First Female Licensed Pilot in Howard County Iowa

ultrarunner · Dec 12, 2016

Great thread and similar to some of the elderly I have befriended over the years or they befriended me...

As a kid I was like a fly on the wall... always listening and asking a question about the old days.

One of my neighbors recently passed at 104 and had an amazing life story... and still sharp... some things were almost too much to believe but then she would pull out 90 year old newspaper clipping and there it all was.

We lose much in the passing of generations and those that are not connected have to learn without the benefit of our elders.

k0ua · Dec 12, 2016

Thanks for sharing her with us Richard. :thumbsup:

BrokeFarmerJohn · Dec 13, 2016

Wow, my life seems so boring now lol, I absolutely could not do half that stuff, I like my feet on the ground, been in a plane twice in my life.

What an accomplished lady, your blessed to have known her and heard her stories, may she Rest In Peace.

dmccarty · Dec 14, 2016

ovrszd said:
... I want to make sure when I'm gone the next generation knows who those people are and from where they came.

Our kids were born after my granny died. Granny had an education at a time when most women had no education and really had no ability to have a profession outside of the house. Granny's mom told her that she was going to college and she had two choices. Be a teacher or be a nurse. Granny said teaching is for me since I don't want to clean out bed pans. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:

She had a long, hard life in her adult years but teaching eventually paid off in a nice retirement. Her adult life was very hard, stressful, and she was so poor she went without food so the kids could have something to eat. But in her later years she did have what she needed and was comfortable. I make sure the kids know about Granny's sacrifices. Granny also had quite a few sayings which I have been repeating to the kids since they were babies.

Now something will happen and I will say, "You know what Granny would say?" and they kids will pop out the appropriate Granny Saying. :thumbsup::laughing::laughing::laughing:

The kids never met Granny but at least they know her a little bit.

When Granny died I got her old rocking chair. I used to sit in that chair, rock and read at Granny's house. I think the chair was bought at Sears, it folds up and I think it is made of horse hair and silk. Dang thing is likely a century old but in great shape. Every once in a while I sit in that chair to have a rock or two and miss my Granny...

Later,
Dan

dickfoster · Dec 14, 2016

She was quite a gal.

ovrszd · Dec 14, 2016

My Mother was a teacher in a Country School just outside Saratoga Iowa. She was the last teacher in that building. The County made it a "museum". There are still things in there that were my Mom's including some writings on the blackboard. I took my boys there when they were young along with my Mom and Dad. Mom told them stories about how things were done then. She taught grades 1-8.

ultrarunner · Dec 14, 2016

My 104 year old neighbor also had a career teaching in a one room school house in Genoa Nevada... she was 16 when assigned to that school as the only teacher... taught over 50 years and when I went to her 100th birthday in Reno there were guests in their 90's who she taught and some families had her as their teacher for several generations...

They really don't make people like they use to... at least in farm and ranch country...

She won a brand new Model T at age 12 for selling the most newspaper subscriptions Statewide... none of the ranchers had cars so she and her father made the trip to Reno to pick up her brand new Ford... her father had a heck of a time getting it home... and crashed into the back of the barn yelling wo, wo as he crashed... no damage done...

When she was 12 Nevada had not started issuing driver's licenses... so she drove to the school instead of riding... everyone in the county new her as the girl with an automobile and she still had the newspaper clipping from the day when she picked the car up... at 100 she was still flying alone to Hawaii which she enjoyed so much in later years and Jeopardy the game show.

There is so much the younger generations can learn from out elders if we are just willing to listen...

dmccarty · Dec 15, 2016

ultrarunner said:
...

There is so much the younger generations can learn from out elders if we are just willing to listen...

The problem that the younger generation has, is having the foresight, maturity, knowledge, etc to KNOW what questions to ask. I always listened to what Granny was telling me but I did not have the life knowledge to know what questions to ask. I really wish I would have asked about what it was like for my Granny when when she was growing up in rural GA, more about her brothers, sisters, family, what it was like to go to college, etc. I always listened but just did not have the foresight to ask questions about things I would like to know now. I would like to know how she lived through WWII and Korea for example. So many things one is ignorant about until you live through things as an adult and then wonder how did Granny do it? But by the time one is mature enough to have some knowledge to ask questions, Granny is gone.

Interestingly, my other grandparents really did not talk to much about the past. :confused3: Go figure.

My mom and I have talked about things and put together some pieces of the puzzle about her parents but we will not ever know many things.

My grandfather was working building medium bombers in Baltimore during WWII. He was married and had two kids, one of which was my mom, and had a decent job that kept him out of the draft. However, his brothers were off fighting, one was a pilot and died in the Pacific somewhere. My suspicion is that he felt guilty so in later 1944 or early 1945, he enlisted even though he did not have too. This apparently did not sit well with my grandmother. :shocked:

His army records do not seem to be complete. We know he went to the Philippines but his army record implies that he did not do anything however we have pictures and stuff the indicates he was in combat. I don't think we will ever know what he really did. :confused3:

My grandmother led a very spoiled life. She only worked in her later years and learned to drive when one of her daughters taught her. When I found that tid bit out, the light bulb went on because my cousin and I never could figure out why grandma was such a bad driver. :laughing::laughing::laughing: We figure grandma being spoiled was a result of my grandfather enlisting and going off to war. He did not have to go but felt he had too which I understand full well. He was danged if he did and danged if he did not.

This is not something my mom had ever figured out until we were talking about it one day fairly recently. As a kid, one would not know the details of relationships and what it meant for my grandfather to enlist to fight in a war when he did not have too and the impact that would have on his wife.

Later,
Dan

ovrszd · Dec 15, 2016

Very well stated Dan.

It's hard enough to pass on the information when there is a connection from one generation to the next. When it becomes impossible is when there is a gap. Such as was created in your Grandfather's Brother who died in the War's family. I'm sure they are left in the dark about a lot of things.

In my family I only have one Uncle left of the "older" generation. So now it's down to me and my Cousins to keep the connection going. I introduce my younger generation family to our history every chance I get. Might be something as simple as a quick reference to something that happened when I was a kid or regurgitating a story my Dad told me of his childhood.

Terry and I were talking about this over coffee this morning. Her family passed on very few items of family history. She knows nothing of her Dad's early life and he died of a heart attack at 37. Her Mom remarried and all connection to her Father's family ended.

On the other hand, my Mom gathered information and hoarded pictures. So I've got hundreds of reference items, some as much as 150 years old. Mom instilled the importance of this in me. I take that charge very seriously.

For example. This document is in regards to my Grandfather. He was born in Germany 5 April 1889. On 13 April 1902 in Mapleleaf Iowa he was "Confirmed" into the Lutheran Church. This is the Confirmation document. If I don't educate my heirs this will simply become a sort of interesting document that no one knows anything about.