Dear Susan, Mary has asked me to write my early memories of my dear
cousin, LaRee. So, here goes. My first memory of LaRee was when your
great grandparents, Edwin and Mary Boice had a small dairy farm in
Manassa. Their cute 4 room log house on a lane was one of my favorite
places to visit. Aunt Mary (Edwin was my mother's brother) put us
small girls to work washing the milk bottles. Of course, we didn't do
a good job at it so she sent me and LaRee out to play. We didn't mind
losing our job and went hand in hand singing down the lane on our trip
to the small town. LaRee always was a giggler and she delighted in
telling me jokes. It seemed we both had to go to the bathroom at the
same time so we took advantage of the two holer that Uncle Edwin had
made for the convenience of the large family. It had no roof and I
loved the sun beating down on our heads and the flies buzzing happily
in the summer warmth.
LaRee loved to read and got in lots of trouble because she was so
intent on her reading that she often failed to hear the calls of her
mother to help with the babies. She sucked her thumb and it caused her
teeth to be crooked and have a severe overbite. She was 'picked' on by
her classmates and developed an inferiority complex. Grandma and
Grandpa Boice had moved to California near Letha and George and me.
Edwin and Mary asked if they could help LaRee. Of course the first
thing the folks did was to take her to an orthopedic Dr. who
immediately put her into a body cast from her neck to her tail bone.
She was severely humped backed. How uncomfortable she was. Then they
had braces put on her teeth. She endured both corrections with dignity
and it paid off. By the time she graduated from High School she was a
very pretty young lady.
World War II was just beginning but LaRee got a job with Douglas
Aircraft in Inglewood, CA. She had no car but had made good friends
with Esther (last name?) who had her share her home and gave her the
transportation she needed. When she got married I loaned her my
wedding dress. It doesn't fit me anymore but would still fit LaRee.
During the years she sent me several prized gifts. One was a large
wooden scrap book which I will return someday to one of her
children--perhaps Michael who can paste his favorite pictures in. Then
she sent me a book on gardening and one on Columbus. The prize
possession is a large notebook of a hundred year timeline of my father,
George Ensign Cunliffe, on his hundredth birthday. He lived to be
almost 106. I always looked forward to her Happy Birthday call on my
day. My love to all the family, Cousin Donna Cunliffe Haycock
No comments:
Post a Comment