My paternal grandmother. So precious to us!
She was the only child of Newton and Ina (Nickerson) Keck. Attended rural Emington Illinois schools through the 8th grade. She hated her middle name! Grandma's best school friend married Grandma's youngest uncle. He was only a couple years older than they were. So her best friend became her aunt!
Grandma was divorced in the early 1920's from her first husband, Leonard Haag. After her divorce, she enrolled in "beauty school" and then supported her 2 sons as a beautician. She told us that she gave 10 perms a day, and made great money during the Depression. That was because she worked in a town with a big, busy coal mine. Everyone in that town had money. She told us people hid their money, because so many banks had failed. She said that her customers' money smelled like mothballs from being hidden!
She and her sons lived with her parents in Saunemin, Illinois. Her parents took care of her sons while she worked about 45 miles from home. Grandma made such good money, she was able to buy a new car almost every year, she said.
She could also afford to dress her sons in knickers, which they hated! (Because most boys in their class wore overalls to school.)
She was remarried in 1943 to Tony Fritz, who was a wonderful grandfather to us when we kids all came along. They ran Tony's Cafe in Saunemin, where the current Saunemin Tap is today. She told us that all the high school kids walked there for lunch, since there were no hot lunches in schools at that time.
Grandma said good-bye to her only children, her 2 sons, as they went off to fight in World War II. One in the Navy and one in the Army. She once sent a telegram to get my father home for a leave before he shipped out overseas, because her other son was home on leave.
She wrote in the telegram: "sister is very ill, need you to come home." The Army let my father have a few days leave to visit his 'ill sister' (who didn't even exist!) Gram just wanted the 2 boys home to see each other before they both went overseas. Back then, the casualties were devastating, and I have no doubt Gram thought this might be the last time they would all be together.
She was one-of-a-kind! She could really make you laugh with some of her quips and quotes. We could talk to her about anything. She loved Johnny Carson, and always called him "Johnny" when she talked about that show. You would've thought she knew him personally!
We saw Grandma nearly every single day from the day we were born. She was always involved in every aspect of our lives. She helped out wherever she could, baby-sat us, took us places, loaned us kids money, and canned food from her garden for us every summer. She could paint on the house and climb a ladder into her 80's. She mowed her own lawn, and wore bermuda shorts and tennis shoes when she did. She would never wait for us to do anything for her, she did it all herself, and would always say "I'm glad to do it."
We miss her and speak of her often. We have many family sayings that originated from Grandma, and we all remember her with so much love and laughter.
We know she is still watching over all of us, faithfully from Heaven.
Rest well Gram, you deserve it.
She was the only child of Newton and Ina (Nickerson) Keck. Attended rural Emington Illinois schools through the 8th grade. She hated her middle name! Grandma's best school friend married Grandma's youngest uncle. He was only a couple years older than they were. So her best friend became her aunt!
Grandma was divorced in the early 1920's from her first husband, Leonard Haag. After her divorce, she enrolled in "beauty school" and then supported her 2 sons as a beautician. She told us that she gave 10 perms a day, and made great money during the Depression. That was because she worked in a town with a big, busy coal mine. Everyone in that town had money. She told us people hid their money, because so many banks had failed. She said that her customers' money smelled like mothballs from being hidden!
She and her sons lived with her parents in Saunemin, Illinois. Her parents took care of her sons while she worked about 45 miles from home. Grandma made such good money, she was able to buy a new car almost every year, she said.
She could also afford to dress her sons in knickers, which they hated! (Because most boys in their class wore overalls to school.)
She was remarried in 1943 to Tony Fritz, who was a wonderful grandfather to us when we kids all came along. They ran Tony's Cafe in Saunemin, where the current Saunemin Tap is today. She told us that all the high school kids walked there for lunch, since there were no hot lunches in schools at that time.
Grandma said good-bye to her only children, her 2 sons, as they went off to fight in World War II. One in the Navy and one in the Army. She once sent a telegram to get my father home for a leave before he shipped out overseas, because her other son was home on leave.
She wrote in the telegram: "sister is very ill, need you to come home." The Army let my father have a few days leave to visit his 'ill sister' (who didn't even exist!) Gram just wanted the 2 boys home to see each other before they both went overseas. Back then, the casualties were devastating, and I have no doubt Gram thought this might be the last time they would all be together.
She was one-of-a-kind! She could really make you laugh with some of her quips and quotes. We could talk to her about anything. She loved Johnny Carson, and always called him "Johnny" when she talked about that show. You would've thought she knew him personally!
We saw Grandma nearly every single day from the day we were born. She was always involved in every aspect of our lives. She helped out wherever she could, baby-sat us, took us places, loaned us kids money, and canned food from her garden for us every summer. She could paint on the house and climb a ladder into her 80's. She mowed her own lawn, and wore bermuda shorts and tennis shoes when she did. She would never wait for us to do anything for her, she did it all herself, and would always say "I'm glad to do it."
We miss her and speak of her often. We have many family sayings that originated from Grandma, and we all remember her with so much love and laughter.
We know she is still watching over all of us, faithfully from Heaven.
Rest well Gram, you deserve it.
My paternal grandmother. So precious to us!
She was the only child of Newton and Ina (Nickerson) Keck. Attended rural Emington Illinois schools through the 8th grade. She hated her middle name! Grandma's best school friend married Grandma's youngest uncle. He was only a couple years older than they were. So her best friend became her aunt!
Grandma was divorced in the early 1920's from her first husband, Leonard Haag. After her divorce, she enrolled in "beauty school" and then supported her 2 sons as a beautician. She told us that she gave 10 perms a day, and made great money during the Depression. That was because she worked in a town with a big, busy coal mine. Everyone in that town had money. She told us people hid their money, because so many banks had failed. She said that her customers' money smelled like mothballs from being hidden!
She and her sons lived with her parents in Saunemin, Illinois. Her parents took care of her sons while she worked about 45 miles from home. Grandma made such good money, she was able to buy a new car almost every year, she said.
She could also afford to dress her sons in knickers, which they hated! (Because most boys in their class wore overalls to school.)
She was remarried in 1943 to Tony Fritz, who was a wonderful grandfather to us when we kids all came along. They ran Tony's Cafe in Saunemin, where the current Saunemin Tap is today. She told us that all the high school kids walked there for lunch, since there were no hot lunches in schools at that time.
Grandma said good-bye to her only children, her 2 sons, as they went off to fight in World War II. One in the Navy and one in the Army. She once sent a telegram to get my father home for a leave before he shipped out overseas, because her other son was home on leave.
She wrote in the telegram: "sister is very ill, need you to come home." The Army let my father have a few days leave to visit his 'ill sister' (who didn't even exist!) Gram just wanted the 2 boys home to see each other before they both went overseas. Back then, the casualties were devastating, and I have no doubt Gram thought this might be the last time they would all be together.
She was one-of-a-kind! She could really make you laugh with some of her quips and quotes. We could talk to her about anything. She loved Johnny Carson, and always called him "Johnny" when she talked about that show. You would've thought she knew him personally!
We saw Grandma nearly every single day from the day we were born. She was always involved in every aspect of our lives. She helped out wherever she could, baby-sat us, took us places, loaned us kids money, and canned food from her garden for us every summer. She could paint on the house and climb a ladder into her 80's. She mowed her own lawn, and wore bermuda shorts and tennis shoes when she did. She would never wait for us to do anything for her, she did it all herself, and would always say "I'm glad to do it."
We miss her and speak of her often. We have many family sayings that originated from Grandma, and we all remember her with so much love and laughter.
We know she is still watching over all of us, faithfully from Heaven.
Rest well Gram, you deserve it.
She was the only child of Newton and Ina (Nickerson) Keck. Attended rural Emington Illinois schools through the 8th grade. She hated her middle name! Grandma's best school friend married Grandma's youngest uncle. He was only a couple years older than they were. So her best friend became her aunt!
Grandma was divorced in the early 1920's from her first husband, Leonard Haag. After her divorce, she enrolled in "beauty school" and then supported her 2 sons as a beautician. She told us that she gave 10 perms a day, and made great money during the Depression. That was because she worked in a town with a big, busy coal mine. Everyone in that town had money. She told us people hid their money, because so many banks had failed. She said that her customers' money smelled like mothballs from being hidden!
She and her sons lived with her parents in Saunemin, Illinois. Her parents took care of her sons while she worked about 45 miles from home. Grandma made such good money, she was able to buy a new car almost every year, she said.
She could also afford to dress her sons in knickers, which they hated! (Because most boys in their class wore overalls to school.)
She was remarried in 1943 to Tony Fritz, who was a wonderful grandfather to us when we kids all came along. They ran Tony's Cafe in Saunemin, where the current Saunemin Tap is today. She told us that all the high school kids walked there for lunch, since there were no hot lunches in schools at that time.
Grandma said good-bye to her only children, her 2 sons, as they went off to fight in World War II. One in the Navy and one in the Army. She once sent a telegram to get my father home for a leave before he shipped out overseas, because her other son was home on leave.
She wrote in the telegram: "sister is very ill, need you to come home." The Army let my father have a few days leave to visit his 'ill sister' (who didn't even exist!) Gram just wanted the 2 boys home to see each other before they both went overseas. Back then, the casualties were devastating, and I have no doubt Gram thought this might be the last time they would all be together.
She was one-of-a-kind! She could really make you laugh with some of her quips and quotes. We could talk to her about anything. She loved Johnny Carson, and always called him "Johnny" when she talked about that show. You would've thought she knew him personally!
We saw Grandma nearly every single day from the day we were born. She was always involved in every aspect of our lives. She helped out wherever she could, baby-sat us, took us places, loaned us kids money, and canned food from her garden for us every summer. She could paint on the house and climb a ladder into her 80's. She mowed her own lawn, and wore bermuda shorts and tennis shoes when she did. She would never wait for us to do anything for her, she did it all herself, and would always say "I'm glad to do it."
We miss her and speak of her often. We have many family sayings that originated from Grandma, and we all remember her with so much love and laughter.
We know she is still watching over all of us, faithfully from Heaven.
Rest well Gram, you deserve it.
