North Side woman remembered When Lucille Hester died Tuesday at the age of 79, what her friends remembered best were two things: her famous barbecue restaurants and her motherly compassion. Mrs. Hester ran the Big Apple at 706 Cliff for 21 years, from the 1930s to the 1950s. From 1954 to 1962 she ran Hester's at 2020 Ephriham Ave. For the last several years, she lived in a North Side nursing home. Mrs. Hester moved there from another nursing home on the West Side so she could look out on the building where Hester's-on-the-Hill used to stand, a friend said. Although the building is no longer there, many remember its grandeur. "It was one of the outstanding showplaces of Fort Worth," said Mi- chael Kelly, who saw the eating establishment as both a patron and city health inspector. "It was so beautifully constructed. She was very proud of the kitchen. There was much more stainless steel in there than we required in those days." Kelly remembers her second restaurant as a "friendly place to gather." "A lot of her friends would come from all over once a week or more often just to be with her. She was like a mother to everybody," he said. With its big chimney and rustic decor, the restaurant was "an extremely stylish place" sittingon a hilltop just a few blocks from the Jacksboro Highway, Star-Telegram columnist Jack Gordon said. A friend of Mrs. Hester's for more than 40 years, Aubrey Turner, said she was an exceptionally compassionate woman. When a hurricane caused heavy flooding in the Rio Grande Valley about 20 years ago, she drove with Turner to take emergency supplies. "We took a station wagon full of canned goods, sheets, pillowcases and clothing," he said. She is survived by a stepson, Jack Snider of Dallas; a stepdaughter, Jeanette Porter of California; a brother, Harry Thompson of Bradenton, Fla.; and one grandchild. Funeral will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Shannon's North Funeral Chapel. A decision had not been reached this morning on the place of burial.