52 Ancestors: Favorite Photo - My Grandmothers

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!  

52 Ancestors: Fun and Games - Let's Play!

Over the years I've learned that my favorite blog posts are those which show pictures - lots of them!  So in that light, I've put together photos of my ancestors (and me) at play.  I sure wish I had more of them because it really brings them to life.

First up, my grandfather, Sig Levy, loved to play tennis.  I not only have a photo of him as he played, but even have some of his tennis racquets hanging on my wall.

Sig Levy

I also found a photo of my grandmother's brother, Wilton Gunzendorfer, in the 1915 Monterey High School yearbook, El Susurro, when he was a freshman - turns out he liked to play tennis, too.  Yep, he was known as "Champ Gunzy".

It makes me wonder if Sig and Wilt ever played tennis together.  I do know that he played with his brother, Ben Levy, as he wrote on November 2, 1916 to his future wife and my grandmother, Loraine Gunzendorfer:

What do you know about my young brother and myself qualifying in the semi-finals in the county tennis tourney.  Well he is tickled stiff as we have worked our way up to the real fast players.  I had never played with him before and it must be good-fortune that is with us.  Our next opponents are real sharks so I have no hopes of winning but we are getting a lot of fun and good exercise out of it.

I've read a lot about my grandmother, Loraine Gunzendorfer, rowing on a lake in Oakland with her cousin, Hyman Steen.  Since she lived close to Lake Merritt, I assume that's where they went - boy would I love to find a photo of that!  But this picture of her with her Mermaid friends will just have to do.

1915 Monterey High School, El Susurro

Loraine, second from left

I don't have too many photos of my mom and her ancestors, especially of them playing.  But I thought this photo of her with her parents, Clara Fitzgerald and Earle Martin, showed a playful side of the family.

My dad liked to play games and sports - he was ready for football in the backyard on Christmas Day, 1937.

And even when he wasn't actually playing, he found an opportunity to be playful while watching others play.  He must have been watching a granddaughter play softball while he sported her high school letterman's jacket.

Of course the playful gene didn't stop with Dad - he made sure his kids followed in his footsteps.  We had A LOT of board games as kids - one entire shelf in the storage room was filled with them.  I don't remember too many specifics about what we played (or who won) but it was fun to see this 'canned' pose (for a Christmas card, I'm guessing).  Was I paying off little brother.....or was he paying me off?

I sure wish I had some photos of playing games with our next-door neighbor, Mary.  Our favorite places to play were in the far back of their station wagon parked on the driveway (what?) and under the ping pong table with blankets over the top and sides to make a tent.  Not only board games but paper dolls - oh, those were the days!

We also liked to play dress up and produce plays.  Looks like we were here with our cousin putting together some sort of dance routine.  Remember those candy cigarettes with red coloring on the end so you felt like you were smoking?

Cousin, me, sister

My parents loved to play and watch golf - looks like they tried to get big sister interested, as well.  Or at least I think that's big sister?

Dad was not much of a fisherman so not sure how this happened?  Were we at family camp at Camp Campbell?

Little brother liked to play, too!

Maybe my grandmother's love of rowing rubbed off on me and little brother.  Not sure where this is or even how far we got but for a brief moment in time it looks like we were having fun.

As time marched on, I dabbled in different playful activities.  While maybe not exactly play, I remember the March of Dimes charity walk we participated in a few times.  I don't remember exactly how far we walked but I do remember it was a LONG day and my feet hurt like crazy by the time I took the last step.

That's me on the right with the sunglasses

It's fun to see my ancestors at play - I've learned a lot about how they spent their free time and what gave them joy.  Not to mention it's fun to see myself at play as a child.  I just hope I wasn't playing here.  Artillery?????

52 Ancestors: Close to Home - Fresno

Many of my ancestors stayed close to home.  I'm sure it was fairly common back in the "olden" days but these ancestors are more current.  And so many of them stayed close to the same home - Fresno, California.

As a child, I knew that my parents were both born and raised in Fresno but I never really thought much about it.  We visited a lot - both sets of grandparents lived there and my dad's parents still lived in the house they moved into when he was just a young boy.  I loved sitting in his room, looking at all of the pictures and awards on the wall, and imagining what life had been like for him.  But that was the extent of it.

But now that I've researched things, I find that many generations on both sides of my family spent the majority of their lives there.  Starting with my parents:

Gordon Levy - born in Fresno in 1927.  Left for Stanford University in 1944 and never lived in Fresno again.

Geraldine Martin - born in Fresno in 1928.  Left for Stanford University in 1946 and never lived in Fresno again.

My paternal grandfather, Sig Levy, was born in Vallejo, California - the story passed down was that his mother went to Vallejo  (did his father go, too?)  to escape the July heat in Fresno.  Is it really that much cooler in Vallejo?  I suspect that it was more about Sig's maternal grandmother living in Vallejo at that time.  Two of Sig's brothers were born during the winter in Fresno while the other two were born during the summer in Vallejo or San Francisco.  Coincidentally, I'm fairly certain that grandma lived in the corresponding city at the time of their births.  So, maybe it was less about the heat and more about being near her mother.

Sig brought his bride to Fresno after their marriage in 1919 and the two of them raised their sons, lived their lives there, and are interred at Chapel of the Light Columbarium. 

I imagine it looked something like this in 1919

Sig's parents, Herman Levy and Goldie Benas, were not born in Fresno but lived most of their lives there.  And they, too, are both interred at Chapel of the Light, not far from Sig and his brothers. 

My maternal grandparents were both born in Fresno:

Earle Laurence Martin was born in 1900 and lived in Fresno until the late 1930's when he and my grandmother divorced.  At that time he relocated to Bakersfield.  I really have few details about his life from that point forward as he and my mother did not have much contact with each other.  Did he move for a job?  Did he want to move and Grandma declined or just what happened?  Inquiring minds want to know!  While he died in Bakersfield, he is buried in Fresno in the same cemetery, Belmont Memorial Park, as many other family members.

Clara Maxine Fitzgerald was born in 1903 in Fresno and lived her ENTIRE life there.  Oh wait, I'm lying - she and my mother spent a short amount of time in Oakland after the divorce.  I'm really not certain how long they were there - why didn't I ask my mother?  Although now that I think about it, I did ask my mother as I was trying to find her in the 1940 census and either she didn't remember the details or was trying to forget.  Either way, I never got the information I was seeking.  Clara is also buried in Belmont Memorial Park.

Clara and Earle, along with Gerry, lived at 1023 Thorne Avenue in Fresno in 1930.  I have a picture of the family, along with Earle's mother, from the early 1930's (I suspect based on my mother's birth in 1928) which I believe is that house.

Clara Fitzgerald, Frances Brooks, Earle Martin, Gerry Martin

Do you think it's the same house?  I know, hard to tell.

1023 Thorne Avenue today

Earle's parents, Robert Lewis Martin and Frances Maria Brooks, were both born in South Carolina but found their way to Fresno in the late 1880's.  In February, 1887 their son, Guy Lewis Martin, was born in Arkansas and their daughter, Pearl, was born in Fresno in December, 1889 so their arrival in Fresno would have been somewhere between those two births.  Both are buried in Belmont Memorial Park in Fresno.

Clara's father, Edward Fitzgerald, was born in 1879 in Yolo County.  His mother died just 6 years later which left his father alone to raise the children.  Mathew Fitzgerald was in Fresno by 1888 as evidenced by the California Voter's Registration.  So Edward lived his entire life in Fresno from about the age of 9.  After his death in 1968, he was also buried in Belmont Memorial Park.

Clara's mother, Mabel McAboy, was born in 1883 in Illinois but it appears that she moved to Fresno with her family by the early 1890's.  What took them there?  She, too, spent the rest of her life in Fresno until her death in 1966.  She is also buried in Belmont Memorial Park next to Edward.

There are so many other ancestors who lived in Fresno.  Did we ever see any of them during our visits there?  When I think of Fresno, I think of "old people" as it seemed those were the only people we saw.  I haven't been back since 1982 when my grandmother died.  However, I now know new cousins, blogging friends, and even high school friends in Fresno.  One day I hope to make a visit - I'll visit the historical society and, of course, the cemetery.

I have a lot of roots in Fresno because these folks stayed close to home!

52 Ancestors: Harvest

This weeks' blog prompt is HARVEST.   Hmm, while I'm sure that I had a few farming ancestors I really don't know too many specifics about what they farmed and, ultimately, harvested.  The only harvesting that came to my mind was my maternal grandmother and her husband, my step-grandfather, harvesting eggs.  I've written about that before but it's been a long time so I'll take the challenge one more time.

Clara (Fitzgerald) and Shell Hunter

Based on this newspaper article, they bought their property in late 1956 or early 1957.  In an instant, they were chicken farmers!

Fresno Bee, September 27, 1959

Retired Telegrapher Finds Poultry Flock Demands Work

When Sheldon A Hunter of 2341 West Olive Avenue, Fresno, retired in 1955 as manager of the Fresno office of Western Union, he recalls he did not know the difference between a laying hen and a bantam chicken.

Today the grey haired Hunter is the knowledgeable owner and operator of a 2,000 bird egg laying flock, who maintains he "never worked harder, made less or felt better."

Hunter and his charming wife, Clara, bought the one acre layout two and a half years ago when it included only 600 hens  They have expanded cautiously and only recently constructed a new cement floored laying house featuring the latest in wire cage operation.

Hunter, whose Western Union career covered 47 years, including 35 years in Fresno, credits feed company salesmen and breeder representatives with a big hand in helping him learn the poultry business.

"We thought this would be an interesting part time occupation," Hunter grins, "but we find there is always something to do, repair or change.  And these birds need a lot of care.  But we like the idea of keeping busy."

Meet Their Customers

Since all the Hunter eggs are sold directly from the small combination garage and egg processing room, the retired couple enjoy meeting people who stop to purchase the eggs.

Mrs. Hunter chuckles as she recalls a visit by a 10 year old neighbor girl.

"She wanted to borrow three eggs because her mother was baking a cake and didn't have enough," she says.  "But she assured me she would soon return them because her mother was going downtown and would buy some there."

Have Fruit Trees

Along with the modest sized poultry setup, the Hunters are proud of their variety of fruit trees, ranging from figs to persimmons, a vegetable garden and boysenberry vines.

While the Hunter operation ranks quite small as compared to some of Fresno County's sprawling commercial laying establishments, the owners keep abreast of the latest breeding developments.  They are grooming a new experimental White Leghorn strain obtained from Washington State which is said to lay larger eggs for specialized poultrymen, who have a market for them.

I even have the photo they included in the article in my collection (thank you, non-packrat Grandma!)

Sheldon Hunter, 1959

NEW OCCUPATION - Sheldon Hunter, a retired Fresno telegrapher, has found that "wire" means more than a telegram.  Here Hunter inspects his recently constructed wire cage house for his West Olive Avenue flock of white Leghorn layers.  Bee Photos.

I remember so much about the operation but some things from this article stick out in my mind.

Most of the operation was run from the garage.  Here we helped to clean and package the eggs.  Look at all the egg cartons!  My favorite part was weighing the eggs and then putting them in the appropriate carton - small, medium, large, extra large, and jumbo.  If we were really lucky, we'd get a "pee wee" egg which we loved to take to school for show and tell.  The weighing machine would have been behind the big stack of eggs above my head.

Sister, Grandpa Shell, Me
c. 1959-1960

Even little brother got into the act once he joined the family.  So many egg cartons!

Brother, Grandpa Shell
c. 1963-1964

Grandma spent a lot of time in the processing room candling the eggs to ensure that the eggs didn't have blood in them.

Clara (Fitzgerald) Hunter

The lights were turned down as Grandma put each egg into the lit container in order to see shadows of what was inside.  Then she’d turned it over and put the other end in and repeat the process.  This was a very delicate procedure and one we weren’t allowed to help with.  But while she was doing that, we’d sit at a table with baskets of eggs and one by one we’d clean them, careful not to break them.  And before the automatic egg scale, we'd put them on a manual scale and estimate their size.

Sister, Me, Grandpa Shell cleaning and weighing eggs

But before any of this could happen, we'd collect the eggs.  Even when the chickens were locked in those new wire cage houses, it was a bit overwhelming for young girls to be in there with SO. MANY. CHICKENS.  And while I realize the wire cage house wasn't something you'd see today and would probably cause a visit from animal rights activists, it did make it much easier to just walk by and pick up the eggs.

We were ready for this important job!

There were also areas that were like a big stall where the hens would all run loose.  I don’t remember collecting eggs in there so they must have been the young chickens who weren’t producing yet.  I didn’t really like going in there as those birds would run around and sometimes even fly at you.

I'm surprised that the farm was only 1 acre - it seemed so much larger to me.  Maybe their cautious expansion included buying some adjoining property?  I also don't remember fruit trees, a vegetable garden, or boysenberry vines.  There might have been a fruit tree here and there but I don't remember too many.  What I DO remember is a fish pond with abalone shells as the top layer of the sides of the pond - so pretty.  I think there were fish in there but I don't remember specifics.

I know these chickens were a lot of work.  When we’d be visiting, Grandma and Grandpa would have someone (normally Grandma's mother, Mabel (McAboy) Fitzgerald) come to the house to “chicken sit” if they wanted to go out to dinner with us.  And traveling even for one night was next to impossible for them.   I will always remember Grandma sitting in the warm Fresno sunshine, cleaning eggs while listening to her beloved San Francisco Giants on the radio.

Not your 'normal' harvesting but boy did we have fun helping harvest eggs!

52 Ancestors: Sister

I'm just coming up for air after several weeks trying to sort out some computer issues - mainly, my laptop stopped working and I decided to take some time to decide what to do about it.  I've been thinking about a new computer and decided that this was the time to make it happen.  My old laptop was still running on Windows 7 - I'm still working out the kinks but I have now managed to get all of my documents and photos off of the old computer and on to the new one.  I still have some programs to move over but have to think through that before I move forward.

I last wrote about Brothers in my tree and I don't want to stop without acknowledging the sisters in my tree.

The oldest photo I have of a sister is my great grandmother, Bertha Schwartz, and her older brother, Joseph.  Two younger brothers, Milton and Colman, followed but for a time it was just Joseph and Bertha.

Rebecca (Steen), Joseph, Bertha, Louis Schwartz
c. 1876

Bertha's oldest child was my grandmother, Mildred Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy.  And then came younger brother, Wilton Gunzendorfer.  This is how I remember them and while Loraine always seemed stern to me, she also loved to smile!

Wilt and Loraine (Gunzendorfer) Levy
1980

Loraine's dad was one of four boys so no sisters and my grandfather was also one of four boys.  Of course, my dad wasn't a sister nor did he have a sister so that's all the sisters I can share from that side of the family.  

I remember my mom's grandmother so well.  She was so sweet and always seemed happy to see us.  However, I never, EVER thought about her being a sister and until I started this quest, I really knew nothing about her family.  But along the way I have learned quite a bit about her (her grandfather was one of my favorite ancestors, Emery Waller).  And through this journey I've also "met" some cousins who have been so kind as to share some photos with me.

Thank you, Kris, for this beautiful photo of our great grandmothers, Lilly (McAboy) Langworthy and Mabel (McAboy) Fitzgerald!

Lilly Gay (McAboy) Langworthy - 1867-1949
Mabel Viola (McAboy) Fitzgerald - 1883-1996

Mabel's daughter and my grandmother, Clara Maxine (Fitzgerald) Martin Hunter, was a sister but why didn't I know much about this?  I remember her brother, Stanley, and even met him a few times.  I might remember hearing about a sister but did I ever meet her?  Are there any pictures of them two of them together?  All I really know is her name, Viola Marie (Fitzgerald) Feuerstein Crawford.  I've connected with some of her descendants and would really like to learn more about her.  So for now, I'll just have to leave it to my imagination as to how the two sisters spent their free time.

Photo by simpleinsomnia

And then came my mom, sister to no one as she was the only child of Clara (Fitzgerald) and Earle Martin.  After their divorce, they both remarried and while Clara had no children, Earle did have some more children whom I never met.  In fact, my mother once told me that she remembers only meeting them once.  But if she HAD been a sister, I'm sure she would have been a great one.  Just look at her sitting there so angelic - I can just imagine her saying "if only I were a sister".

Geraldine Martin, 1930

And that leads me to my own sister.  For nearly 7 years we were the only children in the family so as you can imagine, there were quite a few photos of us together over the years.  Here's a few of my favorites.

Hope we didn't catch any flies in those open mouths!

Sisters, 1957

Dad captioned this "Greatest Photo Ever Taken".  I think he just might have been right.

How 'bout those bangs?

Out of all the slides my husband scanned for us after the death of my parents, this was the jewel!

Were we cute or WHAT?

As the years have gone by, we don't get to see each other too often but one of my favorite memories was the family trip to Kauai before Mom died.  What a gift to have spent an entire week with Mom, my siblings, and our spouses.  I can't believe we didn't capture more photos but this might have just been the last time we were all together with Mom.

With our Mama!

No matter the distance, there's always a special bond between sisters!

52 Ancestors: Reunion

This weeks' blog post, Reunion, conjures up visions of a very large family gathering, complete with plaid tablecloths, fried chicken, and potato salad.  Unfortunately, as part of a VERY small family, that vision is just one from books and something that never actually happened for me.

My mother was an only child and after her parent's divorce and second marriage for both, she did have two half siblings from her father and his new wife; however, I only remember meeting my grandfather once and to my knowledge, never met his new children.  And since my grandmother never had any more children, that left any cousins on that side essentially non-existent to me.

My dad had one brother who had two children so those were really my only cousins.  And since they lived in Kentucky and we lived in California, we didn't see each other much.  My uncle would make the trek out west on occasion and at one time or another he brought one of his daughters with him.  Sadly, there were very few times when all five cousins were together.

But as this picture proves, there was at least once!

Back, left to right:  Me, Sister, Cousin V
Front, left to right:  Brother, Cousin M
c.1963

Here we are - the Levy cousins!  This looks to be sometime about 1963 since my brother was born in November, 1961 and looks to be somewhere around 2 years old here.  I was notorious for closing my eyes when the camera snapped.

Several years ago I connected with a distant cousin on my mother's side - her grandfather was the younger brother of my great grandfather.  And just like that, she was GONE.  But she did share with me some information about our common ancestors and a reunion that occurred in 1979.  What a gift to have this newspaper article - unfortunately, I do not know the newspaper it was printed in.

The Horgan family, descendants of Jerry and Maggie Horgan of Ireland, who never immigrated to this country, held a family reunion at the Zamora town hall on June 2.  More than 100 descendants of the Horgan clan were present for the potluck dinner.  They came from Dinuba, Livermore, Redwood City, Sunol, Red Bluff, Sacramento, Salinas, Esparto, San Jose, Newark, Fresno, Arbuckle, Merced, Davis, Knight's Landing, Woodland and Zamora.  A few older friends of the family around Zamora were also invited.

The oldest member present was Irene Fitzgerald Johnson of Arbuckle.  Youngest members were Kelly Barnard of Livermore and Bonnie Hilleby of Woodland.  Traveling the farthest was Viola Fitzgerald Crawford of Fresno.

Father Elwood Geary said Mass for the family in St. Agnes Catholic Church in Zamora on Sunday morning.  The church was built by John, Cornelius and Andrew Horgan.

Planning the reunion were Betty Dall of Dinuba, Edith Heidrick, Mary Croll and Mable Hermle.  Mrs. Hermle is the second generation Horgan in this country and the only one in her generation that is living today.  The Ireland couple were her grandparents.

How cool is that?  Can you imagine finding 100 descendants 40 years ago and then planning a reunion and notifying them all to gather on a specific date????

And then there was a photo of the St. Agnes Catholic Church, built by my 2x great grandmother's brothers John, Cornelius, and Andrew.

What a great little church!  I'd sure love to see inside.

Look at this - a current photo!

St. Agnes Catholic Church, Zamora, California
from google maps

But best of all is this photo of some of the Horgan descendants who gathered that day - and labeled with the names!  Only problem is I can't be sure of who is who with one exception - my grandmother's sister, Viola Fitzgerald Crawford who is third from the right.  And I know this only because she looks EXACTLY like my grandmother!

Clifford E. Johnson, Irene Fitzgerald Johnson, Harry Johnson, Jack John E. Fitzgerald (Patti's grandfather), Elfie Johnson, Lorraine Follett (Viola's daughter), Clarence Follet (Lorraine's husband), Viola M. Crawford, Jane Fitzgerald Schneider, Carla Schneider.  Note - Irene Johnson died a few months after reunion

I enlarged it so I could see it better.

I'm guessing that Lorraine is to Viola's right with her husband, Clarence, standing behind her.  And if Irene Johnson was the eldest, I would guess her to be 2nd from the left.

Interesting to note that in all the times we visited my grandmother in Fresno, I don't remember ever meeting Viola.  And being that my grandmother was still living in 1979 (and quite active), I wonder why she didn't attend?  Could it be that there was some sort of rift between she and Viola?  Another question I will probably never have answered.

As my family grows and grows due to this journey I'm on, maybe one day I'll have a chance to attend my own family reunion.

Memories of Mom

If there is one person in our lives we should be thinking of today it is our Mother - the person who gave us life.  I realize we celebrate all mothers but really, if not for our own mother where would we be?  But Mother's Day seems to have a different meaning now that my mother is no longer with us and the memories just swirl around in my head.  So today I celebrate my mother, Geraldine Martin.

This is the earliest photo I've found of her - I'm guessing she was about 6 months old.  Look at those cute little shoes!

Geraldine Martin, c. 1928

And recently I've discovered some new photos in the small envelope her father held on to throughout his life.  They were not close so that fact that he kept them all those years makes it so special.  He even wrote on the back - not just the name but sometimes, the date and place.  After his death, his wife sent his things to my mother. 

Geraldine Martin
1023 Thorne, Fresno
About 1930

In 1930, my mother was enumerated with her parents at 1023 Thorne in Fresno - she used to tell me that she always remembered that address - and they owned the house.  In 1940, my mother's maternal grandparents, Edward and Mabel (McAboy) Fitzgerald, owned the house and were enumerated there.  My guess is that as my grandparents finalized their divorce, they sold the home to the Fitzgeralds.

And then in July 1931, Mom was hamming it up at the beach.  I think that might be my grandmother watching her.  This photo just brings such a smile to my face.

Geraldine Martin
July, 1931
3 years

I think this is from 1932 - what a little lady with her cute pin curls.

Geraldine Martin
c. 1932

By 1936, Mom was a student at John Muir School - interestingly, I attended John Muir Junior High from 7th-9th grade.  Do I remember that Mom told us she also went to John Muir, albeit a different school?  Mom would have been in 2nd grade - you can see her in the middle row, 6th from the left.

Room No. 6
John Muir School
Feb. 27, 1936

I also found this photo which I thought included Mom - little girl front row, center.  But the more I look at it the more I think it isn't her since the clothes don't look like something from the early 1930's.  Maybe it could be her mother?

And then she fell in love and was engaged to be married - this is the photo used in her engagement announcement in the newspaper.  What a beauty!

Geraldine Martin
1949

And then came kids.   And one of my most treasured photos celebrating not only my mother but HER mother and HER mother. 

Clara Fitzgerald, Geraldine Martin, Mabel McAboy
Sister C. Levy, Me
c. 1960

One of my favorite photos of Mom, also from about 1960.

And then the years marched on by and grandkids and even great grandkids joined the family. 

Mom, Sister, Me
Daughter #2, Daughter #1

And just like that, Mom turned 80!  She was so happy to be able to spend it with the three kids and our spouses.

80 years young - June 8, 2008

And here we are.  Another Mother's Day without her.  And in just 10 days, we will remember her on the 6th anniversary of her death.  And then 17 days later, we will celebrate the day she was born 91 years ago.

The years just continue to march on and I hold the memories close.  Happy Mother's Day, Mom!