To understand the heart and the essence of Tumpies Candles, one must understand the inspiration for the name. Southern communities were full of Rhetts and Beaus, Daisies and Belles, but the name Tumpie was a rare find, just like the woman who bore it.
Tumpie Gardner Johnston was born Tumpie Florence Gardner in 1909 in Montgomery, Alabama. She married Lee Roy Johnston on December 17, 1927, and was a stickler that her new last name be correctly pronounced. On more than one occasion a stranger would refer to her as "Mrs. Johnson". Quick as a whip, with a sparkle in her eye, Tumpie would retort, "It's Johnston, with a "t", and the "t' in Johnston is just as important as the "r" in shirt." This kind of quick wit made time with Tumpie both memorable and entertaining.
She was a divine seamstress who designed and sewed for people in her community, and when she had finished her work for the day, you may very well find that she had slipped off down to the pond behind her house to satisfy the yearning to fish, which she not only enjoyed but was also quite accomplished.
There was nothing droll about Tumpie. She had a delightful wit that was so sharp it would have cut clean through a barbed wire fence if it were a knife. She could always make you laugh, and keep you wondering what was next.
Nevertheless, Tumpie also had a soft side. She adored her family and friends, and she always put God first. She raised her children with a strong love of God and country, and expected the highest of morals and values from them. She was an honorable woman and put her heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into everything she did.
Tumpies Candles was created to keep her spirit, quick wit, and love for others alive and in her memory we give all the glory, honor and praise to God.