Category Archives: Family

The Fruit Basket

May 26, 2024Family, Musings, PhotographsChristmas, Dad, fruit basket, kevin, momDona

Christmastime 1969 my family was given a fruit basket as a gift. It’s possible it was the first fruit basket we ever received because we took at least three photos of it.

In the above photo, Kevin, Mom, and I sit beneath the Christmas tree with the Fruit Basket in front of us. We’re all dressed up, so we must have been heading out to a relative’s soon — so it could be either Christmas eve or Christmas day.

This is a perfect photo to show off my mom’s creative endeavors. Mom’s painting of the African American woman was based on an image she saw in a magazine. It hung in the living room for a long time. I have it now, along with another, similar-sized painting of an Asian man with a rickshaw.

To the right, and below the painting is another craft mom made. It is a candle holder made out of several terracotta pots, partially spray painted black, then shellacked.

Also in this picture could be the only proof that mom made stained glass windows out of tissue paper and tape. I think mom wanted curtains over the windows and dad did not. Dad got fed up with the tissue paper stained glass and took a razor to them. After that she put black tape on the windows to represent segments of a stained glass window. I think Dad took a razor to that too. They eventually got wooden shutters to put on the inside for privacy.

In these two photographs Dad looks sad, angry, or depressed. Kevin looks mischievous.

Dad rarely smiled for photographs, but usually had a smile in his eyes, but in this case I don’t see any of that. I wonder what happened to make him so sad. It could simply be that he didn’t want to pose with the fruit basket but mom wanted him to so he was being passive-aggressive about it.

The first photo shows the curved shelf I remember well from the kitchen. I can see mom’s recipe box. on the second shelf.

I do have memories of the (or a) fruit basket and I think they might have gotten it from Dad’s workplace — this might have been the year he began working for Reber’s Appliance. I don’t know, however, why so many weird photos were taken of it.

Letter from Aunt Phyllis to Grandma and Grandpa

April 2, 2024Family, Genealogy research, ThingsAuntie Phyllis, Found items, letterDona

Aunt (or Auntie) Phyllis was Grandma Green’s older sister. She married late in life at age 55, living with her father and stepmother until at least 1950. Her husband-to-be, George Lahey, was a widower with three grown children. I probably met her when I was a child, but I have no recollection of it. She was always good about recognizing her grand- nieces and nephews for their accomplishments, usually with a card, embroidered hankie, and a small cash gift. I’ve happened upon many letters from Auntie Phyllis, but unfortunately threw them away before realizing what a treasure of information they would have been.

In this letter dated April 14, 1959, she announces her upcoming wedding and after-wedding travel plans.

April 14, – 11:30 a.m.

Dear Lois and All,

Just wanted to let you know that I am being married on April 24th at 10: a.m. in Madison, Wis. George’s son James and his wife, Welcome, are going to be our attendants. We want just a simple affair. We plan to leave right after the ceremony and are planning to go to Elgin and Chicago. We want to stay in a motel near Elgin. Would you know of any that is nice near Elgin? Please let me know the name of it. Then on Saturday we will come in to see your folks and would like you and Walter to drive us into Chicago to go to the Merchandise Mart where I can order a few of my summer clothes for the store*. I wish I didn’t have the store.

I have a blue wool suit, white hat and gloves and patent shoes for my wardrobe for the wedding.

Welcome wants to have a wedding breakfast but I told her not to do any fussing.

This afternoon George and I are going to get our marriage licenses. Would like to keep the notice out of the paper until after the marriage because some people are just looking for them.

This A.M. we went to sign our wills. Will tell you about it when I see you.

Next week will be a busy week at our house. We will have a farm boy with us for the week. Reid was at this farm boy’s house last week and Reid enjoyed it very much. Little Donnie says that the farm boy will have to sleep with me. He’s a rascal.

Heard over the radio that a man in a blue and white station wagon stopped a girl on her bike to give her a ride. She refused to to and then reported this incident to police. All police are on the alert as that color station wagon is involved in the murder of the boy from Milwaukee.

There is a fugitive from justice hiding near Grandma Krueger’s home too.

Well I must close, for now.

Please let me know as soon as possible about the motels.

Envelope is enclosed for you.

Love to all from all,

Phyllis.

PS Had a letter from June telling of her Dad’s illness. Too bad.
Phyliss Koeser April 14, 1959

*Auntie Phyllis co-owned a store called The Economy Store in Two Rivers, Wisconsin for 8 years along with a Martha Gensman. The letter in this post was sent in an envelope with a return address of the store.

Raymond Tyler’s tragic life

March 25, 2024Family, Genealogy researchDona

Raymond Tyler was born in Sioux City, Iowa on Christmas Day in 1912. He was the son of my mother’s father’s Uncle Ralph and his wife Mabel. It seems he had a happy childhood based on the few photos I have of him. His life after childhood was filled with tragedy. He lost his brother, father and mother before he turned 20. Then lost his wife after ten years of marriage.

Raymond had a brother named Robert who was born within two years of of Raymond’s birth and is listed on the 1920 census but is missing from the 1925 census, even though his mother, father and brother are listed. There is no grave for him at the cemetery where his parents are buried, but if he died earlier perhaps they buried him somewhere else. I could not find an obituary for him either. It seems Robert died between ages 7 and 12.

Raymond’s father, Ralph, was a firefighter and on March 20, 1929 died suddenly of pneumonia in the lobby of the state capital where he was lobbying for some legislation for Iowa firefighters. He was only 44 years old. Raymond was 16 years old.

In 1932 Raymond lost his mother to a ruptured duodenal ulcer. She was 39, Raymond was 19. At the time Raymond and his mother lived in a duplex.

Raymond married Willetta Mae Iwen on January 28, 1938. They lived in a boarding house in Sioux City. Raymond was unemployed at the time of the 1940 census, except for 12 weeks working in a tavern. He was actively looking for work. His 1940 draft card lists him living at a different address. It also lists his mother-in-law as a point of contact. Usually it was a spouse. He’s also listed as working for a C. Hutchins at 816 Fourth St.

On August 17, 1948 Willetta died of tuberculosis at the Iowa State Sanatorium. She was just over 31 years old. Raymond was 36.

In 1950 Raymond was a lodger at a different home. He was not working, had not worked in a while, and was not looking for employment. He was 38.

In 1960 Raymond lived in a house (possibly his in-law’s home) and died of the effects of several years of alcoholism on August 2, 1960. He was 47 years old.