My Aunt Leota was the oldest of eight children born to Samuel Solomon Alspaugh and Alma Viola Stuckey Alspaugh. Leota was one of the hardest working people I have ever known. When she was still a child, her father sent her to help out neighbors and she was never allowed to take any money for it. She moved to Columbus and got a job at Woolworth's and this was a big step in those days. My mother told me that Aunt Leota got her heart broken by a red haired man when she was young (which might mean that loving red hair is genetic, but I sure do!) Aunt Leota married Gailey Geer. They had one child, who died at birth, and was never able to have other children. The story was that a country doctor didn't know what he was doing. Aunt Leota and her husband moved to Florida at one point.
Aunt Leota attended a one room school house on Lithopolis Road called The Factory. The original building has been added to over the years and now is the home of Valley View Nursing Home.
When I was born, my Aunt Leota was close to sixty years old, so we were never close and I don't remember her that well. However, I DO remember that every Christmas she would bake cookies and make all kinds of candy and give them to every family she knew. At the time, I didn't appreciate it, but now that I'm older I would LOVE to have a box of her treats. She made candy cane cookies that were better than any I've ever tasted since, and she made all kinds of candy. Her fondant was out of this world.
Aunt Leota was an immaculate housekeeper, and had a green thumb.
Aunt Leota took after her mother in at least one way - she loved cats. Aunt Leota had a great big Morris type cat named "Sissy" (a boy). Earlier she had a tomcat called George who used to get out and get into fights and come back beaten up, but triumphant. George could take care of himself. I remember Sissy but George was years before my time.
When Leota was 65, she started babysitting in her home. She didn't charge much, just change.
After she was widowed Aunt Leota moved into a small house in Lancaster, where she stayed until she was put into a nursing home.
She loved bananas and my mother always took them to her. She also loved coffee and family friends made sure she had plenty.
Aunt Leota was buried wearing her glasses (she might have called them spectacles, as she was a quite old fashioned gal - she always called me "backward" [meaning bashful]), but they were clean. In her lifetime, the lenses always had fingerprints from her baking: flour, butter. She was forever cleaning her glasses because she was also cooking or baking.
Leota is second from right in the family picture.
One thing you didn't do, and that was try to talk on the phone with "Aunt Oatie" when the Dean Martin show was on. If she was in the middle of a conversation, she would say Dean was on, she had to go, and she'd hang up. She LOVED Dean Martin!
She also for some reason liked Vincent Price.
Aunt Leota was an old fashioned, hard working country woman and I think she would be pleased to be described as such.
THANKS TO DAVE IN ENGLAND FOR SPONSORING THIS SITE.
Aunt Leota attended a one room school house on Lithopolis Road called The Factory. The original building has been added to over the years and now is the home of Valley View Nursing Home.
When I was born, my Aunt Leota was close to sixty years old, so we were never close and I don't remember her that well. However, I DO remember that every Christmas she would bake cookies and make all kinds of candy and give them to every family she knew. At the time, I didn't appreciate it, but now that I'm older I would LOVE to have a box of her treats. She made candy cane cookies that were better than any I've ever tasted since, and she made all kinds of candy. Her fondant was out of this world.
Aunt Leota was an immaculate housekeeper, and had a green thumb.
Aunt Leota took after her mother in at least one way - she loved cats. Aunt Leota had a great big Morris type cat named "Sissy" (a boy). Earlier she had a tomcat called George who used to get out and get into fights and come back beaten up, but triumphant. George could take care of himself. I remember Sissy but George was years before my time.
When Leota was 65, she started babysitting in her home. She didn't charge much, just change.
After she was widowed Aunt Leota moved into a small house in Lancaster, where she stayed until she was put into a nursing home.
She loved bananas and my mother always took them to her. She also loved coffee and family friends made sure she had plenty.
Aunt Leota was buried wearing her glasses (she might have called them spectacles, as she was a quite old fashioned gal - she always called me "backward" [meaning bashful]), but they were clean. In her lifetime, the lenses always had fingerprints from her baking: flour, butter. She was forever cleaning her glasses because she was also cooking or baking.
Leota is second from right in the family picture.
One thing you didn't do, and that was try to talk on the phone with "Aunt Oatie" when the Dean Martin show was on. If she was in the middle of a conversation, she would say Dean was on, she had to go, and she'd hang up. She LOVED Dean Martin!
She also for some reason liked Vincent Price.
Aunt Leota was an old fashioned, hard working country woman and I think she would be pleased to be described as such.
THANKS TO DAVE IN ENGLAND FOR SPONSORING THIS SITE.
My Aunt Leota was the oldest of eight children born to Samuel Solomon Alspaugh and Alma Viola Stuckey Alspaugh. Leota was one of the hardest working people I have ever known. When she was still a child, her father sent her to help out neighbors and she was never allowed to take any money for it. She moved to Columbus and got a job at Woolworth's and this was a big step in those days. My mother told me that Aunt Leota got her heart broken by a red haired man when she was young (which might mean that loving red hair is genetic, but I sure do!) Aunt Leota married Gailey Geer. They had one child, who died at birth, and was never able to have other children. The story was that a country doctor didn't know what he was doing. Aunt Leota and her husband moved to Florida at one point.
Aunt Leota attended a one room school house on Lithopolis Road called The Factory. The original building has been added to over the years and now is the home of Valley View Nursing Home.
When I was born, my Aunt Leota was close to sixty years old, so we were never close and I don't remember her that well. However, I DO remember that every Christmas she would bake cookies and make all kinds of candy and give them to every family she knew. At the time, I didn't appreciate it, but now that I'm older I would LOVE to have a box of her treats. She made candy cane cookies that were better than any I've ever tasted since, and she made all kinds of candy. Her fondant was out of this world.
Aunt Leota was an immaculate housekeeper, and had a green thumb.
Aunt Leota took after her mother in at least one way - she loved cats. Aunt Leota had a great big Morris type cat named "Sissy" (a boy). Earlier she had a tomcat called George who used to get out and get into fights and come back beaten up, but triumphant. George could take care of himself. I remember Sissy but George was years before my time.
When Leota was 65, she started babysitting in her home. She didn't charge much, just change.
After she was widowed Aunt Leota moved into a small house in Lancaster, where she stayed until she was put into a nursing home.
She loved bananas and my mother always took them to her. She also loved coffee and family friends made sure she had plenty.
Aunt Leota was buried wearing her glasses (she might have called them spectacles, as she was a quite old fashioned gal - she always called me "backward" [meaning bashful]), but they were clean. In her lifetime, the lenses always had fingerprints from her baking: flour, butter. She was forever cleaning her glasses because she was also cooking or baking.
Leota is second from right in the family picture.
One thing you didn't do, and that was try to talk on the phone with "Aunt Oatie" when the Dean Martin show was on. If she was in the middle of a conversation, she would say Dean was on, she had to go, and she'd hang up. She LOVED Dean Martin!
She also for some reason liked Vincent Price.
Aunt Leota was an old fashioned, hard working country woman and I think she would be pleased to be described as such.
THANKS TO DAVE IN ENGLAND FOR SPONSORING THIS SITE.
Aunt Leota attended a one room school house on Lithopolis Road called The Factory. The original building has been added to over the years and now is the home of Valley View Nursing Home.
When I was born, my Aunt Leota was close to sixty years old, so we were never close and I don't remember her that well. However, I DO remember that every Christmas she would bake cookies and make all kinds of candy and give them to every family she knew. At the time, I didn't appreciate it, but now that I'm older I would LOVE to have a box of her treats. She made candy cane cookies that were better than any I've ever tasted since, and she made all kinds of candy. Her fondant was out of this world.
Aunt Leota was an immaculate housekeeper, and had a green thumb.
Aunt Leota took after her mother in at least one way - she loved cats. Aunt Leota had a great big Morris type cat named "Sissy" (a boy). Earlier she had a tomcat called George who used to get out and get into fights and come back beaten up, but triumphant. George could take care of himself. I remember Sissy but George was years before my time.
When Leota was 65, she started babysitting in her home. She didn't charge much, just change.
After she was widowed Aunt Leota moved into a small house in Lancaster, where she stayed until she was put into a nursing home.
She loved bananas and my mother always took them to her. She also loved coffee and family friends made sure she had plenty.
Aunt Leota was buried wearing her glasses (she might have called them spectacles, as she was a quite old fashioned gal - she always called me "backward" [meaning bashful]), but they were clean. In her lifetime, the lenses always had fingerprints from her baking: flour, butter. She was forever cleaning her glasses because she was also cooking or baking.
Leota is second from right in the family picture.
One thing you didn't do, and that was try to talk on the phone with "Aunt Oatie" when the Dean Martin show was on. If she was in the middle of a conversation, she would say Dean was on, she had to go, and she'd hang up. She LOVED Dean Martin!
She also for some reason liked Vincent Price.
Aunt Leota was an old fashioned, hard working country woman and I think she would be pleased to be described as such.
THANKS TO DAVE IN ENGLAND FOR SPONSORING THIS SITE.
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