My Grandma Gusty was not born on Halloween but Halloween is on her birthday. She was born in Switzerland where they didn't (don't?.. I don't know) celebrate Halloween. She is the second from the left, the girl with dark hair and full lips (for more details about the other women in the picture, see my dad's comment below)- she said her sisters teased her because she looked so different than the rest of them. She, along with her sisters and mom joined the church on the 6th of May, 1914 when she was nine and she came to the US sailing from Cherbourg on the 22nd of May, 1926, when she was 21. She worked as a nanny and house keeper first in Salt Lake City and then in LA. She learned English here. She met my grandpa, the mailman, as she awaited letters from her beau back in Switzerland. They were married in LA and later my grandpa joined the church and they traveled to the Mesa temple to be sealed.
Grandma was a "Rosie the Riveter"and worked at McDonald Douglas during World War II.
(I love her handwriting.)
This is my grandma and Grandpa shortly before my Grandpa passed away in the early 70's. My grandma's hair didn't go gray until he was into her 80's and she lived by herself until she was 90? - clarification dad?She passed away just before Jennifer's second birthday in '97. It's hard to believe she's been gone 11 years. Somehow she remains with me though. I see her full lips on my children and our sweet Ruby. Every Thanksgiving we eat on the china that was hers. I am grateful that the relationships we form here will continue with us forever. Happy Birthday Grandma... I look forward to our reunion someday.
2 comments:
I thought a lot about Grandma today and yesterday too. Happy Birthday! I see her in Katie!
Well I hope that nobody gets too shocked that I have actually read this blog and that I am NOW participating. Wow. What is the world coming to?
Yes, Karen, I have a few corrections to the information in your posting about my mon. First, as to the picture, the lady behind the children on the left is Barbara Lina Frick, my mother's maternal grandmother. On the right is her mother, Aline Heusser. All three were baptized on the same day, 6 May 1914, so my mother was 9 years of age, not quite yet in her teens.
She came to the USA sailing from Cherbourg on the 22nd of May, 1926, so she would have been age 21.
I have a copy of her immigration record which I would add to the blog if I only knew how.
Also, with regard to the picture of my mom and dad, I don't know where this picture was taken, but it is not at their house, which also happens to be the house I grew up in. It was located in Los Angeles, not Inglewood, but was very close to the Inglewood city limits. The address was 5957 Keniston Ave, Los Angeles, 90043.
I have a story to tell about this address and some family research I recently did, but I will save that for another time.
I guess the next thing for me to do is to start my own blog. Don't anyone hold their breath, but I have had some ideas about things to share. It might be a great way to write my personal history, one paragraph at a time. My only concern is privacy. Any suggestions? Love all you guys. Grandpa, Dad, Great Grandpa, etc. Burton. :)
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