuits and gravy,” Carol recounted.

Being a farmer’s wife, she was active, as was her husband, in the Carter County Farm Bureau, the Farm Service Agency, the Soil Conservation District, and the Cattlemen’s Association. “She and Daddy had a lot of friends in these farm groups,” shared Carol.

“My mom had a special love for farm families, and it was not unusual for her to fix food for a family, especially if they were sick or having a difficult time, or were just hard at work. She liked fixing food for these families,” her daughter said.

Cable was very active in her church at Rittertown Baptist Church, and “we went to church every Sunday.”

Additionally, Cable was a member of the Eastern Star and Carter County Retired Teachers Association.

“My mother was a good wife to Daddy and a good mother and teacher. She truly had a servant’s heart and helped so many people in every way she could. I remember that although she did not have a lot of down time, she enjoyed reading, and she would buy my sister and me lots of books when we were growing up. She spent a lot of time on the farm and in the hay fields and with the cattle. I remember her bottle feeding calves. If someone had a calf that its mother didn’t take to, they would bring it to Mom and she would bottle feed it,” shared Carol.

She especially mentioned that her mother enjoyed raising flowers. “She never threw anything away. Her flowerpots were usually chipped crockery, an old pot or tub,” Carol mused.

Gereel Cable loved her family, her school kids, her church family and, especially, her farm family.

In addition to her daughters and grand- and great-grandchildren, she leaves behind a sister, Mayme Pate.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Jim, and three brothers.

Cable was laid to rest in the Rittertown Baptist Church Cemetery.

Someone has aptly described a farm wife as “the heart of the homestead, mixing love and labor to cultivate a life filled with growth, grit and gibbles.”

This aptly described Gereel Cable, but she gave a lot in many different ways to her students, church friends and neighbors. She left an imprint on many lives, from the young to the old.