As a long-time resident of O'Meally, before her death, Adella (Mum) Edwards, earned the honored respect of her neighbors and family through her many heartfelt community contributors.

As a midwife, a healer, a confidant, an innovator, a hairdresser, and a quadrille dancer, Mum’s generosity and love were felt community-wide. Never formally trained, Mum was a much sought-after midwife and healer in Omeally District. Her understanding of herbs came as a natural gift. A gift that helped safely birth many babies, saves countless lives, and reverently provide post-death care.

In a time when conventional medicine was expensive to come by and meant a difficult journey to town, many residents would have perished if not for the assistance of Mum. During the day or dead of night, whether rain or chilling winds, when the call came that one of her neighbors needed help, she would answer. Often traveling several miles by foot over rocky and uneven terrain, Mum’s steps would be guided by her grandchildren who diligently carted lamps made from recycled soda bottles fueled by kerosene oil and newspaper for the wick.

Mum not only had a gift for Medicine. Some would say her fingers were magical when combing a child's hair, it didn’t matter how short a child’s hair as she was able to comb it beautifully and that short hair would be no more, it would seem that overnight it would grow. If was for that reason that when she often came home from one of her trips to heal a neighbor that there would be a line of girls waiting by her gate.

Mum was beloved by many and remembered fondly for generations. She healed, she styled and she danced her way through life. All this because she deeply cared and loved the people in her community.