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Sister Fay Self singing
Sister Fay Self
Sister Fay and her Twin Floy All graphics, unless otherwise stated, |
Sister Fay Self was very deep in her walk with the Lord. She was married to Brother Bud Self, a preacher and pastor of a church at Sweetwater, Texas. Her devotion to her family could never be matched. She was a loving mother and grandmother. Fay was born on February 16, 1908 to W. R. Powell and Roberta Farmer Powell as Fay Marie Powell and was an identical twin to Floy Mae Powell. In school Fay was the captain of the girl's basketball team, and was really good in other sports as well. She attended college and received her teaching certificate. She then came back to Newman, Texas to teach. Bud Self started hanging around, seeing as he had fell in love with her when he was just fifteen. While she was teaching Dalton Self (Bud's brother) was in her class. If she asked him a question he would simply reply, "Ah, Fay...you know." In 1929 Fay's dad W. R. was dragged by a horse, and he died about six months later from the injuries. In 1931 Fay married Brother Bud Self. She finished teaching her school term, and then Bud and Fay moved to Winters, Texas and ran a cafe. On March 6, 1933 Fay had her first child, Darvin Maurice. About a year later the family moved to Pie Town, New Mexico. When Fay began to expect her next child she could not find a Doctor or Midwife in the area, and so the family moved back to Newman, Texas where they rented a farm. On October 6, 1935 Fay finally had a little girl, Bonnie Ruth. Fay started filling in for the teacher at Newman, and two times a day Grandpa Jeff Self brought Bonnie Ruth to the school to be fed. The family bought a farm at Newman. While living at Newman, when Bonnie was about 2 and a half or 3 years old, she was playing outside while Fay was washing clothes. Fay told Bonnie not to bother the lye, but Bonnie also remembered she was not supposed to play in the sugar bowl (and was sugar ever good!) Bonnie wanted a taste of the lye, so she ate some with a spoon. She thought she was dying it hurt so bad, and ran and hid. Maurice found her, and when he found out what happened he took her to Fay. Fay started to pray, and the pain left Bonnie. Fay washed Bonnie's mouth with vinegar, and prayed, and washed again, until she ran out of vinegar. Bonnie does not have any scars or effects from that lye. Praise the Lord! The revival that Bud got the Holy Ghost in at Longsworth ended, and Bud and Fay traveled to Midland, Texas once a month to Bro. Dewey Jackson's church (he held the revival). One Sunday morning the service was really good, and Fay started praising the Lord. She then received the Holy Ghost with fire. She was looking up and saw a great light coming down from heaven. She thought it was the sun, but it was not. Later they sold that farm and bought a farm on the Cottonwood Creek southwest of Roby in 1939. In 1943 the family moved to Sweetwater. They bought a house at 403 Hightower Street. On November 11, 1943 Fay had a set of twins, Joy Jean and Troy Dean. Since she was a twin herself she was very excited to have her own set of twins. In 1945 the family sold that house and built a stone church and rock house. They lived in the church while building the house, and the church originally had a dirt floor. One day Troy and Joy got into the black stuff that was used to make the black lead on the rock house. They had it all over themselves, and were afraid of each other. When they saw their own reflection in the mirror they became afraid of the mirror. On day Fay decided to get rid of some blue bugs that were on her chickens. Someone had told her to burn a tire in the chicken house to kill the bugs. So she told Maurice to go burn a old tire in the chicken house. Well, he got rid of the bugs, but he also burnt the entire chicken house down. Joy and Troy were afraid of the old trains that would come by the church (just a block or so away), and would run screaming into the house anytime the smoke from the trains began to roll. When Joy was about 3 or 4 years old Fay had an old washing machine that the twins liked to play on. They wanted Bonnie to play on it with them. Just a little of her weight made it turn over and Joy cut her head. It cut from the middle of her forehead to the top of her ear. They could put three fingers on her skull. She never did pass out from the pain, she just sat and looked around while they took her to the hospital. In 1944 the family went to Megargel, Texas to a camp meeting. Sister Kendrick was the cook, and because there was no refrigerator she had to keep what food was left over cooking all night without burning it. In 1946 or 47 they went to Blanchard, Oklahoma for a camp meeting, and then to Mount Tabor, Arkansas for another meeting. When Bud and Maurice were putting a new roof on the church a young boy (Lonnie Peeples) came to help. He wanted to run the bench saw, but in fact he know nothing about running one. He cut his hand really bad, and it was bleeding something awful. Fay and the boy's mother began to pray that the Lord would stop the bleeding. In a little bit it stopped bleeding, and they taped the wound closed. He said it had stopped hurting. In 1954 the family moved for the last time to a house they bought on a hill in Sweetwater. About that time Maurice was sent to Korea. He had moved to Eunice, New Mexico and married Frieda Lee Gavitt. On September 4, 1954 Bonnie married George Ocie Polnack. Fay lived to see her twins happily married, and have children of their own. In 1975 Fay developed cancer, and had surgery. The cancer eventually spread to several parts of her body. The night she was called home she was suffering really bad, and prayed, "Help me Jesus." Then she raised her hands and said, "Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus!" The sweet Holy Ghost moved on her cancer stricken body and she began to sing in tongues! She was called home with a smile on her face. This happened on May 21, 1977.
Back: Sis. Bonnie, Sis.
Joy, Bro. Troy, Bro. Maurice
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