I felt so badly to get a call late afternoon Thursday from
Aunt Dawn (Uncle Ed’s widow) whom I had arranged to meet up with on Friday when
Rod and I headed north. I was supposed to call her to set up a time, before she
left for her evening meeting and I forgot!! The tour around Racine was so
fascinating and then all the company, etc. No excuse! My memory is going!!
Anyway, Rod and I went to her home in Menominee Falls, WI
just past Milwaukee around 10:30, after saying thanks and goodbye to Larry for
a lovely visit. She looks AMAZING for 77, or any age for that matter! Just as I
remember her, slim and beautiful and warm and charming! We saw pictures and got
the cousins straight, who were younger than the Mitchell cousins from Stevens
Point whom I saw more frequently growing up. We were going to meet the oldest,
Terry and his wife Marsha, then Kenny and his wife Mary, and Bob who was taking
off work to meet us – all meeting up at Ruby Tuesdays for lunch. Their brother
David lives across the state with his family and Wendy the youngest lives now
in Florida with her 2 kids who are 18 and 19, and her 2 newly adopted 2 and 4
year old brother and sister. She had been acting as a foster parent to them in
Colorado as parents had drug problems and a grandmother was raising the older
boy. But when the girl came along, she balked at raising 2 and Wendy took them.
Now, I guess, she’s formally adopted them. She must have a HUGE heart!! I’ve
seen her on Facebook but didn’t know the story. I’d heard also from Terry
recently as he is working on geneology of the Sommer’s, Mitchell’s, Rices’s
etc. and had asked for information to complete it.
We had a wonderful time at lunch – they wanted to know where
all the Rices were living and about their families so between Rod and I we
caught them up. Terry and Rod talked a lot of union stuff as Terry had worked
for 31 years at one plant and been laid off. They’d both been Union presidents
so had a lot in common. The other two cousins work in accounting/finance like
Uncle Ed had done. Dawn told us before lunch how she had moved with her sister
and a friend (from Ontonogan) to Chicago to work and been introduced to Ed and
married in 1957, I think she said. I remember going to Uncle Ted (his twin) and
Grace’s wedding when I was young – first wedding I ever attended – but not
theirs. She said they had a very small wedding in WI so not a lot of family
attended. I just remember Uncle Ed was SOOO handsome and charming and always,
it seemed, especially kind and attentive to me. He died in his 60s of bone
cancer and Uncle Ted shortly after of esophageal cancer. I saw Ted in later
years and attended his funeral. I thought that had been the last time I might
have seen Aunt Dawn but she said she had been there when he was ill but had an
already scheduled trip when he died so she WASN’t there. So it’s been maybe 30
years since I’d seen her.
We had a laugh as I had always told the story of Bud and I
moving into our first house in Glen Ellyn, IL, to a neighborhood where everyone
took care of their lawns on the weekend. We were waterskiers with that big blue
boat in the driveway and paid little attention to our lawn. Until we felt so
guilty – I once went out and just threw down some fertilizer and grass seed – it
came up in stripes! A neighbor offered his spreader after that!! And we didn’t
even have a lawn mower. I have a memory of stopping at Ed and Dawn’s and them
giving us that green riding tractor that we had for years. She said they NEVER
had a riding tractor – the boys used to complain about having to mow the lawn
walking!! So some time I’ll have to find out where I got the story wrong!!
Guess my memory is going!! J
After taking some photos in the parking lot, Rod and I
headed north and cut off to go through Van Dyne, by Rod’s old house, and up
through Oshkosh (the folk’s house on the Lake Winnebago is up for sale again!).
Oshkosh still looks a bit run down – Oshkosh Truck has laid off a bunch of
workers, with the wars winding down, and it affects the economony of lots of
other businesses. We did a bit of shopping at Copp’s when we got to Neenah and
got to Rod’s apartment to unload and relax. I took a little walk down to the
nearby park just as the storm clouds were moving in. I did talk to Kelly on the
phone who is tied up on Saturday with a family wedding in Appleton so maybe
will see her on Sunday a.m. if they haven’t been out too late. We will meet up
with Paul (my nephew) and meet his wife Stephanie and maybe her 2 boys, and see
their new home on Sunday afternoon. Otherwise, I’m narrowing down our stops for
our trip next week and making some reservations, leaving flexibility as we head
out west.
We will pick up the rental car Monday at 8, then pack it and
head off for Stevens Point, to see the other Mitchell family on our way to pick
up Betty in St. Paul. Then we’re off!! 5000+ miles in July!!
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