Some of Mom's accounts of her siblings stop abruptly. Mom wrote them longhand in a notebook, using about two or three pages each. Of particular note in these two is the account of her sister Bernice. Mom credits watching her with likely starting Mom's love for sewing.
The first photo is of Bernice, left, and sister Karon, right. The second photo is of Mom's brother Loren. Both are from a set of pictures an aunt sent to Mom last year.
(Sis and Vern | Bud and Elmer | Hun and Nick | Terry and Dard | Greg, Karon and Mickey)
My brother Loren. He had a real bad limp and bowed in his leg. I was told that he was working in the field with horse and plow and was dragged. He was too ornery to listen to the doctor so he walked on it too soon and the plate set to heal his leg broke so he had this bowed out leg limp. I'm sure on some days he had a lot of pain.Lorney, or Curley as many people called him, was my godfather. When I was small, I was a little afraid of him. He married Dorothy and they moved to a farm not too far from us. Loren did a lot for Dad as far as farming goes. They shared equipment because when Dad started farming, they still used horses. As far as I know, he could drive tractor but there was a lot of kids to do the driving.
Eventually when Dad bought this new place a few miles from the home place, Mom and Dad, two of my sisters moved in this house and Loren and family moved in the neighboring farm with all the farming business. We still had chickens for a while.
We had to call on Loren and Dorothy a lot. In fact, when I had my back surgery, I was laid up on my back for six months. Mom had her stroke. I was able to reach the phone and call Lorney. He came right over and called the doctor and got someone to take care of me. Some of this is a blur.
Mom was admitted and one of my sisters took me to her house on the couch.
Next came Bernice. She primarily kept the house and helped Mom a lot. She did a lot of sewing for us all. I was up to the table watching her cut out and then sew together. I was fascinated. I am sure that is what influenced me in my sewing. She always said she raised us as Mom was always doing the chicken chores.
Over the years, she still fascinated me by the things she made. She made most of her girls' wedding dresses, etc.
She married around 1950 and moved away. Her husband Verlyn was in the lumber yard business in Minnesota. Soon they moved closer. They had a house connected to the lumberyard in Colman. One time I went to visit because she was making me a coat I think. I took the little kids out to play in the sandbox, which was right in the middle of the lumber yard. We had fun. Finally, they moved to Waverly, Iowa.
In Iowa, they moved into a big two-story house to accommodate their growing family. Eventually, they had eight children, with names that all began with "R". All the kids attended the same school.
Over the years, they made a lot of improvements to the house.
Mom, July 2011
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