Her days as a child were spaced by prayers that were done three times a day: at sunrise, noon and in the evening time. The life of families was concentrated around the church and religious obligations. Flowers Bay had Methodist, Baptist and Evangelical churches.

Little Dellis learned how to read, write and mathematics from Ebenezer Johnson, a schoolteacher who taught in Flowers Bay using English Royal Readers. Little Dellis completed knowledge of all six Royal Readers books.

The discipline in school was important and occasionally the teacher whipped unruly students. Mrs. Dellis remembers an April fool’s day where one of her companions “pinned a tail” on the back of the teacher and was punished. Another April fools day mischief involved taking a “note” to a faraway place.

In the 1930s, the Honduran government built a school on the point in Flowers Bay. The September of 1941 hurricane destroyed it completely. Mrs. Dellis remembers that “Nicaraguan Hurricane” well. The storm came without warning and brought high winds and a quickly rising tide endangering most of the Flowers Bay homes that were built very close to shore. “We were running in the rain, cold. We were frightened and hungry,” says Mrs. Dellis. When her family arrived at a home that was up the hill, they found it was already filled with fleeing neighbors.

Made flower arrangements for weddings.

Mrs. Dellis spent several years with her grandmother in Los Planes, a Standard Fruit community on the Cangrejal river outside of La Ceiba. She learned Spanish while studying at the local school there. In 1930s and 40s many islanders left to pursue jobs with banana companies on the mainland.

In 1950, at 21 Mrs. Dellis married Oliver Cromwell Bodden, a seaman from Flowers Bay. Mrs. Oliver worked on “The Daydream,” aboat that carried cargo between Roatan and Grand Cayman, Louisiana and Florida.

For several years the couple rented homes, but finally purchased a house lot in Flowers Bay. While taking care of the house Mrs. Dellis planted flowers and made flower arrangements for weddings and birthday bouquets. On Sundays she would sing hymns and recite bible verses at the Baptist church she joined. The couple had five boys and one girl.

In her ninth decade, Mrs. Dellis is very active and energetic. She spends her time visiting family and tending to her flower garden. She lives with her son in beautiful seashore home in Pensacola area of Flowers Bay.