Looking Back

Journaling:

This picture of my Dad and my six brothers was taken in the early 1950s. My dad died in 1953 just prior to my 10^th birthday. There were eight children in the family and my sister (13 years older than me)

was married and out of the house. We lived in a 3 bedroom, one-bath house and boy, was it crowded.

I don’t remember much about my dad, mainly stories from my older siblings. I do remember when

he’d come home from work he’d be so tired, he’d lie down before dinner. My younger brother and I would climb on the bed with him.

Our elementary school was up the block from our house and we were at recess and I saw the ambulance pull away from our driveway to take my dad to the hospital. He died a few days later.

I’ll never forget seeing the ambulance as it drove past the playground where I was standing…the last time I saw him was before I left for school. I didn’t know he was sick or that he’d die. But the memories of that ambulance are in my mind forever.

My oldest brother (standing just behind my dad) became the father figure to the three of us who were the youngest. We would give him Father’s Day gifts every year; we’d make special cards too.

I remember when I started junior high school and I wanted to wear lipstick and he & my mom wouldn’t let me. The only thing I could wear was like Chapstick…it was a very light orange and no matter how hard I rubbed it on my lips it still looked like I was wearing Chapstick!. Once my

brother took me to get my long straight hair cut and a permanent wave (that’s what it was called in the 50s.) Since I was really skinny and had the long hair he thought I’d look better in short permed hair. NOT!!! My hair was so curly and I hated it and so did my brother. He never said anything about my hair after that.