This past week were the birthdays of my grandmothers so with this week's blog prompt, I thought I'd highlight both of them in photos.
Mildred Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy
Grandma Loraine (never Mildred), my paternal grandmother, was one of a kind and I've shared quite a bit about her over the years. She was the official packrat of the family, although I'm learning that not only did my dad share that gene, but since I have so much of her 'stuff' I should officially announce that I, too, am a packrat. Loraine was born in Santa Cruz on 20 January, 1896 and died in Los Gatos 08 May, 1982.
Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer, c 1897
Mildred Loraine Gunzendorfer, 1912
Mildred Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy, 1969
Clara Maxine (Fitzgerald) Martin Hunter
Grandma Clara was my maternal grandmother - did I ever know that her middle name was Maxine before I started with genealogy? We were fortunate that our grandparents lived about 10 minutes apart so we spent a lot of time in Fresno visiting. We loved to visit Grandma Clara because she had the chicken ranch and we loved helping collect, weigh, and package the eggs. Clara was born in Fresno on 22 January, 1903 and died in Fresno on 27 February, 1987. With the exception of a year or two in Oakland in about 1940, I don't think she ever lived outside of Fresno.
Clara Maxine Fitzgerald, 1903
Clara Maxine Fitzgerald, 1923
Clara Maxine (Fitzgerald) Hunter, c1960
I can't believe my grandmothers have been gone all these years and now - gasp - I'm the grandmother. Time sure has a way of marching on.
Happy birthday, Grandmas!
Beautiful photos, Debi. I always find it interesting to see how people change over time. This is a great post for noticing that. The two photos of them at their youngest are adorable. All the frills and ruffles and flounces -- adorable!
ReplyDeleteI loved how people really dressed up. I don't think I ever saw either of my grandmothers in a pair of slacks.
DeleteThese are lovely photos. I know I never saw either of my grandmothers in a pair of slacks (b. 1897 and b. 1907), though perhaps my maternal grandmother had some to wear while gardening.
DeleteI think our ancestors would die if they saw the way people dress today :-)
DeleteSuch beautiful women---and you are so fortunate to have photos of them when they were children and young adults. And to have grown up living so close to both of them.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever realized how many children grew up without grandparents nearby but I sure appreciate my time with them now. I have many photos of Loraine growing up - not so much for Clara.
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