Being the "middle" child after 1945, there were times that Gloria and my younger sister sided together, and there were times that Gloria and I sided together. Rarely was it all 3 girls on the same page!
We attended Ely School which was one block from our house. Back in "those" days, we got an hour and a half for lunch and we could go home for lunch. Often, one of our teachers joined us as they were also friends of the family.
Gloria learned to play the violin, the flute, and the piano. Gloria was an avid reader. In high school she was in band, and so was I. Oh the fun we had. Summer band camp was held at the grade school at the end of our street. It was easy for us to get to. Gloria also loved art and art projects. Of course, our mother was a creative person and she always encouraged our endeavors. Mom just didn't teach us how to cook or sew - those were her domains!
There are many memories of family vacations in our homemade camping trailer. Favorite destinations were Arizona and Colorado, but we saw a great deal of the United States from the Smokey Mountains to New England (somehow missed Washington, D.C.); from Niagra Falls to the Minnesota iron ranges; from the Dakotas to the Ozarks.
In the summer of 1961, Gloria married her high school sweetheart. They had two sons together. The family lived in Lorain, Ohio - Elyria, Ohio - and Prescott, Arizona.In 1971 her husband was killed while walking late at night. In 1977, their oldest son was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident in Prescott, Arizona.
As a single mother, she did the best she could do for her sons. She bought a home and held different jobs from waitressing to home care.
To create a fresh start, she moved to California. She certainly had new adventures while she was there. She eventually found a great job working with children who were physically and mentally challenged. She lived in Orange County and not that far from the Pacific Ocean. My husband and I visited her and certainly enjoyed the area.
When our mother suddenly died in 1999, new choices were once again presented. Gloria ended up buying mom's mobile home and property from the estate. She moved a new modular home on to the lot and has spent a great deal of time and love in making it a beautiful place to live.
She is now closer to her youngest son and his family - 3 granddaughters, and 4 great-granddaughters. She is a nanny for a young professional family and those kids are her second family.
