Hi family! I thought it would be appropriate to begin our journey with my mother, your grandmother, (to varying degrees depending on what generation you are) with a photo and a few facts about her.
She was born on 4 September 1915 in Camino, El Dorado, California and died 8 June 1980. She is buried alongside my dad in the Anderson District Cemetery, Anderson, Shasta, California.
Mom and dad were married in a double ceremony with Aunt Florence and Uncle George Bolles in Minden, Douglas, Nevada on 6 August 1932.
For future reference please note that I will type the vital statistics such as place names and dates the same way they go into the genealogy trees. A town or city comes first if known, then the county if known, then the state. Dates are always entered day-month-year.
The couples got into an accident on their way to the justice of the peace who would marry them; a train clipped the rear end of their car! No injuries and not enough damage to the vehicle to delay their trip, so on they went. The ceremony was held in the justice's home, and once the vows were exchanged the couples headed back to California. They slept alongside the road under the stars that night on some highway in Nevada.
Somewhere along the way Aunt Florence lost her purse which contained $60. A LOT of money in those days! In an interview Cousin George (Bub) did with Florence in the 1990s she remembered she wore a little straw hat and a lavender print dress. Oh how I wish I'd had sense enough to ask mom questions way back when. I did find out they had a double ceremony, but so many little details that would bring that day alive have been lost.
Mom loved animals of all kinds. She had a pet pig, pet goose, pet chipmunk. Anyone remember Yolly Bolly? She raised numerous baby birds who had fallen out of nests. She raised Siamese cats at one point, and had a couple of males called Waldo and Dudly. There were ALWAYS dogs and cats around.
Mom raised a garden, milked a cow, fed chickens; she was always busy. She played bridge and penochle, and had many friends.
Dorothy was afraid of water and maybe some of you remember when the whole clan was at Shasta Lake and there was mom sitting on an air mattress in a foot of water with one of those thin ski belts cinched around her waist. :-)
Besides being a housewife, mom also trimmed strawberry plants at one point in her life in the early spring for the growers, and once I started high school she worked in the cafeteria there. And she raised her second family when she and dad were surprised with having another baby come along (me :-) ) when the other three were all but grown.
This scan of a newspaper photo shows Butch with the linnet, Tweet-Tweet, (a bird she rescued) and Scroogie their cat.
I scanned the article but it was too poor of quality to read so here is what it says:
SCROOGIE WAS just a kitten at the time and hadn't had time to find out that cats and birds just don't get along, so the friendship started. Now that Scroogie is older he sometimes gives the impression that he thinks it a little silly to have Tweet-Tweet crawling all over him and once in awhile his mouth drops open in anticipation, but a word from Mrs. Ritcheson and all's well again. If Scroogie climbs up beside the cage during the day, Tweet-Tweet immediately hops over beside him to see what's cooking. Two love birds in the under compartment aren't nearly as thrilled, however. "Tweet-Tweet just isn't afraid of anything." Mrs. Ritcheson explains. "I let him out every afternoon to pick around in the front yard and he pays no attention at all to our two dogs around him." THE LINNET has had his wings clipped, but he doesn't make any effort to get away. Once Mrs. Ritcheson took him across the road to show him to the Olinda school children. On the way back she sat Tweet-Tweet down beside the front gate and started to the house. Instead of trying to escape the tiny bird hopped energetically after her and followed her home. His greatest enjoyment is fighting a pencil or finger much as a cat battles the end of a string. A few years ago the Ritchesons had a white rat and a cat that were pals, too. Both have since departed to their respective heavens. Tweet-Tweet and Scroogie aren't involved in the kind of story that makes the headlines these days. Too bad isn't it?
Mom told me that a week after this article was published in the Record Searchlight, Scroogie killed and ate Tweet-Tweet!
Remember, Dorothy was born during the horse and buggy days, and she was probably around 9 or 10 when she saw her first automobile. Dorothy's mother, Emma, died very young (mom was 5 at the time) and left Grandpa Bill with 5 children to raise. The two grandmothers took over the raising of the kids. Three went to one grandmother and two went to the other one. I am pretty sure mom went to Grandmother Kelley because she had mentioned at one point when I thought I would name a daughter, if I had one, Kelly that she didn't like that name, so you can draw your own conclusion on that!
Mom passed away from brain cancer (glioblastoma) at 62 years of age, just 10 months after daddy passed away. It's been 30 + years and it still seems like it was just yesterday.
's Memories :Grandma Dot as we all called her. She was an amazing funny grandma. She held our family together and hosted the best Easter's, Thanksgivings, Christmas Eve's and summer picnics. Her and Grandpa Don had huge vegetable gardens every year and the best pomegranate tree in all of Happy Valley. Grandma would tell "dirty" jokes thinking we didn't know what she was talking about ...I can remember spending the night and whenever it was cold there was always a roaring fire built early in the morning to warm us all up. I will never forget the family vacation we did one summer where my family, Grandma & Grandpa and the De Moll family took a road trip to Canada. So much fun. Then there were the camping trips we took to Broke-Off Meadows at the base of Mt Lassen. Grandpa would have a few sips of "hooch" and sing this song about "Girls that had no socks"...that's the only part of the song I can remember...There are so many more memories that I will treasure all my life. I know my dad missed her so very much as at the end of his life he called for her frequently and talked about her a lot. I know they are together along with Uncle Lee all the Great Aunts (her sisters) and my brother Rocky. RIP Grandma Dot, you are so loved and missed on this earth..I know each and every one of us think of you often and smile cause you were you.
Oh boy, stop the tears ...miss Grandma Dot. So many great memories, walking to the HV store with pop bottles, buying my dad his cigarettes, trying to jump up and touch the top of the doorway jam, her rows of lilacs, sneaking into Grandpa's horehound candy, Easter's...and so much more ...thanks for posting this Aunt Shawna
Carol DeMoll-Broome Shawna, look what you opened up. Such great childhood memories. Those were such simpler times. I remember the wood wedges under the kitchen table to keep it level. Wow I could go on and on and on. I really miss grandma, I think about her everyday and wish I could go out a raid her garden and pop bottles. LOL.
What we remember... I remember the Easter Egg hunts, the year she dressed up Bee-Bee and Gidget like reindeer and they pulled a Xmas sleigh, the pomegranate tree that Rocky loved. Taking in every stray bird, squirrel , playing pool at Grandmas house, crawling through the window on the porch into Shawna's room to look at the gum wrappers all made into chains, and her Beatles posters, and last Grandpa Don singing songs when he was drinking. So many amazing memories.
The pet pig, the Siamese cats. Mom milking our cow Mabel. The horses, and chickens. I miss it all. Christmas has never been the same since we don't have those Christmas Eve get-togethers and the big dinners with everyone present.
