My Granmda Em passed away about 10 years ago and I realized there were so many questions about her life I had never asked. When my Grandma Pat moved within a few miles of us I decided to do a journaling project with my Grandma Pat. Last night my mom gave me back the book. Here are a few excerpts,
At first I asked her questions straight out of the book, although I could tell she didn't always think they were interesting questions.
Q. Who were your grade school friends? Laura was my friend through 8th grade. Her parents didn't believe in high school. They were German Russians. I am still in touch with her. She went to beauty school. One time we got our hands spanked by a teacher because during PE class we sneaked off to the bushes and got caught. Laura had climed the tree. Since Laura didn't go to high school I met a new best friend, Jean. We were friends even after I had Diane (my mom). In high school it was during the Depression and the PWA taught people to dance in grange halls. Jean and I went to those. There was a guy, Dan Cushman who was 6'4" and he would ask me to dance because I was tall. that was before I met Ken.Later I just would let her talk, telling me her life story. The period when she met my grandpa was the period she wanted to talk about most.
The Elopment
My parents didn't approve of Ken (my Grandpa whom my Grandma eventually divorced). We decided to elope. His mother had an uncle and aunt who lived in Pullman. So over a long weekend we took his mother to Moscow (with another relative) to the justice of the peace. I told my parents before we left and they were just sick about it. They didn't want me back. We got married February 3, 1941. Ken had just enlisted in the Air Force. We rented an apartment in Olympia and Ken worked for Goodyear. The War Ken was bombing Germany. He was gone 13 months. Then came The Divorce...
