Mothers are the cooks who kept us fed, the housekeepers who kept us neat and the chauffeurs who carted us to and fro. They are the family bankers, personal shoppers and in-house doctors.

Mom taught us to tie our shoes, kissed our boo-boos when we fell and hemmed our dresses before the big dance.

And whether it was her pleas for us to wash our hands or her quiet talks of inspiration, Mom always knew what to say.

For this Mother`s Day, we asked Lorain County residents to share words of wisdom or life lessons passed on to them by their mothers.

Elyria Fire Capt. Joe Pronesti and Council candidate Mary Siwierka, son and daughter of Marie Pronesti of Elyria:

Joe: I think I got my gift of gab from her. She`s a very classy lady who knows how to talk to people. I know my sister got her class from my mom. I will always remember my mom as the person who taught me how to talk to people and how to treat people. Being able to handle people in any situation requires you to present yourself well and respect others at all times.

Mary: Growing up, I remember that my mother was a very busy woman. She helped my father run his business, raised four kids, was the chauffeur, the cook and had to do everything. She was the original multitasker. I learned all my multitasking from my mom. She also taught us a lot about being community minded. With all that she had to do, she still made time to know what was going on in her community, voted and volunteers at the school.

She has just always been keenly aware of everything around her and knew when and where she was needed.

Jim Vandemark, owner of Vandemark Jewelers, son of Marilyn Vandemark of Elyria:

My mom was an elementary secretary at McKinley Elementary. She started there when I was in the second grade. Can you imagine having your mom not only in the school, but in the office every day?

Because she was always there, she was around to make sure I was always respectful of others. Really, both my parents just showed us to be good to other people in the community and you will be rewarded in the end. They were very involved in the community and taught their kids to get involved and give back.

I was lucky my family fit the stereotypical family. We went camping, ate dinner as a family, and went to church together – basically the quintessential storybook upbringing.

Amy Higgins, spokeswoman for Elyria Schools, daughter of Diane Wirth

My mother is a big believer in the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

You can ask anyone, and they will tell you my mother is the kindest, most loving and generous person you could ever meet. She`s been an amazing example to me on how to treat people.

Ray Noble, chairman of the Elyria Republican Party and son of Gladys Noble

My mother would always say, “A smart man knows where his bread it buttered at.”

Paula Cope, chief deputy clerk of Council for North Ridgeville and daughter of Helen Byers

One that I live to today is “Whenever you do a job, give it 110 percent, even when you see others aren`t, because they`re not you.”

I think about that often, and by heeding that advice, I can go home and have a good night`s sleep because I know I did the best I could.

Other sound tidbits from Mom, who was a nurse, include the well-known adage about borrowing things. “Whenever you borrow anything from anybody, give it back in at least as good condition as you got it, if not better.” And then there`s the one that always generates laughter – one that Mom still recites. “There`s a place for everything and everything in its place.” I still hear that one. She just has a compulsion about that. I tell her.

Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Raymond Ewers, son of Helen Ewers

She used to say, “Get an education, it`s something that people can never take away from you.”

Marcus Madison, Democratic candidate for City Council 5th Ward, son of Patricia Madison of Elyria

My mother was always right there to teach me to never give up and to always be persistent.

I can think back to my time at Franklin Elementary, my mom was always there to encourage me and tell me you can do it. It`s because of her that I have stayed so determined to finish my schooling.

Now, she can be persistent, too. But I don`t get annoyed by it, even when she reminds me to take out the trash or to cut the grass. I know she`s just doing it to make me a better person.

She`s been very supportive. She`s my rock. She`s always there to push me along.

Fire Chief Rich Benton, son of Sandy Lewicki of North Ridgeville

My mother raised four kids mostly on her own after my father passed away when I was 12. That could have been enough to break her down, but it didn`t and because of that, she taught all of us that no matter what happens in life, you can be successful.

My mother is the kind of person who never let anything knock her down. She raised us kids, went to school, worked and started several businesses. It seemed when life was the hardest, she always came out on top.

She never let anyone tell her she couldn`t do something. She has succeeded in a man`s world. She owns a trucking company. Maybe raising four kids readied her for handling truckers.

Denny Johnson, North Ridgeville safety-service director, son of Dorothy

My mother suffered from Alzheimer`s the last seven years of her life. What she taught me … both from watching her frustration, and as it advanced … was to settle down and take things as they come. I wasn`t always that way before the onset of her illness.

She died two years ago at the age of 74. That`s the greatest piece of advice I picked up from her. It`s the one I cherish.

Lise Day, CEO/president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County and daughter of Jean Day

“It doesn`t take any brains to spend money, but it takes brains to save it. Be smart.” I bet if my mom hadn`t taught me proudly to be frugal, I wouldn`t have my current position. And, being the seventh of nine children, I knew what big sisters should be like.

Jeanine Donaldson, executive director of the Elyria YWCA, daughter of Freda Potter of Norton, Ohio

I definitely learned kindness to others from my mom. My mother is and has always been a kind woman. People think that people grow mean as they get older, but from what I learned from her is that you don`t just get mean. Either you are a kind person or you are a mean person. She has been a kind person all her life and now that she is 91, it has paid off immensely. People still want to be around her and they still look to her for wisdom. Her life still has purpose.

Harvey Gittler, former columnist for The Chronicle-Telegram, son of Beatrice Gittler

I remember my mother with mixed emotions. Of course, as a child, I was close to my mother, particularly because my father worked very long hours often seven days a week – it was during the Depression.

As the years passed and I reached adulthood, I realized that my mother was not all that I thought she was when I was a child. She was, for a variety of reasons, a very unhappy woman and often made those she associated with unhappy.

Nevertheless, I remember the younger days and what she taught me: a love of music, reading, theater, and art. I was 7 years old when she took me to a piano concert at New York`s Carnegie Hall. I then started piano lessons that included going to concerts. She gave me tickets to the Young Peoples` concert with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in New York City. From there she took me to New York`s art museums and the library. And we went to theater frequently.

So the riches in my life – music, art, literature, and theater – all come from my mother. For that, I am forever indebted to her. And it makes me forget the other aspects of my mother.

Paul Baumgartner Jr., executive director of the Lorain County Free Clinic, son of Joan Baumgartner

My mother taught us to be honest and do your best, but also the best advice probably had to do with time, its value and how you spend it with others, especially with those who you care about.

Mike Duff, Lorain defense attorney whose family has worked in newspaper pressrooms across the country, son of Katharine Duff

She said, “Go to school so you don`t end up in the pressroom.”

Deb Wentz of the Catholic Charities in Lorain and director of productions at Olde Towne Hall Theater in North Ridgeville, daughter of Dorothy Wentz

Mother handed out a lot of motherly gems over the years – most of it down right practical and some just darn funny such as “If you`re sanding furniture, do it until it`s as smooth as a baby`s butt,” or how nice a cold beer was after you mowed the grass.

Mom also dealt out advice about the value of hard work. It wasn`t a lot of emotional stuff. She was a good German farmer, and I refer to her pearls of wisdom as German farmer therapy. Things like “If you don`t feel good, go outside and work. You`ll feel better. If you`re sad and depressed, go outside and work. You`ll feel better. If you`re worried, go outside and work.”

I didn`t appreciate it growing up, but she was so right. Hard work does take your mind off stuff. And you have a sense of accomplishment when you`re done.

I also learned how to plant flowers and sew from her, as well as never giving up. She nearly died of a heart attack two years ago and got Parkinson`s. She`s 85 now and figuring out where to grown tomatoes and green peppers.

… She always said you have to eat your meat. She was always trying to get me to eat it. That one failed – I`m a vegetarian.

Nicolle Bellmore Pierse, executive director of Family Promise of Lorain County, daughter of Sue Bellmore

The biggest life lesson passed on by my mom was the importance of caring for others and treating them with compassion. Her example was instrumental in my becoming a social worker, and I would not be where I am today without her love, support and guidance.

Lorain County Family Court Judge Debra Boros, daughter of Connie Romantic

My mother told me that I could do absolutely anything I wanted to if I was willing to work hard enough. … She gave me that advice after someone told me I couldn`t do something because I was a girl.

Betsey Manderen, executive director of the Firelands Association for the Visual Arts, daughter of Sally Enggass

My mother was a botanist – a plant science major in college – and is an avid gardener. Her best advice was probably “Pick the right plant for the right place,” and that applies to a lot of things in life – not just plants.

She always had a real good eye for color and a wonderful eye for design – much better than I.

Ronnie Chandler, marketing and events coordinator for Lake Erie Harley-Davidson and a member of the Roadhouse Band; son of Patty Chandler, also known as Momma Roadhouse

I have always worked side by side with my mom since I was a kid, always shared everything, asked advice, and cared about what she had to say.

My most vivid memories are still of us swing dancing in our kitchen on a regular basis. She was my best friend growing up and she was with me side by side through my wrestling career, always supporting me playing music, and anything I had a passion for.

In my early 20s, when I started to get too smart for my own good and making some poor decisions, I recall a conversation when she was smiling at me, but I could see her concern when she said all I needed to do was to work hard and be honest to myself and that will be the key to happiness in life, that money and possessions would never give me the happiness her and my father have.

After a couple years of losing my way and focus (like most do at some point in their life), I found myself faced with the decision of what direction to go in life. It was then that I had soul-searched and looked around in my life to see who was still behind me. Of course, my mom was leading the charge for me to do great things in a simple way.

I got a job that I love to go to every day, found someone who loved me just the way I was, and kept my head down, worked hard and spoke the truth. Today I am the portrait of simplicity, if I would have just listened to the lyrics of the songs she always requested me to sing, perhaps I would have seen my journey more clearly. So in the words of my and my mother`s favorite song, “Simple Man”: Take your time, don`t live too fast/Troubles will come, and they will pass/Go find a woman, and you`ll find love/And don`t forget son, there is someone up above.”

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