Call it a hole-y act

Mary Cudd of Waterford died several years ago, but left a memorable imprint on her neighbor Eunice Kline.

Mary was born in Alabama in the early 1900s. When her mother died, Mary stepped into her shoes, cooking, cleaning and caring for her father and nine brothers. When she had time, she worked in the fields with them.

She eventually married and moved to California, where Mary worked in the canneries and orchards, including those belonging to Kline's family.

"She was inspiring to work with," Kline said. "She never complained and was always cheerful, thanking God when we had a little breeze on those 110-degree days with peach fuzz down our necks.

"She and I graded peaches on my son's 'shaker' on his ranch and for others in the area. One night, we worked on an ill-prepared ranch. The ground was full of holes and ruts. Mary bowed her head and asked God to keep us safe. At that moment, my son backed the machine up and Mary fell. Several tons of peaches, the bin and machinery passed over her body."

When the machine was pulled forward, Kline said, "we found Mary laying as though nailed to a cross, still holding her lantern. She was encased in a hole the size of her body and her outstretched arms were in ruts just the right width. She did not have a single scratch or bruise on her.

"In my thankfulness, I knew I'd witnessed a miracle of God's grace."

Mary worked the rest of the night until the job was completed, Kline said, and continued working into her 80s.