A Sketch of My Life

Abstract

I was born May 22, 1922, at home at 8530 Church Road in St. Louis, Missouri. Was the second child born to my parents, the first one having lived only a few hours. So I was thoroughly welcomed! My aunt and grandparents lived downstairs, and it was a big happy day for all of them (me too probably). I was healthy and feisty. My dad was a green grocer and butcher, and when I was 3 years old, we moved to Chicago, where he owned several meat markets and green grocers too. He kept almost all his money in the bank, and suddenly the banks closed. All his money was lost, except what little he had kept out. I was about 7 then and by this time had a little brother (4 years younger). To make ends meet, my mother made potato salad. My brother and I would take our Coaster Wagon and go across the street to the green grocer there and get potatoes. We would pull the wagon home, and Mom would make the potato salad, and Dad would sell it to hotels. I remember walking to school (there were no school buses and no snow days either), and when it had snowed, the snowbanks were higher than I could see over. I also remember that if I left my doll outside overnight, the moisture from Lake Michigan would have my doll all wet by morning. It was very hard to make a living, though, and my mother's sisters and parents wanted us to come back to St. Louis, where they could take care of us. So we did. Mom sewed for people with a Singer sewing machine. One day a man came by and said he worked for the Singer Company. He convinced her to buy a machine. She had to put $15 down on it. It was a tabletop machine. The top looked like a desk when it was closed (then one could lift the machine out), and it sat on top of the desk part. It had a foot pedal. I heard that machine going all the time. Mom sewed for people and also made our clothes. I watched over my brother and by now a sister, who was 8 years younger than me, to keep them busy and away from the machine. No notices came for a few months about where to send more money. So my mother finally called Singer Company. Singer said they had never heard of the man! He must have stolen the machines or something. So my mother made arrangements to pay Singer directly. I kept the machine after my mother died and just sold it in 2009! I graduated from high school in May 1939. However, while no one knew it at the time, I had gotten married in January 1939. My parents were trying to raise money for an organization, and a dance was held. I went and saw the love of my life immediately, Ralph. Ralph was 11 years older than I. We fell in love, and 3 months later we got married. In those days a person was not allowed to be married while in high school. So we kept it a secret. Ralph had written letters to me, though, and my mother found them, thereby finding out we were married! She was quite startled and angry at first, but then both she and my dad seemed okay with it actually. Then we had a Shiveree. As it was during the Depression, once it was discovered that we were married, we lived in the home of my parents. Ralph was in construction, a millwright. And as the war was building up, we traveled to assist in putting machines into factories. I stayed with my parents much of the time. However, at one point we all moved to Matagorda County, Texas, where I was expecting our third child! But my parents always wanted us to live with them so they could be close to our family. They helped us, and we helped them too. And what did I do? I took care of my family and helped my mom. When the children went into high school, I started working. I had quite a varied career. I worked at Famous Barr, helping to count the merchandise when it came in and made sure that the number of items matched the invoice. I sold opera tickets. I counted Eagle Stamp books to make sure no one cheated! I even got promoted. But after 5 years I decided that I didn't want to spend the rest of my time there, and I quit. …