Wife of COL Albert M Ward US Air Force∼When Fay Geneve Mohney was born on August 11, 1921, in Pennsylvania, her father, Ralph, was 24, and her mother, Marjorie, was 23. She married Albert McConnell Ward on August 30, 1942. They had three children during their marriage. She had one brother and one sister. She lived in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, in 1930., and in Boca Raton, Florida, in 1935. She lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1941.
The biography which follows was written by family members during visits with Fay.
August 11, 1921 - Fay Geneve Mohney was born in a hospital at Ridgway PA – she was the 1st child of Ralph Davis Mohney and Marjorie Emeline Fay and the first child from either family to be born in a hospital.
Her parents met while they were students at Alfred University. He earned a degree in Agriculture and she in Home Economics. Ralph was from Ridgway Pennsylvania and went to school on a football scholarship. His schooling was interrupted by his service in WWI. They were married on July 28, 1920 in Marjorie's hometown of Hammondsport, New York.
After their marriage, Ralph made an agreement with the farmer who owned Boot Jack Farm (about 300 acres) near Ridgway Pennsylvania. They would live in the house and he would farm the 300 acres.
Ralph farmed and Marjorie helped add to the family income with making jelly and baked goods and selling them in a roadside stand.
A second daughter, Celia Eloise Mohney was born on December 4, 1924.
June 27, 1925 - Shanley Moore Reunion in Halton Pennsylvania. This is where the large panoramic picture was taken.
1927 (about) -At this time, no one is sure what the exact farming arrangements were, but Ralph was unable to make a living on the farm and through bankruptcy lost his investment of time, money and labor.
Ralph, Marjorie and the girls (Fay and C. Eloise) went to live on Irwin Ave in Ridgway Pennsylvania with Ralph's parents (Frank and Geneve Mohney). Additional residents in house were (More Grandma – Susannah Burns (Frank's Mother), and her daughter Sue Mohney (Frank's sister, who had never married).
More Grandma – Susannah (?) Burns was married to Rueben Mohney their children were
o Gertrude – died early
o Charlotte – married Ray Shanley
o Sue – never married
o Christine married a McCready – parents of Jim and Ruth McCready
About 1928, Ralph left the family in Ridgway and went to Philadelphia, where his brother, Paul R. was already working for Singer. Ralph got a job as a Sewing machine mechanic in the Manufacturers Trade Division
Paul Reuben Mohney – Ralph's brother – had married Marguerite Palmer and went to work for Singer in Scranton in 1920. While living in Scranton their son Franklin was born. Later, Paul was transferred to the Singer office in Philadelphia.
1929 (about) – Family was reunited at Willowgrove, near Philadelphia – Fay remembers going to Airfield to see TriMotor plane
Marjorie taught sewing at the school in Willowgrove.
After stock market crash Singer did not fire anyone, very proud of it (They did cut salaries).
1930 (about) 1st move to Drexel Hill
Ralph was moved from mechanic to Salesman about this time.
Jake Baiter was the Agent of the Singer Philadelphia office and lived at top of hill – they moved to a new house down the hill. Uncle Paul Mohney (Ralph's brother) lived near by.
Fay remembers that they had a milkman and a bread man who would leave items on the porch in the morning.
Ralph and Marjorie (always the modern couple) took their children to a pediatrician Dr. Liebron.
Dr. Liebron bought a farm near Collegeville. Ralph and Marjorie moved to main farm house where he supervised farmer, while still working at Singer. Fay and C. Eloise walked to school. Fay in charge of watching her sister. C. Eloise hit her and gave her a bloody nose when she pulled her out of the way of a car. Another time, Fay had a new-ruffled dress. The ruffle got caught on the slide and ripped off, making the dress, way short, above the knee. It got pinned on so she could walk home.
During this time period, it was a problem in some Jewish families that they were feeding children too many sweets (very unhealthy).
Dr. Liebron would sometimes bring children out for Marjorie to get them eating better. She would feed them regular meals, but no dessert if they did not eat meal. Fay particularly remembers one 6 year old who was very thin and you could see blood vessels in his face.
Dr. Liebron built them a separate house, in between main house and Mohney house was a spring house over a creek.
1932 moved back to Drexel Hill, lived on Berry Ave.
1933 – Depression worsening, salaries reduced. Ralph and family moved in with family friends - Greenwalt (wife named Hannah) Don't remember the name of the husband or the son. Marjorie, Fay, C. Eloise and Paul stayed living in Philadelphia - Ralph went to Japan.
June 1934 – Marjorie, Fay, C. Eloise and son went to Japan to join Ralph. Ralph was sick with scarlet fever while he was there alone.
Trip to Japan was on the President Hoover or President Coolidge, Dollar Steam Ship Company. Ships were the same model they went on one (probably Coolidge) and returned on the other (probably Hoover).
Train from Philadelphia to Chicago – train from Chicago to San Francisco. – were supposed to take ship from there, but long shore men on strike. "San Francisco Singer Man" drove them to San Diego (?) where they caught the ship. Dining room staffed by college kids.
First couple days temporary crew sick and most of passengers. Fay got to wear heels and eat in the Adult dining room. C. Eloise not happy to have to eat with children.
San Diego to Hawaii – where they stopped for a day or 2 – Toured Dole Pineapple factory. They had a pineapple fountain like drinking fountain. Elo drank so much she got sick.
Pali tour to top of ridge – Fay had on new dress with red blue & yellow rounded buttons – One of the buttons was pulled off and lost in the wind.
Back to sea and landed in Yokohama Japan, where Ralph met them and rode the rest of the way to Kobe.
1934 – Japan - Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and London Naval Treaty of 1930 abrogated by Japan
-- China - Chinese Communists' Long March to Yan'an (1934-35)
-- US - Discovery of nuclear fission
Fall 1934 – Lived in Shukugawa Japan, between Kobe and Osaka. Ralph worked at Singer office in Osaka and Fay and Elo went to Canadian Academy in Kobe.
Rented a western style house on street referred to as "Gasoline Alley." It was built by GM – Street extended out like a peninsula into the rice field. At the top of the street was a Japanese hotel with restaurant. The family would eat there once in a while.
When they first arrived, Ralph had made arrangements for a live in Chinese cook and Japanese Amah (housekeeper/maid), they lived in the back of the house in 2, "2-mat rooms" (About 6' X 7') with a small bathroom facility. The mat was a tatami and about the size of a person.
First meal on arrival was a very strong curry. Fay remembers that she did not even consider eating curry for years afterward, way too strong a taste for children.
The first Chinese cook had relatives come share his room and board – did not work out – too many mouths to feed.
The 2nd Chinese Cook, also, did not work out.
Marjorie decided to train Fusaya – san (the Japanese Amah) to become a cook and it solved the problem. She stayed with them the whole time they were in Japan. Another Amah was hired for household duties.
A 3rd Amah was hired to care for son, when he got older. She was about 15 years old. Ralph and Marjorie thought he might learn a bit of Japanese from her, but that thought was dashed when they heard Paul, on the porch, teaching the Amah nursery rhymes in English.
Lived all 3 years in this house.
1936 – Japan - 226 Incident: Young military officers launch an abortive coup d'etat
-- Japan withdraws from the London Naval Conference
The second and third summers, that Ralph, Marjorie and the children were in Japan, they rented a cottage in the mountains for the summer. (Nojori, Japan) a beautiful lake. Ralph would go on some weekends. Fay learned how to swim there, holding onto the docks and kicking. One time she took Paul N. to the lake and he fell off the end of the dock. She remembers pulling him out.
One of Fay's vivid memories is riding down a street of Japanese houses, that were all enclosed by traditional fences. Over one of the fences was hanging a beautiful blooming Cherry Tree. She thought, "Here I am, Fay Geneve Mohney, in Japan!"
Fay remembers her brother having a convulsion (seizure) on the train on the way to the lake and Marjorie sending C. Eloise to get Fusayasan from the other coach. Fay, also, remembers having a convulsion (seizure) when she was at the circus with Aunt Charlotte, Aunt Sue and Uncle Ray in Ridgway.
June/July 1937 – Whole Family returned to states. The Golden Gate bridge was beautiful and in it's full glory. Ralph bought a used Cadillac and they drove across the country from San Francisco.
Going out of his way to tour Hoover Dam. Ralph made air conditioning for Marjorie by buying an Ice Block for under her feet.
Ralph spent a couple weeks in PA and returned to Japan. Fay and C. Eloise to live with Frank and Geneve Mohney in Ridgway and go to school. Marjorie and Paul were staying in Hammondsport with her parents Albert and Bertha Coray Fay until Christmas and then returning to Japan.
1937 – Fall – Frank Merritt Mohney took his Granddaughters, Fay and C. Eloise hunting for their first rabbits. Fay had a 20 gauge shotgun and C. Eloise had a .22 rifle. Frank climbed on a stump to look at the field and fell off, setting off his gun, but he was all right. Both girls were successful in their hunt. Frank advised them that if they were old enough to hunt they were old enough to clean their catch. Fay was particularly thrilled when she got home and a "boyfriend" was waiting on the porch. When he heard she had shot a rabbit he offered to clean it for her. She was thrilled to be able to say, "I've already done that myself, Thank you."
Plans changed and Marjorie rented a little house in Ridgeway (with coal range)and stayed in Ridgway until the end of the school year. Fay was in her Junior year of High School, she, also had her appendix out that year.
It was good that they had gotten home and Fay and C. Eloise had gotten their hunting trip in with their Grandfather (Frank Merritt Mohney), because he died on March 28, 1938.
June/July 1938 - Marjorie and Paul returned to Japan after school was out. Fay and C. Eloise went to the summer home of Paul and Marguerite Mohney on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. (They summered there every year, until Marguerites death.)
At the end of the summer, they returned to Paul and Marguerite's home, 923 Turner Ave, Drexel Hill for school year. Fay was in her senior year, C. Eloise was a Freshman. Paul and Margarite's son, Franklin was about a year behind, C. Eloise, they became great friends and shared many adventures.
Fall of 1938 – John Tyler Davis – son of John Ryland Davis and ½ cousin of Frank and Ralph (shared Grandfather was Lemuel Tyler Davis) was going to be having diner with Uncle Paul Rueben and Aunt Marguerite after the Army-Navy football. He was a cadet at West Point (class of 1939). They suggested he bring along a nice young man and Fay would get a date for John.
There in was the first meeting with Albert Ward and Fay Mohney. They continued writing and would see each other once in a while.
On Marjorie and Paul's return to Japan, Ralphhad found them a house in Kobe, because Paul was starting school at the Canadian Academy and could not go by himself from Shugkugawa.
In June 1939 on Fay's Graduation day Ralph, Marjorie and Paul permanently returned from Japan. Ralph left Japan when the Japanese decided that foreigners were no longer allowed to take money out of the country.
On returning from Japan, Ralph worked at the Singer office in New York and they lived in an apartment in Cranford NJ. Fay attended Virginia Intermont (an all girls college in VA) She roomed with John Tyler's sister, Anna Jean Davis (Snuffy).
1940 - The next summer, Ralph was sent to Cincinnati, Ohio to be agent for the Ohio, Indian and Kentucky area for Singer. They rented a house on Losantiville Ave, Pleasant Ridge. Fay attended University of Cincinnati. Eloise went to school at Withrow High School. Paul N. attended grade school.
Summer 1941 – Ralph wanted to look at "tax lands" in Canada and arranged a big camping trip. – Ralph, Fay, C. Eloise , Snuffy (Anna Jean Davis), and Paul and Marguerite Mohney and the McCreadys
They were loaded up on food and camping supplies for a nice two week stay.
Arrival went well, it was a decent piece of land with a few trees and a nice stream. They set up camp and Ralph fixed dinner. After dinner the mosquitoes attacked, so they went to bed early. C. Eloise found a frog in her sleeping bag, which caused a bit of pandemonium. Even in the sleeping bags, they could not breathe without getting bitten by the mosquitoes. It got so bad they had to abandon site and went to the closest town Peterbourgh Ontario. They found a hotel by the locks, too expensive but Ralph explained the situation and hotel owner rented them a house for 2 weeks. House had coal range.
They had taken a case of Wonder Bread, but the first morning a WW1 vet who had been gassed came around on a bike selling baked good. The vet and his wife made enough money to support themselves by baking and selling the baked goods.
Ralph bought all of his baked goods that day!
The men went out fishing with Indian Guide. Snuffy (Anna Jean Davis), Fay and C. Eloise stayed at house and made bread pudding with not enough milk or eggs. It did not work out so well… lol.
Summer of 1940 – Albert Ward went to Cincinnati to visit Fay on his 30 day pass. He stayed with her for ½ his leave and then went to Georgia to see his family.
Fall of 1941 (?) Ward (as Fay called him, really Albert Ward) invited Fay to go to NY for weekend. Ralph gave his permission under the condition that they stay on separate floors in the hotel.
Sometime in here (?) family lived temporarily on McAlpin St – then bought house on Sheffield Road in Mt. Lookout.
Spring 1942 - Fay wrote to Ward, 3 weeks before he graduated and said "If you still want to get married, there is a girl in Cincinnati who might be interested."
Ward had given her his miniature West Point class ring when he got it, but she had it in her Fathers safe. Fay had him get it out and she wore it on a family trip to Ridgeway Pennsylvania in the spring of 1942.
She got too excited about wedding to pay attention to Shakespeare class. (Marjorie took Fay to get a diaphragm and have blood test.)
May 24, 1942, Fay resigned as Secretary/Treasurer of the Bible school at Montgomery Church of Christ. A position she had held, since the church was started.
Ward graduated on May 29, 1942 and stopped in Cincinnati long enough to get married. (Ralph had arranged to get license office to stay open on Memorial Day. Ward brought his blood test records with him.
On May 30, 1942, Fay Geneve Mohney was wed to Albert McConnell Ward in the garden at the home of Rev. Dr. Edwin Errett the minister.
Rev. Dr. Edwin Errett had given Ralph Davis Mohney a bible, which he used until Rev. Errett's death. Marjorie passed it along to Ward with a note.
June and July 1942 - Fay and Ward left right after wedding on train to Chicago to go to Flying School. - 8 weeks of Basic Flying School in Visalia, San Jacquin Valley, California, where they rented a little house. They had no car, Ward had ordered one, but canceled the order when they decided to get married, he could only afford a wife or a car, not both. They got along with getting rides and walking to the store.
Ward joined the Air Corp for the extra pay, but did enjoy flying and maintained his flight status until he retired at age 54.
August & September 1942 – Ward was at Basic Flying school in Merced for 8 weeks. The rented a house by the railroad track. Cousin Franklin Mohney came to visit there. He had been working as a Fire spotter in a tower in California and visited before he went back to school.
October & November 1942 – Ward was at Advanced flight training in Roswell NM. On the train to Roswell, Fay was motion sick and realized she was 3 months pregnant with Gloria. They took a room with kitchen privileges at the home of a Sergeant and his wife. Ward was not comfortable with living with an enlisted man. He felt he had to be in full uniform, before he would even leave the room to use the bathroom.
Fay remembers that the house had been flooded by the Pecos River. (?) She, also, remembers that she was frequently at the house alone since all the others were working. One day she was on the couch reading a book and an enticing bowl of nuts was on the table. Finally she gave in to temptation and ate one. It was a Mexican jumping bean…
Ward got his wings the end of November and they had 30 days leave. Another flyer from Ohio was in his graduation group and gave them a ride to Cincinnati. About 2 weeks into the leave Ward had his leave cancelled and he had to report to Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas for B26 transition training to fly a Martin B26 (Baltimore Whore – Widow Maker – The B26 was never flown after the war). Training class did not start until January 1, so they really did not have to call them early, but it was bureaucracy.
They had spent a good deal of their $153 monthly pay in getting home, so there was not much money for renting a house and having Christmas in Texas. For Christmas Fay managed to buy Ward a pair of blue silk pajamas, unfortunately he brushed against the electric heater in the bathroom and burned a hole in them on the first night. He felt so bad, he did not want to come out of the bathroom and show Fay.
The parachute straps aggravated a mole Ward had on his back and it had to be removed. Fay was in a bit of a panic when another pilot told her he was sorry to hear about Ward's cancer. Luckily it was not cancer.
Fay had no warm coat and had to write home and ask Ralph and Marjorie to send her a coat. They did, but she was highly embarrassed to have to ask. Later, she heard that the father of the bride was supposed to supply clothes for the brides first year of marriage so she did not feel so bad about it.
In winter/ early spring 1943 – Ward goes to San Angelo, Texas and Fay returned to family home in Mt Lookout, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ward flew B26 to Lunken Airport in Cincinnati to visit Fay. She was so big she got stuck in the bomb bay when he was showing her the plane.
The house was on Sheffield Ave.
It was the original farmhouse for the area.
The street contained many new stylish houses and Ralph had always planned on turning the house, because the front door was not toward the street.
Instead he assembled a 4 column Southern style 2 story porch and workers from the office, came one Saturday to help lift it into place. Fay remembers that looking back on it, Ralph's face was bright red and probably blood pressure was very high, lucky he did not have a stroke on that day. Jim McCready and probably 6 other men helped.
They also, dug out driveway on one side of house making a Garage that was lower then house.
After the changes, there was a combination of trail and steps leading down what was now the back yard to the street. Fay would catch the bus there, when she was attending University of Cincinnati.
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Gloria was due to be born on May 28, 1943.
She refused!
On the evening of June 8, 1943, Fay played softball in the street with Paul and his friends. The next morning when she got up, she complained to her mother that she must have pulled a muscle.
Marjorie had her lay down. Ralph was (of course) out of town. Marjorie called the Singer office and Jimmy came to the rescue, driving Fay to the military hospital in Fort Thomas, KY. The Dr. went out to lunch and did not make it back, until after Gloria made her appearance in the world. Fay had General Anesthesia for the delivery.
Gloria Jean Ward made her appearance on June 9, 1943, weighing in at 7 lbs.
The hospital was very small and only had room for 4 mothers and 4 babies, but Fay and Gloria were the only ones in residence. It was very frustrating to have to lay in bed for a week and listen to the baby crying. Sometimes they would bring her the baby and sometimes not.
Jimmy McCready once again came to the rescue, bringing Fay a bottle of wine to ease the distress of having to listen to the crying baby. She was a bit uneasy when the Military Chaplin came in and saw the wine bottle on the floor under her bed. Fay did not actually drink the wine until after leaving the hospital.
After Fay and Gloria went home to Mt. Lookout house, Ward came to visit. Fay remembers him going to the back bedroom and carefully picking up Gloria and caring his fragile package in to see Fay.
Fay stayed in Cincinnati for about 6 weeks after Gloria was born. Then she packed Gloria in a big basket with diapers stored in the bottom, so that Gloria was high enough to get some fresh air. They took a train to San Antonio, Texas. Fay remembers not allowing anyone on the train to touch Gloria. Ward borrowed a car from the Dr. next door and picked up Fay and Gloria and took them to Del Rio, Texas, where Ward was undergoing more training at Laughlan Air Force Base.
The house they were renting belonged to a woman who was the girl friend of a member of the Dalton Gang. There was a lovely Sheffield tea set in the dining room that Fay enjoyed polishing.
She, also, learned to love Iced Coffee with cream and sugar. She gained 15 lbs, before they left Del Rio. She had only gained 11 lbs when she was pregnant with Gloria.
They had great neighbors there in Del Rio. It was a Dr. and his wife, and they kept a careful eye on Fay and Gloria.
Not long after Fay got to Del Rio, it was her birthday. Ward got her a marzipan cake, the first one she had ever tasted. After eating some, she put it on top of the refrigerator. The next day it was covered by ants, she felt heartbroken.
Around September 1943 – Ward was sent to Battlecreek, MI where they were assembling his B26 Squadron. He went there first and found a house. Fay drove their newly acquired car from Cincinnati to Michigan. Ward had found a little house on a farm near the base, that they shared with another man, whose wife had gone back to college and would visit on holidays and when she could.
Ward had continual serious sinus infections, causing serious pus and discharge. (Later, they determined it was from the corn being harvested.)
The Squadron was ready to deploy to England, but because Ward was sick they pulled his plane and crew and it went without him. The day they took off to leave, he sat at the end of the runway and cried. He was heartbroken.
February 1944 -They went to Replacement depot in Tampa Florida. Ward got much better, since he was now away from the corn fields. They lived with one of Wards former classmates for a while, and then rented a house that had a hugh pantry full of all kinds of dishes. Fay took it on herself to wash one shelf of dishes a day, but did not finish them before they were again relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana to another Replacement Depot.
They did not get a chance to acquire much more then would fit in foot lockers.
Shreveport was the worst place they ever lived. The motel they first lived in was filthy and had Bedbugs. Gloria was 9 months old. Fay kept her in the canvas carriage to keep her off the filthy floor. Gloria learned to move to the end of the carriage and tip it over.
They finally rented a house between the base and a refinery. There were a lot of Gas fumes. Fay was pregnant, but had a miscarriage (gas fumes?)
Instead of getting reassigned to another flying unit, Ward was made a base commander of Pounds Field in Tyler Texas. He was a Lt, when he went there and made Captain while he was there.
There were only 2 houses on the base. One had 3 single officers living in it. Ward and Fay made it there home. All the rooms in the house had airplane wallpaper, each with different colored planes.
Mr. Pounds was the town banker, who had lost a son in flight training. The base was named for his son. Mr. Pounds really took a liking to Ward and Fay and helped them all he could. When they decided to make the 2nd home into an officers club, he helped them acquire the necessary materials and even took them to the next county to buy liquor. The base was in a dry county, but military bases were exempt.
There was only one squadron at the base, so even counting base officers there were only about 35 officers, many did not have wives. They did have an officers wives group though.
One time Fay was very embarrassed when she went to a wives club meeting with a friend of hers, who was visiting and suddenly found herself not remembering anyone's name. She just told everyone this was her friend – so and so- who was there to visit for a few days.
Also they had a self-propelled lawn mower and one day Fay was cutting the grass, the lawn mower got rather out of control and the Guard at the Gate, called Ward to say that his wife was going down toward the creek with the lawnmower, she did manage to get it turned, before she hit the water.
Date unknown – Marshall Field, Kansas was the next stop on Ward and Fay's journey. Ward was the Base Commander. They had moved into the Commander's Quarters and Fay had just made Dining Room curtains, when Ward got orders for Guam.
Early 1945 – Ward goes to Guam and Fay and Gloria return to Cincinnati.
Ralph and Marjorie Mohney were now living on Erie Ave, in Cincinnati Ohio.
Summer 1946 – After the war is over, dependents can go to base, but only if there is a place for them to live. Ward got a quonset hut and they put walls in to divide it into rooms. Ward painted and fixed it up. Then Fay and Gloria took the President Buchanan to Guam to join Ward. It was not the luxurious boat of the President series they had traveled on back and forth to Japan when she was a child, because it had been converted to a troop carrier. There was a shortage of water and they only got drinks at meal time.
Spring 1947 – Ward, Fay and Gloria leave Guam by ship, because Fay is pregnant with Linda and there is no longer and obstetrician on Guam. They take a ship to Korea, then to Hawaii, then to Seattle. Very cold in Seattle, Fay sends for a coat and one is soon delivered by the local "Singer man" in Seattle.
Fay and Gloria stay in Cincinnati and Ward returns to Guam.
September 15, 1947 – Linda Fay Ward makes her entrance into the world.
October 1947 (?) – Ralph, Marjorie and Paul Mohney along with Fay, Gloria and Linda Ward move to Miaminon in Loveland Ohio.
November 1947 (?) Ralph Mohney had a stroke, he recovered and they redecorated the Dining Room.
December 1947 - C. Eloise Mohney married Robert Samuel Shott (son of Samuel David Shott and Louise Dorthea Feusahrens).
Early, 1948 – Singer Company sent Ralph and Marjorie to Mount Dora Hotel (?) in Florida, for him to have a couple months to recover.
Winter of 1948 – Fay and Ward bought a 2nd hand station wagon from the Singer Company and drove to Spokane Washington. AAA had advised them to take Rt. 66 all the way to California and then go to Washington up the Coast. They said the Northern Route would not be safe with a baby. They took AAA advice.
In Spokane, Fay and Ward lived in a house in town. Fay felt stuck for transportation, since Ward took the car to work every day. Especially when she saw that Chi Omega was having a meeting. She called a member of the group and they said someone would be glad to pick her up until they found out where she was living and then said they did not have anyone from that area of town. She was very disappointed.
They moved out of town to Fort George Wright. It was made up of housing and an officers club. The housing was in a long building that contained about 8 apartments. Linda was then about 15 months old and took her first steps there on the parade ground.
They had one on the lower floor, but still the garage was under the building. It was very cold there. Gloria had started to kindergarten in town. The fort maintained the road as far as the bridge over the river then the town maintained the road. One very cold morning, Fay bundled Gloria and Linda for the trip to town, then she went out to start the car. The car was frozen to the garage floor, (she later learned it was -38 degrees). She used 2 teakettles of boiling water to unstick the tires from the floor. Then she got the girls loaded in the car and told them they needed to be very quiet while she drove. They were very still and she made it to the bridge, but then realized the town had not plowed their side of the route. She took Gloria by a long way around and got her to school.
When Ward got home he did remind Fay that children do not have to go to kindergarten on such days.
Unfortunately (or was it fortunately), Wards sinus trouble came back. He said, "It was too cold for this Georgia boy."
Winter 1950 – transferred to Omaha, Nebraska – SAC headquarters – Offutt
Fay and Ward rented a house in Plattsmuth Nebraska. It had an empty lot behind it, so Ward could put a big garden in.
Gloria was in the 1st grade, when they moved further out to the country, where she could catch a school bus, instead of Fay needing to drive her to school. But the bus stop was ½ mile from house so she needed to pack up Linda and drive Gloria to the bus anyway.
Gloria's teacher came to dinner and spent the night. The teacher had made good friends with the cat. In the middle of the night, the cat presented her with the present of a half dead mouse.
They had one of the old style party line phones on the wall in the kitchen. One time 10 to 12 cows had gotten out of their pasture and were in the front yard. Fay called the farmer. He told her to just go out and wave her arms around. Fay said, "But their bigger then I am…" She heard laughing from people listening in on the partyline.
1950 – transferred to Tampa Florida, lived in Guest Quarters on Base for a while, but bought their first house. 6603 Bayshore Blvd. It was a small 3 bedroom tract style house that cost $8,700 (payments were $53 a month). (They kept the house until 1972 and rented it out. It provided them with some additional income. A realtor managed it and they only had one bad tenant.
This was one of Fay's favorite places.
In the morning, she would drive Ward to work, Gloria to school, Linda to preschool and then do errands, play golf or bridge and then go back and pick up the girls. Ward generally got a ride home. Fay learned that if you fry onions, your husband will think you've really been cooking.
The public school for their end of Bayshore Blvd was not a good school, so Gloria went to private school.
As always, Fay took part in the Officer's Wives Club and worked on their paper. She, also, learned to play golf and was a part of the Tampa Woman's Golf Assoc. They would play golf and have lunch at different clubs every week. One of her favorite clubs was owned and run by Babe Diedrickson and her husband, George ???.
Life was good here!
June/July 1952 – Ward was sent to B29 transition training to get ready to go to Korea. He got home to visit a couple times before leaving for Korea.
"The Break-In"
One night Fay heard a noise in the bathroom, it sounded like Linda had gotten out of bed and was playing on the bathroom scale. She hollered at her, "Linda get down." But when she looked in the bathroom a white arm was poking in through the window and reaching for the latch. She screamed, "What are you doing?" The fellow took off running, tripping and breaking her pepper bush that she had nourished for 2 years.
She called the police, and the base police and a neighbor most have called the sheriff, because they all arrived in a hurry and it was quite a scene. Apparently, the would-be robber had broken in to the shed, and tried the back door and then was attempting the window when Fay caught him in the act.
She tried to call Ward about it, but he was out on survival training. When he got back, he had to wait in line for the phone and must have been doing some imbibing while he was waiting, because he was tipsy when he finally got through to her. She wanted to get bars put on the windows and a light on the telephone pole in the back yard. Ward said, "What ever you want to do honey is fine with me…" Fay, also, went to the pound and bought a dog.
February 3, 1953 Ralph McConnel Ward makes his appearance a couple weeks early. He weights 5 ½ lbs. Ward was away and a friend of theirs who was a little drunk took her to the hospital. Fay had been taking care of their 9 month old and thinks she went into early labor, because of the lifting of the baby in and out of crib. Ward got home for a visit, shortly after his birth.
Not long after, Ralph's birth Ward went fight in Korea. He was stationed at Yakota Air Force Base, near Yokohoma, Japan and flew B29's over Korea.
Summer 1953, Ralph and Marjorie Mohney went to visit his brother, Paul N. and Marguerite Mohney on Long Beach Island New Jersey. While they were still there Fay arrived with her children to visit. Marjorie stayed longer and Ralph went home. Fay drove Marjorie back to Ohio and stayed there for a visit.
C. Eloise and Bob Shott were living in the barn apartment with their 2 children Eric (age 4) and Susie (age 2).
While Fay was there visiting Ralph and Marjorie were at some friends for dinner. Ralph wasn't feeling well and went to lie down. He did not feel any better, Jim McCready drove him to the hospital, he was telling jokes on the way to the hospital, but could not remember names of things. He was having a massive stroke.
While he was in the hospital, there was a lot of ferrying people back and forth to visit. Jim was around with a car and so was Fay and C. Eloise and Bob Shott.
One time when Fay went to visit, she told Ralph that his goose were chasing the little children (Eric and Susie Shott, and Linda Ward) at Miaminon. He said to catch it and take the goose to the Meat Locker in Loveland and he would take care of it. Fay remembers cornering the goose in a fence and wrapping it up and sending Gloria to get the truck. They took the goose to the meat locker and that was the end of that…
Fay was with Ralph when he died on August 7, 1953. She remembers that he was resting quietly and then his body gave a little jerk and then she went to get the nurse to verify that he was dead.
Fay remembers Ralph's mother Geneve coming to the funeral and crying, "It should have been me."
After Ralph Davis Mohney died, Miaminon was sold, because Marjorie did not drive and could not get around. Marjorie moved to an apartment Montgomery (?). Paul N. was attending classes at Miami University at this time.
Right before Christmas, Ward called to say, he would be coming home, and how would she like Altus… then the phone call was cut off. She found an atlas and discovered that it was in Oklahoma.
Christmas Day 1953, Ward came home bearing gifts. He brought Ralph a model of a motor boat and Japanese dolls for Gloria and Linda. He brought Pearls for Fay.
Early 1954 – They rented out their house and move to Altus Oklahoma.
SAC was just taking over a base. Ward was either the supply officer or the material officer.
They lived in a subdivision house built for the military personnel, so there were lots of compatible people around. There was not really any civilization around. They had to drive to Texas to go to a restaurant. It was a dry county, but if you called the taxi, they would bring you liquor.
Gloria was about 10 years old and was getting ready to go into 7th grade. They sent a note home at the end of 6th grade asking to pick her classes for the next year. Fay picked out French, math, English and other regular classes. Then she, also, wrote in Latin. When Gloria took it to school, the teacher said, "What does your mother think, you're going to go to Harvard."
Fay went in to protest, but it was a country town and they did not have Latin or any advanced classes.
Fay did the regular wives club and wives newspaper duties and played a little bridge. She did not really play golf after Tampa.
2 years later (about 1956) –
Wichita, Kansas another base being taken over by SAC. Ward was a Lt. Colonel.
They lived in town and Gloria had a good friend that lived nearby. Then they got one of only 5 quarters on base, later 2 more were built. But it was a small group of people and they all got along well. Fay did the usual, Officer's wives club and bridge.
1959 – Ward got orders for Taiwan. (called Formosa when Ralph and Marjorie had visited there in the 1930's)
Fay invited Marjorie to go with them. Marjorie went to Wichita and drove to San Francisco with Fay, Gloria, Linda and Ralph. She (Marjorie) had forgotten to get her visa, which Fay did not discover until they were in San Francisco and it was the day before they were to get on the plane. Fay found a sitter at the base north of San Francisco and took Marjorie into town to get her visa. The people were most helpful and they were able to leave as planned.
Ward had rented them a house in Taiwan, but it was too small. They found a larger house with a kitchen, Living room/Dining room, office, Bath and Bedroom and 2 servant rooms on the first floor and 4 bedrooms and a bath upstairs. The upstairs bath was on the other side of a porch over the kitchen, so it was a bit chilly for night time visits.
They had 3 servants, a cook, a maid and a Pedicab boy (rickshaw driver). The Pedicab boy's name was Juan.
Marjorie, Fay and the children got around in the cart. The Pedicab boy lived in a shack in the yard.
Ralph went to kindergarten and 1st grade, while they were in Taiwan. At the end of the school year, Ralph's teacher told him, "Ralph you have to learn to sit in your seat, your next teacher may not love you as much as I do."
Gloria had her Sophomore and Junior years of high school in Taiwan. Linda went to 6th and 7th grade.
Taiwan stories.
Another attempted robbery –
One night, very late, there was a knock at the door. Fay figured out that it was Juan, the pedicab boy, he was saying "dorabo" (Japanese for robber) and motioning for Ward to come out quickly. Ward got his gun out from under the bed and ran out into the yard, without dressing, but he was unable to catch the intruder.
1960-While they were in Taiwan, they were invited to tea with Chiang Kai-Shek, the President of the Republic of China.
Marjorie loved playing Mahjong and Fay and Ward took her to Bingo every week. It was amazing that she always seemed to win something.
Fay played the usual bridge and was active in the Officer's wives club.
They took a special trip to Japan, that had been arrange by the "Singer man," including all the tours and hotel reservations. "You can always count on a Singer man." Of course, Uncle Paul R. Mohney was still Agent for the Philadelphia office, although he retired soon after that at the age of 62 or so.
Marjorie had gotten a strep infection and because she was not a military dependent, was admitted to the 7th Day Adventist Hospital in Taipai. She was home, but still not feeling well enough for the trip.
Fay and the rest of the family enjoyed the trip and she was able to show them where she had lived as a child, as well as, other highlights of the country.
One of Ward's jobs on Taiwan was to do weekend flights to Hong Kong. One weekend, Marjorie and Fay went with him and stayed over. Marjorie visited with a "Singer man" and his wife that she had known from Japan. They lived up on the peak overlooking Hong Kong. Fay and Ward stayed in town.
When Marjorie met them at the airport for the return to Taiwan, the couple invited Fay to stay for the week and go home the next weekend when Ward returned. She decided to take them up on the offer.
A typhoon hit Hong Kong that week. They had for warning. The couples 2 Chinese men servants locked themselves in their rooms and would not come out. There were huge glass windows overlooking the city. Fay and the couple moved all the furniture away from the windows and rolled up the rugs and then went to bed. The next morning there were trees and branches down. They had to clear them to be able to get the car out of the garage. Some of the trees were cashew trees, which it turns out are related to poison ivy and can cause the same reaction. Fay was broken out in a rash for the rest of her weeklong stay, and she mostly stayed in bed covered with calamine lotion.
On Friday, Ward came back and picked her up as planned.
The greatest treasure of the trip to Hong Kong was Fays, custom made 11 pairs of shoes and matching bags, which she used for years.
Summer 1960 – All returned from Taiwan. Marjorie took another apartment in Silverton near her Montgomery Church of Christ.
Fay, Ward and the children visited with C. Eloise and Bob Shott and their children, Eric, Susie and Sally, who were now living in a house up the hill from the beloved Miaminon.
In July/August of 1960 – The next home was at Westover Air Force Base in Springfield, Massachusetts.
They were in Westover for 4 years.
Gloria graduated from High School at Chicopee Massachusetts. The following year she went to Springfield College, but was not happy. She quit and went to work for an insurance company, where she met Aldo Charles Zucaro, who was an auditor. They were married on October 14, 1963.
Linda completed eth through 11th grade while they were in Mass. Ralph went from 2nd through 6th grade.
When they first arrived the only base quarters were apartments, so they rented a small house until something more suitable was available.
They wound up with 2 – one bedroom apartments in a U-shaped building that contained 4 apartments.
They used the one apartment as it existed with Fay and Ward taking that bedroom. In the other apartment, Ralph had the bedroom and Gloria and Linda used the Living/Dining area for a shared bedroom.
Along with Fay's usual Officers Wives Club duties, Fay was the volunteer head of the local Girl Scout Camp. When the Girl Scouts decided to hire a director the head of the Springfield Girl Scout Organization told Fay to go apply for the job. Ward took the day off to drive her to Boston to do the job application. One of the first questions out of the woman's mouth was where did she go to school. Fay told her, and then she wanted to know what her degree was in. Well when Fay told her she had not graduated, she very haughtily stated that they only hired College graduates. Fay and Ward just left and Fay decided to spend her time and energy other places.
She decided to volunteer at the base library. She had in mind every day, but the librarian thought that one day would be a good start. Then it changed to ½ day then to 2 ½ days then soon to every day.
It came a time when the librarian was transferred and the Asst. librarian's husband was transferred. Because there was a headquarters company there, that had it's own librarian, the people in charge thought that Fay could take on the job temporarily and if she needed any help she could check with the headquarters librarian.
So Fay had 8 months as a paid librarian, being in charge of a library with 33,000 books. She had 3 enlisted employees. One of their other jobs was to rotate books available in the underground libraries that were available for the pilots that who spent 5 days at a time on duty in the underground flight rooms.
The job ended when a woman coming back from Germany was put in charge of the Library. Still it was one of Fay's favorite times.
1964 – Ward went to Turkey - Karamursel Air Force Station near Yalora.
He rented a house and Fay, Linda and Ralph joined him. Gloria was married and living with her husband Aldo.
Ralph finished 7th through 8h grades here.
Linda graduated from high school the first year in Turkey. She returned to the states to attend Douglas College. But first she was in Loveland Ohio, visiting with her Aunt C. Eloise and Bob Shott and family (Eric, Sue and Sally)
1966 – Ramstein Air Force Base Germany – 3 years
Ralph gets badly burned.
1968 Langley Air Force Base, Virginia
Fay and Sally remember a big family Christmas gathering that included. C. Eloise and Sally Shott, Paul N. and Carol Money, with Sharon and Janet Mohney and Ward, Fay and Ralph Ward.
Ward eligible for retirement in September 1969. They bought a house in Rota Spain, but did not live there yet.
In early August they went to Izmir, Turkey where Ralph would attend the Military Dependent School for his senior year of High School.
Ward was 54 when he retired. Fay was 49. (She retired from making bacon and eggs for breakfast and then only cooked them on Sunday.)
The lived in Izmir Turkey near NATO headquarters for 2 years, until 1970. Ralph attended fall semester at University of Maryland at Munich, but was not happy and did not return after the holiday.
1972, Fay and Ward went to live in their house in Rota Spain. Ralph was taking courses from the University of Maryland and working as a bagger at base commissary. Ward was frustrated with not having anything to do. They even came in and watered the inside plants and he had no room to garden.
Fall 1973 – Estepona - They bought a house near by from some Canadians who wanted to return home. The Canadians were not happy that they just wanted the house and not the furnishings, but they got the furniture sold. Ward got to spend 3 years creating beautiful gardens. Every 6 months they had to make a trip out of the country, because they could technically only live there 6 months at a time.
They had the house in Estepona for 12 years. They loved it, but it was not very pleasant in winter, because of poor heating and lack of insulation. They started coming back to the states for 6 months every year.
1980 Bought a Modular house in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Fall 1984 – Sold house in Spain, but left their car there.
1985 - Returned for one more driving trip through Spain and then sold the car.
1985 Sold home at Port St. Lucie and moved to Miami, FL where they lived S.W. of Miami in Kendall Florida in a rented house near Homestead Air Force Base.
February 1987 moved to San Antonio
November 27, 1987 – Fay's sister Celia Eloise Mohney Stroppel dies in Cincinnati Ohio.
1988 traveled back to Spain and took several other trips, including spending a month in Australia and New Zealand.
1992 - 50th wedding anniversary of Albert and Fay Ward.
Family arrives from all over, including children, Grandchildren, brothers, sisters, cousins, Aunts, Uncles – A good time was had by all!
Ward could not get around very well and is diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
June 22, 1995 Albert McConnel Ward died.
1996 – Fay took to trip to Alaska
June 1998 - Fay went to England then to Spain and stayed with friend, Jean for a week, and then to a house she had rented for the summer. Her brother, Paul N. Mohney and his wife Carol came to visit, as did other friends. At the end of the summer she spent another week staying with Jean and then took a Sailboat Cruise home.
Fall 2000 – Took trip with nieces, (C. Eloise's daughters, Sally Shott and Susan Shott Ditmire). They went to Ridgway, Pennsylvania, Alfred University and Hammondsport, New York, saw places from her childhood and spent time with relatives still living in the area.
Late June 2001 – Fay's 80th Birthday Year – Parties all over Europe. Traveled with her friend Jean. Drove to France, Germany and Holland (where they stayed for a month in the home of a friend of Jean). Fay was scheduled to return home on September 11, 2001. Advised that there had been some sort of accident in New York and she could stay in Spain for a couple days or fly to Frankfurt, which was her first scheduled stop on trip. Frankfort would be rather full, because of the German auto show, but Fay decided to go on to Frankfort anyway. They put her up in a hotel for 2 days and then hotel said they were all reserved for weekend and returned her to airport. The airport told her they had a volunteer family that would take her in. It turned out to be a nice middle aged couple with 2 cats and she had her own room and bathroom on the lowest level of their home. They entertained her from Thursday to Monday and would not even let her buy them dinner.
She was able to fly out on September 17, 2001, but still hears from the couple by email.
February 2006 – Fay gives up her cottage on Bannocks Ct and moves to an apartment.
The biography which follows was written by family members during visits with Fay.
August 11, 1921 - Fay Geneve Mohney was born in a hospital at Ridgway PA – she was the 1st child of Ralph Davis Mohney and Marjorie Emeline Fay and the first child from either family to be born in a hospital.
Her parents met while they were students at Alfred University. He earned a degree in Agriculture and she in Home Economics. Ralph was from Ridgway Pennsylvania and went to school on a football scholarship. His schooling was interrupted by his service in WWI. They were married on July 28, 1920 in Marjorie's hometown of Hammondsport, New York.
After their marriage, Ralph made an agreement with the farmer who owned Boot Jack Farm (about 300 acres) near Ridgway Pennsylvania. They would live in the house and he would farm the 300 acres.
Ralph farmed and Marjorie helped add to the family income with making jelly and baked goods and selling them in a roadside stand.
A second daughter, Celia Eloise Mohney was born on December 4, 1924.
June 27, 1925 - Shanley Moore Reunion in Halton Pennsylvania. This is where the large panoramic picture was taken.
1927 (about) -At this time, no one is sure what the exact farming arrangements were, but Ralph was unable to make a living on the farm and through bankruptcy lost his investment of time, money and labor.
Ralph, Marjorie and the girls (Fay and C. Eloise) went to live on Irwin Ave in Ridgway Pennsylvania with Ralph's parents (Frank and Geneve Mohney). Additional residents in house were (More Grandma – Susannah Burns (Frank's Mother), and her daughter Sue Mohney (Frank's sister, who had never married).
More Grandma – Susannah (?) Burns was married to Rueben Mohney their children were
o Gertrude – died early
o Charlotte – married Ray Shanley
o Sue – never married
o Christine married a McCready – parents of Jim and Ruth McCready
About 1928, Ralph left the family in Ridgway and went to Philadelphia, where his brother, Paul R. was already working for Singer. Ralph got a job as a Sewing machine mechanic in the Manufacturers Trade Division
Paul Reuben Mohney – Ralph's brother – had married Marguerite Palmer and went to work for Singer in Scranton in 1920. While living in Scranton their son Franklin was born. Later, Paul was transferred to the Singer office in Philadelphia.
1929 (about) – Family was reunited at Willowgrove, near Philadelphia – Fay remembers going to Airfield to see TriMotor plane
Marjorie taught sewing at the school in Willowgrove.
After stock market crash Singer did not fire anyone, very proud of it (They did cut salaries).
1930 (about) 1st move to Drexel Hill
Ralph was moved from mechanic to Salesman about this time.
Jake Baiter was the Agent of the Singer Philadelphia office and lived at top of hill – they moved to a new house down the hill. Uncle Paul Mohney (Ralph's brother) lived near by.
Fay remembers that they had a milkman and a bread man who would leave items on the porch in the morning.
Ralph and Marjorie (always the modern couple) took their children to a pediatrician Dr. Liebron.
Dr. Liebron bought a farm near Collegeville. Ralph and Marjorie moved to main farm house where he supervised farmer, while still working at Singer. Fay and C. Eloise walked to school. Fay in charge of watching her sister. C. Eloise hit her and gave her a bloody nose when she pulled her out of the way of a car. Another time, Fay had a new-ruffled dress. The ruffle got caught on the slide and ripped off, making the dress, way short, above the knee. It got pinned on so she could walk home.
During this time period, it was a problem in some Jewish families that they were feeding children too many sweets (very unhealthy).
Dr. Liebron would sometimes bring children out for Marjorie to get them eating better. She would feed them regular meals, but no dessert if they did not eat meal. Fay particularly remembers one 6 year old who was very thin and you could see blood vessels in his face.
Dr. Liebron built them a separate house, in between main house and Mohney house was a spring house over a creek.
1932 moved back to Drexel Hill, lived on Berry Ave.
1933 – Depression worsening, salaries reduced. Ralph and family moved in with family friends - Greenwalt (wife named Hannah) Don't remember the name of the husband or the son. Marjorie, Fay, C. Eloise and Paul stayed living in Philadelphia - Ralph went to Japan.
June 1934 – Marjorie, Fay, C. Eloise and son went to Japan to join Ralph. Ralph was sick with scarlet fever while he was there alone.
Trip to Japan was on the President Hoover or President Coolidge, Dollar Steam Ship Company. Ships were the same model they went on one (probably Coolidge) and returned on the other (probably Hoover).
Train from Philadelphia to Chicago – train from Chicago to San Francisco. – were supposed to take ship from there, but long shore men on strike. "San Francisco Singer Man" drove them to San Diego (?) where they caught the ship. Dining room staffed by college kids.
First couple days temporary crew sick and most of passengers. Fay got to wear heels and eat in the Adult dining room. C. Eloise not happy to have to eat with children.
San Diego to Hawaii – where they stopped for a day or 2 – Toured Dole Pineapple factory. They had a pineapple fountain like drinking fountain. Elo drank so much she got sick.
Pali tour to top of ridge – Fay had on new dress with red blue & yellow rounded buttons – One of the buttons was pulled off and lost in the wind.
Back to sea and landed in Yokohama Japan, where Ralph met them and rode the rest of the way to Kobe.
1934 – Japan - Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and London Naval Treaty of 1930 abrogated by Japan
-- China - Chinese Communists' Long March to Yan'an (1934-35)
-- US - Discovery of nuclear fission
Fall 1934 – Lived in Shukugawa Japan, between Kobe and Osaka. Ralph worked at Singer office in Osaka and Fay and Elo went to Canadian Academy in Kobe.
Rented a western style house on street referred to as "Gasoline Alley." It was built by GM – Street extended out like a peninsula into the rice field. At the top of the street was a Japanese hotel with restaurant. The family would eat there once in a while.
When they first arrived, Ralph had made arrangements for a live in Chinese cook and Japanese Amah (housekeeper/maid), they lived in the back of the house in 2, "2-mat rooms" (About 6' X 7') with a small bathroom facility. The mat was a tatami and about the size of a person.
First meal on arrival was a very strong curry. Fay remembers that she did not even consider eating curry for years afterward, way too strong a taste for children.
The first Chinese cook had relatives come share his room and board – did not work out – too many mouths to feed.
The 2nd Chinese Cook, also, did not work out.
Marjorie decided to train Fusaya – san (the Japanese Amah) to become a cook and it solved the problem. She stayed with them the whole time they were in Japan. Another Amah was hired for household duties.
A 3rd Amah was hired to care for son, when he got older. She was about 15 years old. Ralph and Marjorie thought he might learn a bit of Japanese from her, but that thought was dashed when they heard Paul, on the porch, teaching the Amah nursery rhymes in English.
Lived all 3 years in this house.
1936 – Japan - 226 Incident: Young military officers launch an abortive coup d'etat
-- Japan withdraws from the London Naval Conference
The second and third summers, that Ralph, Marjorie and the children were in Japan, they rented a cottage in the mountains for the summer. (Nojori, Japan) a beautiful lake. Ralph would go on some weekends. Fay learned how to swim there, holding onto the docks and kicking. One time she took Paul N. to the lake and he fell off the end of the dock. She remembers pulling him out.
One of Fay's vivid memories is riding down a street of Japanese houses, that were all enclosed by traditional fences. Over one of the fences was hanging a beautiful blooming Cherry Tree. She thought, "Here I am, Fay Geneve Mohney, in Japan!"
Fay remembers her brother having a convulsion (seizure) on the train on the way to the lake and Marjorie sending C. Eloise to get Fusayasan from the other coach. Fay, also, remembers having a convulsion (seizure) when she was at the circus with Aunt Charlotte, Aunt Sue and Uncle Ray in Ridgway.
June/July 1937 – Whole Family returned to states. The Golden Gate bridge was beautiful and in it's full glory. Ralph bought a used Cadillac and they drove across the country from San Francisco.
Going out of his way to tour Hoover Dam. Ralph made air conditioning for Marjorie by buying an Ice Block for under her feet.
Ralph spent a couple weeks in PA and returned to Japan. Fay and C. Eloise to live with Frank and Geneve Mohney in Ridgway and go to school. Marjorie and Paul were staying in Hammondsport with her parents Albert and Bertha Coray Fay until Christmas and then returning to Japan.
1937 – Fall – Frank Merritt Mohney took his Granddaughters, Fay and C. Eloise hunting for their first rabbits. Fay had a 20 gauge shotgun and C. Eloise had a .22 rifle. Frank climbed on a stump to look at the field and fell off, setting off his gun, but he was all right. Both girls were successful in their hunt. Frank advised them that if they were old enough to hunt they were old enough to clean their catch. Fay was particularly thrilled when she got home and a "boyfriend" was waiting on the porch. When he heard she had shot a rabbit he offered to clean it for her. She was thrilled to be able to say, "I've already done that myself, Thank you."
Plans changed and Marjorie rented a little house in Ridgeway (with coal range)and stayed in Ridgway until the end of the school year. Fay was in her Junior year of High School, she, also had her appendix out that year.
It was good that they had gotten home and Fay and C. Eloise had gotten their hunting trip in with their Grandfather (Frank Merritt Mohney), because he died on March 28, 1938.
June/July 1938 - Marjorie and Paul returned to Japan after school was out. Fay and C. Eloise went to the summer home of Paul and Marguerite Mohney on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. (They summered there every year, until Marguerites death.)
At the end of the summer, they returned to Paul and Marguerite's home, 923 Turner Ave, Drexel Hill for school year. Fay was in her senior year, C. Eloise was a Freshman. Paul and Margarite's son, Franklin was about a year behind, C. Eloise, they became great friends and shared many adventures.
Fall of 1938 – John Tyler Davis – son of John Ryland Davis and ½ cousin of Frank and Ralph (shared Grandfather was Lemuel Tyler Davis) was going to be having diner with Uncle Paul Rueben and Aunt Marguerite after the Army-Navy football. He was a cadet at West Point (class of 1939). They suggested he bring along a nice young man and Fay would get a date for John.
There in was the first meeting with Albert Ward and Fay Mohney. They continued writing and would see each other once in a while.
On Marjorie and Paul's return to Japan, Ralphhad found them a house in Kobe, because Paul was starting school at the Canadian Academy and could not go by himself from Shugkugawa.
In June 1939 on Fay's Graduation day Ralph, Marjorie and Paul permanently returned from Japan. Ralph left Japan when the Japanese decided that foreigners were no longer allowed to take money out of the country.
On returning from Japan, Ralph worked at the Singer office in New York and they lived in an apartment in Cranford NJ. Fay attended Virginia Intermont (an all girls college in VA) She roomed with John Tyler's sister, Anna Jean Davis (Snuffy).
1940 - The next summer, Ralph was sent to Cincinnati, Ohio to be agent for the Ohio, Indian and Kentucky area for Singer. They rented a house on Losantiville Ave, Pleasant Ridge. Fay attended University of Cincinnati. Eloise went to school at Withrow High School. Paul N. attended grade school.
Summer 1941 – Ralph wanted to look at "tax lands" in Canada and arranged a big camping trip. – Ralph, Fay, C. Eloise , Snuffy (Anna Jean Davis), and Paul and Marguerite Mohney and the McCreadys
They were loaded up on food and camping supplies for a nice two week stay.
Arrival went well, it was a decent piece of land with a few trees and a nice stream. They set up camp and Ralph fixed dinner. After dinner the mosquitoes attacked, so they went to bed early. C. Eloise found a frog in her sleeping bag, which caused a bit of pandemonium. Even in the sleeping bags, they could not breathe without getting bitten by the mosquitoes. It got so bad they had to abandon site and went to the closest town Peterbourgh Ontario. They found a hotel by the locks, too expensive but Ralph explained the situation and hotel owner rented them a house for 2 weeks. House had coal range.
They had taken a case of Wonder Bread, but the first morning a WW1 vet who had been gassed came around on a bike selling baked good. The vet and his wife made enough money to support themselves by baking and selling the baked goods.
Ralph bought all of his baked goods that day!
The men went out fishing with Indian Guide. Snuffy (Anna Jean Davis), Fay and C. Eloise stayed at house and made bread pudding with not enough milk or eggs. It did not work out so well… lol.
Summer of 1940 – Albert Ward went to Cincinnati to visit Fay on his 30 day pass. He stayed with her for ½ his leave and then went to Georgia to see his family.
Fall of 1941 (?) Ward (as Fay called him, really Albert Ward) invited Fay to go to NY for weekend. Ralph gave his permission under the condition that they stay on separate floors in the hotel.
Sometime in here (?) family lived temporarily on McAlpin St – then bought house on Sheffield Road in Mt. Lookout.
Spring 1942 - Fay wrote to Ward, 3 weeks before he graduated and said "If you still want to get married, there is a girl in Cincinnati who might be interested."
Ward had given her his miniature West Point class ring when he got it, but she had it in her Fathers safe. Fay had him get it out and she wore it on a family trip to Ridgeway Pennsylvania in the spring of 1942.
She got too excited about wedding to pay attention to Shakespeare class. (Marjorie took Fay to get a diaphragm and have blood test.)
May 24, 1942, Fay resigned as Secretary/Treasurer of the Bible school at Montgomery Church of Christ. A position she had held, since the church was started.
Ward graduated on May 29, 1942 and stopped in Cincinnati long enough to get married. (Ralph had arranged to get license office to stay open on Memorial Day. Ward brought his blood test records with him.
On May 30, 1942, Fay Geneve Mohney was wed to Albert McConnell Ward in the garden at the home of Rev. Dr. Edwin Errett the minister.
Rev. Dr. Edwin Errett had given Ralph Davis Mohney a bible, which he used until Rev. Errett's death. Marjorie passed it along to Ward with a note.
June and July 1942 - Fay and Ward left right after wedding on train to Chicago to go to Flying School. - 8 weeks of Basic Flying School in Visalia, San Jacquin Valley, California, where they rented a little house. They had no car, Ward had ordered one, but canceled the order when they decided to get married, he could only afford a wife or a car, not both. They got along with getting rides and walking to the store.
Ward joined the Air Corp for the extra pay, but did enjoy flying and maintained his flight status until he retired at age 54.
August & September 1942 – Ward was at Basic Flying school in Merced for 8 weeks. The rented a house by the railroad track. Cousin Franklin Mohney came to visit there. He had been working as a Fire spotter in a tower in California and visited before he went back to school.
October & November 1942 – Ward was at Advanced flight training in Roswell NM. On the train to Roswell, Fay was motion sick and realized she was 3 months pregnant with Gloria. They took a room with kitchen privileges at the home of a Sergeant and his wife. Ward was not comfortable with living with an enlisted man. He felt he had to be in full uniform, before he would even leave the room to use the bathroom.
Fay remembers that the house had been flooded by the Pecos River. (?) She, also, remembers that she was frequently at the house alone since all the others were working. One day she was on the couch reading a book and an enticing bowl of nuts was on the table. Finally she gave in to temptation and ate one. It was a Mexican jumping bean…
Ward got his wings the end of November and they had 30 days leave. Another flyer from Ohio was in his graduation group and gave them a ride to Cincinnati. About 2 weeks into the leave Ward had his leave cancelled and he had to report to Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas for B26 transition training to fly a Martin B26 (Baltimore Whore – Widow Maker – The B26 was never flown after the war). Training class did not start until January 1, so they really did not have to call them early, but it was bureaucracy.
They had spent a good deal of their $153 monthly pay in getting home, so there was not much money for renting a house and having Christmas in Texas. For Christmas Fay managed to buy Ward a pair of blue silk pajamas, unfortunately he brushed against the electric heater in the bathroom and burned a hole in them on the first night. He felt so bad, he did not want to come out of the bathroom and show Fay.
The parachute straps aggravated a mole Ward had on his back and it had to be removed. Fay was in a bit of a panic when another pilot told her he was sorry to hear about Ward's cancer. Luckily it was not cancer.
Fay had no warm coat and had to write home and ask Ralph and Marjorie to send her a coat. They did, but she was highly embarrassed to have to ask. Later, she heard that the father of the bride was supposed to supply clothes for the brides first year of marriage so she did not feel so bad about it.
In winter/ early spring 1943 – Ward goes to San Angelo, Texas and Fay returned to family home in Mt Lookout, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ward flew B26 to Lunken Airport in Cincinnati to visit Fay. She was so big she got stuck in the bomb bay when he was showing her the plane.
The house was on Sheffield Ave.
It was the original farmhouse for the area.
The street contained many new stylish houses and Ralph had always planned on turning the house, because the front door was not toward the street.
Instead he assembled a 4 column Southern style 2 story porch and workers from the office, came one Saturday to help lift it into place. Fay remembers that looking back on it, Ralph's face was bright red and probably blood pressure was very high, lucky he did not have a stroke on that day. Jim McCready and probably 6 other men helped.
They also, dug out driveway on one side of house making a Garage that was lower then house.
After the changes, there was a combination of trail and steps leading down what was now the back yard to the street. Fay would catch the bus there, when she was attending University of Cincinnati.
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Gloria was due to be born on May 28, 1943.
She refused!
On the evening of June 8, 1943, Fay played softball in the street with Paul and his friends. The next morning when she got up, she complained to her mother that she must have pulled a muscle.
Marjorie had her lay down. Ralph was (of course) out of town. Marjorie called the Singer office and Jimmy came to the rescue, driving Fay to the military hospital in Fort Thomas, KY. The Dr. went out to lunch and did not make it back, until after Gloria made her appearance in the world. Fay had General Anesthesia for the delivery.
Gloria Jean Ward made her appearance on June 9, 1943, weighing in at 7 lbs.
The hospital was very small and only had room for 4 mothers and 4 babies, but Fay and Gloria were the only ones in residence. It was very frustrating to have to lay in bed for a week and listen to the baby crying. Sometimes they would bring her the baby and sometimes not.
Jimmy McCready once again came to the rescue, bringing Fay a bottle of wine to ease the distress of having to listen to the crying baby. She was a bit uneasy when the Military Chaplin came in and saw the wine bottle on the floor under her bed. Fay did not actually drink the wine until after leaving the hospital.
After Fay and Gloria went home to Mt. Lookout house, Ward came to visit. Fay remembers him going to the back bedroom and carefully picking up Gloria and caring his fragile package in to see Fay.
Fay stayed in Cincinnati for about 6 weeks after Gloria was born. Then she packed Gloria in a big basket with diapers stored in the bottom, so that Gloria was high enough to get some fresh air. They took a train to San Antonio, Texas. Fay remembers not allowing anyone on the train to touch Gloria. Ward borrowed a car from the Dr. next door and picked up Fay and Gloria and took them to Del Rio, Texas, where Ward was undergoing more training at Laughlan Air Force Base.
The house they were renting belonged to a woman who was the girl friend of a member of the Dalton Gang. There was a lovely Sheffield tea set in the dining room that Fay enjoyed polishing.
She, also, learned to love Iced Coffee with cream and sugar. She gained 15 lbs, before they left Del Rio. She had only gained 11 lbs when she was pregnant with Gloria.
They had great neighbors there in Del Rio. It was a Dr. and his wife, and they kept a careful eye on Fay and Gloria.
Not long after Fay got to Del Rio, it was her birthday. Ward got her a marzipan cake, the first one she had ever tasted. After eating some, she put it on top of the refrigerator. The next day it was covered by ants, she felt heartbroken.
Around September 1943 – Ward was sent to Battlecreek, MI where they were assembling his B26 Squadron. He went there first and found a house. Fay drove their newly acquired car from Cincinnati to Michigan. Ward had found a little house on a farm near the base, that they shared with another man, whose wife had gone back to college and would visit on holidays and when she could.
Ward had continual serious sinus infections, causing serious pus and discharge. (Later, they determined it was from the corn being harvested.)
The Squadron was ready to deploy to England, but because Ward was sick they pulled his plane and crew and it went without him. The day they took off to leave, he sat at the end of the runway and cried. He was heartbroken.
February 1944 -They went to Replacement depot in Tampa Florida. Ward got much better, since he was now away from the corn fields. They lived with one of Wards former classmates for a while, and then rented a house that had a hugh pantry full of all kinds of dishes. Fay took it on herself to wash one shelf of dishes a day, but did not finish them before they were again relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana to another Replacement Depot.
They did not get a chance to acquire much more then would fit in foot lockers.
Shreveport was the worst place they ever lived. The motel they first lived in was filthy and had Bedbugs. Gloria was 9 months old. Fay kept her in the canvas carriage to keep her off the filthy floor. Gloria learned to move to the end of the carriage and tip it over.
They finally rented a house between the base and a refinery. There were a lot of Gas fumes. Fay was pregnant, but had a miscarriage (gas fumes?)
Instead of getting reassigned to another flying unit, Ward was made a base commander of Pounds Field in Tyler Texas. He was a Lt, when he went there and made Captain while he was there.
There were only 2 houses on the base. One had 3 single officers living in it. Ward and Fay made it there home. All the rooms in the house had airplane wallpaper, each with different colored planes.
Mr. Pounds was the town banker, who had lost a son in flight training. The base was named for his son. Mr. Pounds really took a liking to Ward and Fay and helped them all he could. When they decided to make the 2nd home into an officers club, he helped them acquire the necessary materials and even took them to the next county to buy liquor. The base was in a dry county, but military bases were exempt.
There was only one squadron at the base, so even counting base officers there were only about 35 officers, many did not have wives. They did have an officers wives group though.
One time Fay was very embarrassed when she went to a wives club meeting with a friend of hers, who was visiting and suddenly found herself not remembering anyone's name. She just told everyone this was her friend – so and so- who was there to visit for a few days.
Also they had a self-propelled lawn mower and one day Fay was cutting the grass, the lawn mower got rather out of control and the Guard at the Gate, called Ward to say that his wife was going down toward the creek with the lawnmower, she did manage to get it turned, before she hit the water.
Date unknown – Marshall Field, Kansas was the next stop on Ward and Fay's journey. Ward was the Base Commander. They had moved into the Commander's Quarters and Fay had just made Dining Room curtains, when Ward got orders for Guam.
Early 1945 – Ward goes to Guam and Fay and Gloria return to Cincinnati.
Ralph and Marjorie Mohney were now living on Erie Ave, in Cincinnati Ohio.
Summer 1946 – After the war is over, dependents can go to base, but only if there is a place for them to live. Ward got a quonset hut and they put walls in to divide it into rooms. Ward painted and fixed it up. Then Fay and Gloria took the President Buchanan to Guam to join Ward. It was not the luxurious boat of the President series they had traveled on back and forth to Japan when she was a child, because it had been converted to a troop carrier. There was a shortage of water and they only got drinks at meal time.
Spring 1947 – Ward, Fay and Gloria leave Guam by ship, because Fay is pregnant with Linda and there is no longer and obstetrician on Guam. They take a ship to Korea, then to Hawaii, then to Seattle. Very cold in Seattle, Fay sends for a coat and one is soon delivered by the local "Singer man" in Seattle.
Fay and Gloria stay in Cincinnati and Ward returns to Guam.
September 15, 1947 – Linda Fay Ward makes her entrance into the world.
October 1947 (?) – Ralph, Marjorie and Paul Mohney along with Fay, Gloria and Linda Ward move to Miaminon in Loveland Ohio.
November 1947 (?) Ralph Mohney had a stroke, he recovered and they redecorated the Dining Room.
December 1947 - C. Eloise Mohney married Robert Samuel Shott (son of Samuel David Shott and Louise Dorthea Feusahrens).
Early, 1948 – Singer Company sent Ralph and Marjorie to Mount Dora Hotel (?) in Florida, for him to have a couple months to recover.
Winter of 1948 – Fay and Ward bought a 2nd hand station wagon from the Singer Company and drove to Spokane Washington. AAA had advised them to take Rt. 66 all the way to California and then go to Washington up the Coast. They said the Northern Route would not be safe with a baby. They took AAA advice.
In Spokane, Fay and Ward lived in a house in town. Fay felt stuck for transportation, since Ward took the car to work every day. Especially when she saw that Chi Omega was having a meeting. She called a member of the group and they said someone would be glad to pick her up until they found out where she was living and then said they did not have anyone from that area of town. She was very disappointed.
They moved out of town to Fort George Wright. It was made up of housing and an officers club. The housing was in a long building that contained about 8 apartments. Linda was then about 15 months old and took her first steps there on the parade ground.
They had one on the lower floor, but still the garage was under the building. It was very cold there. Gloria had started to kindergarten in town. The fort maintained the road as far as the bridge over the river then the town maintained the road. One very cold morning, Fay bundled Gloria and Linda for the trip to town, then she went out to start the car. The car was frozen to the garage floor, (she later learned it was -38 degrees). She used 2 teakettles of boiling water to unstick the tires from the floor. Then she got the girls loaded in the car and told them they needed to be very quiet while she drove. They were very still and she made it to the bridge, but then realized the town had not plowed their side of the route. She took Gloria by a long way around and got her to school.
When Ward got home he did remind Fay that children do not have to go to kindergarten on such days.
Unfortunately (or was it fortunately), Wards sinus trouble came back. He said, "It was too cold for this Georgia boy."
Winter 1950 – transferred to Omaha, Nebraska – SAC headquarters – Offutt
Fay and Ward rented a house in Plattsmuth Nebraska. It had an empty lot behind it, so Ward could put a big garden in.
Gloria was in the 1st grade, when they moved further out to the country, where she could catch a school bus, instead of Fay needing to drive her to school. But the bus stop was ½ mile from house so she needed to pack up Linda and drive Gloria to the bus anyway.
Gloria's teacher came to dinner and spent the night. The teacher had made good friends with the cat. In the middle of the night, the cat presented her with the present of a half dead mouse.
They had one of the old style party line phones on the wall in the kitchen. One time 10 to 12 cows had gotten out of their pasture and were in the front yard. Fay called the farmer. He told her to just go out and wave her arms around. Fay said, "But their bigger then I am…" She heard laughing from people listening in on the partyline.
1950 – transferred to Tampa Florida, lived in Guest Quarters on Base for a while, but bought their first house. 6603 Bayshore Blvd. It was a small 3 bedroom tract style house that cost $8,700 (payments were $53 a month). (They kept the house until 1972 and rented it out. It provided them with some additional income. A realtor managed it and they only had one bad tenant.
This was one of Fay's favorite places.
In the morning, she would drive Ward to work, Gloria to school, Linda to preschool and then do errands, play golf or bridge and then go back and pick up the girls. Ward generally got a ride home. Fay learned that if you fry onions, your husband will think you've really been cooking.
The public school for their end of Bayshore Blvd was not a good school, so Gloria went to private school.
As always, Fay took part in the Officer's Wives Club and worked on their paper. She, also, learned to play golf and was a part of the Tampa Woman's Golf Assoc. They would play golf and have lunch at different clubs every week. One of her favorite clubs was owned and run by Babe Diedrickson and her husband, George ???.
Life was good here!
June/July 1952 – Ward was sent to B29 transition training to get ready to go to Korea. He got home to visit a couple times before leaving for Korea.
"The Break-In"
One night Fay heard a noise in the bathroom, it sounded like Linda had gotten out of bed and was playing on the bathroom scale. She hollered at her, "Linda get down." But when she looked in the bathroom a white arm was poking in through the window and reaching for the latch. She screamed, "What are you doing?" The fellow took off running, tripping and breaking her pepper bush that she had nourished for 2 years.
She called the police, and the base police and a neighbor most have called the sheriff, because they all arrived in a hurry and it was quite a scene. Apparently, the would-be robber had broken in to the shed, and tried the back door and then was attempting the window when Fay caught him in the act.
She tried to call Ward about it, but he was out on survival training. When he got back, he had to wait in line for the phone and must have been doing some imbibing while he was waiting, because he was tipsy when he finally got through to her. She wanted to get bars put on the windows and a light on the telephone pole in the back yard. Ward said, "What ever you want to do honey is fine with me…" Fay, also, went to the pound and bought a dog.
February 3, 1953 Ralph McConnel Ward makes his appearance a couple weeks early. He weights 5 ½ lbs. Ward was away and a friend of theirs who was a little drunk took her to the hospital. Fay had been taking care of their 9 month old and thinks she went into early labor, because of the lifting of the baby in and out of crib. Ward got home for a visit, shortly after his birth.
Not long after, Ralph's birth Ward went fight in Korea. He was stationed at Yakota Air Force Base, near Yokohoma, Japan and flew B29's over Korea.
Summer 1953, Ralph and Marjorie Mohney went to visit his brother, Paul N. and Marguerite Mohney on Long Beach Island New Jersey. While they were still there Fay arrived with her children to visit. Marjorie stayed longer and Ralph went home. Fay drove Marjorie back to Ohio and stayed there for a visit.
C. Eloise and Bob Shott were living in the barn apartment with their 2 children Eric (age 4) and Susie (age 2).
While Fay was there visiting Ralph and Marjorie were at some friends for dinner. Ralph wasn't feeling well and went to lie down. He did not feel any better, Jim McCready drove him to the hospital, he was telling jokes on the way to the hospital, but could not remember names of things. He was having a massive stroke.
While he was in the hospital, there was a lot of ferrying people back and forth to visit. Jim was around with a car and so was Fay and C. Eloise and Bob Shott.
One time when Fay went to visit, she told Ralph that his goose were chasing the little children (Eric and Susie Shott, and Linda Ward) at Miaminon. He said to catch it and take the goose to the Meat Locker in Loveland and he would take care of it. Fay remembers cornering the goose in a fence and wrapping it up and sending Gloria to get the truck. They took the goose to the meat locker and that was the end of that…
Fay was with Ralph when he died on August 7, 1953. She remembers that he was resting quietly and then his body gave a little jerk and then she went to get the nurse to verify that he was dead.
Fay remembers Ralph's mother Geneve coming to the funeral and crying, "It should have been me."
After Ralph Davis Mohney died, Miaminon was sold, because Marjorie did not drive and could not get around. Marjorie moved to an apartment Montgomery (?). Paul N. was attending classes at Miami University at this time.
Right before Christmas, Ward called to say, he would be coming home, and how would she like Altus… then the phone call was cut off. She found an atlas and discovered that it was in Oklahoma.
Christmas Day 1953, Ward came home bearing gifts. He brought Ralph a model of a motor boat and Japanese dolls for Gloria and Linda. He brought Pearls for Fay.
Early 1954 – They rented out their house and move to Altus Oklahoma.
SAC was just taking over a base. Ward was either the supply officer or the material officer.
They lived in a subdivision house built for the military personnel, so there were lots of compatible people around. There was not really any civilization around. They had to drive to Texas to go to a restaurant. It was a dry county, but if you called the taxi, they would bring you liquor.
Gloria was about 10 years old and was getting ready to go into 7th grade. They sent a note home at the end of 6th grade asking to pick her classes for the next year. Fay picked out French, math, English and other regular classes. Then she, also, wrote in Latin. When Gloria took it to school, the teacher said, "What does your mother think, you're going to go to Harvard."
Fay went in to protest, but it was a country town and they did not have Latin or any advanced classes.
Fay did the regular wives club and wives newspaper duties and played a little bridge. She did not really play golf after Tampa.
2 years later (about 1956) –
Wichita, Kansas another base being taken over by SAC. Ward was a Lt. Colonel.
They lived in town and Gloria had a good friend that lived nearby. Then they got one of only 5 quarters on base, later 2 more were built. But it was a small group of people and they all got along well. Fay did the usual, Officer's wives club and bridge.
1959 – Ward got orders for Taiwan. (called Formosa when Ralph and Marjorie had visited there in the 1930's)
Fay invited Marjorie to go with them. Marjorie went to Wichita and drove to San Francisco with Fay, Gloria, Linda and Ralph. She (Marjorie) had forgotten to get her visa, which Fay did not discover until they were in San Francisco and it was the day before they were to get on the plane. Fay found a sitter at the base north of San Francisco and took Marjorie into town to get her visa. The people were most helpful and they were able to leave as planned.
Ward had rented them a house in Taiwan, but it was too small. They found a larger house with a kitchen, Living room/Dining room, office, Bath and Bedroom and 2 servant rooms on the first floor and 4 bedrooms and a bath upstairs. The upstairs bath was on the other side of a porch over the kitchen, so it was a bit chilly for night time visits.
They had 3 servants, a cook, a maid and a Pedicab boy (rickshaw driver). The Pedicab boy's name was Juan.
Marjorie, Fay and the children got around in the cart. The Pedicab boy lived in a shack in the yard.
Ralph went to kindergarten and 1st grade, while they were in Taiwan. At the end of the school year, Ralph's teacher told him, "Ralph you have to learn to sit in your seat, your next teacher may not love you as much as I do."
Gloria had her Sophomore and Junior years of high school in Taiwan. Linda went to 6th and 7th grade.
Taiwan stories.
Another attempted robbery –
One night, very late, there was a knock at the door. Fay figured out that it was Juan, the pedicab boy, he was saying "dorabo" (Japanese for robber) and motioning for Ward to come out quickly. Ward got his gun out from under the bed and ran out into the yard, without dressing, but he was unable to catch the intruder.
1960-While they were in Taiwan, they were invited to tea with Chiang Kai-Shek, the President of the Republic of China.
Marjorie loved playing Mahjong and Fay and Ward took her to Bingo every week. It was amazing that she always seemed to win something.
Fay played the usual bridge and was active in the Officer's wives club.
They took a special trip to Japan, that had been arrange by the "Singer man," including all the tours and hotel reservations. "You can always count on a Singer man." Of course, Uncle Paul R. Mohney was still Agent for the Philadelphia office, although he retired soon after that at the age of 62 or so.
Marjorie had gotten a strep infection and because she was not a military dependent, was admitted to the 7th Day Adventist Hospital in Taipai. She was home, but still not feeling well enough for the trip.
Fay and the rest of the family enjoyed the trip and she was able to show them where she had lived as a child, as well as, other highlights of the country.
One of Ward's jobs on Taiwan was to do weekend flights to Hong Kong. One weekend, Marjorie and Fay went with him and stayed over. Marjorie visited with a "Singer man" and his wife that she had known from Japan. They lived up on the peak overlooking Hong Kong. Fay and Ward stayed in town.
When Marjorie met them at the airport for the return to Taiwan, the couple invited Fay to stay for the week and go home the next weekend when Ward returned. She decided to take them up on the offer.
A typhoon hit Hong Kong that week. They had for warning. The couples 2 Chinese men servants locked themselves in their rooms and would not come out. There were huge glass windows overlooking the city. Fay and the couple moved all the furniture away from the windows and rolled up the rugs and then went to bed. The next morning there were trees and branches down. They had to clear them to be able to get the car out of the garage. Some of the trees were cashew trees, which it turns out are related to poison ivy and can cause the same reaction. Fay was broken out in a rash for the rest of her weeklong stay, and she mostly stayed in bed covered with calamine lotion.
On Friday, Ward came back and picked her up as planned.
The greatest treasure of the trip to Hong Kong was Fays, custom made 11 pairs of shoes and matching bags, which she used for years.
Summer 1960 – All returned from Taiwan. Marjorie took another apartment in Silverton near her Montgomery Church of Christ.
Fay, Ward and the children visited with C. Eloise and Bob Shott and their children, Eric, Susie and Sally, who were now living in a house up the hill from the beloved Miaminon.
In July/August of 1960 – The next home was at Westover Air Force Base in Springfield, Massachusetts.
They were in Westover for 4 years.
Gloria graduated from High School at Chicopee Massachusetts. The following year she went to Springfield College, but was not happy. She quit and went to work for an insurance company, where she met Aldo Charles Zucaro, who was an auditor. They were married on October 14, 1963.
Linda completed eth through 11th grade while they were in Mass. Ralph went from 2nd through 6th grade.
When they first arrived the only base quarters were apartments, so they rented a small house until something more suitable was available.
They wound up with 2 – one bedroom apartments in a U-shaped building that contained 4 apartments.
They used the one apartment as it existed with Fay and Ward taking that bedroom. In the other apartment, Ralph had the bedroom and Gloria and Linda used the Living/Dining area for a shared bedroom.
Along with Fay's usual Officers Wives Club duties, Fay was the volunteer head of the local Girl Scout Camp. When the Girl Scouts decided to hire a director the head of the Springfield Girl Scout Organization told Fay to go apply for the job. Ward took the day off to drive her to Boston to do the job application. One of the first questions out of the woman's mouth was where did she go to school. Fay told her, and then she wanted to know what her degree was in. Well when Fay told her she had not graduated, she very haughtily stated that they only hired College graduates. Fay and Ward just left and Fay decided to spend her time and energy other places.
She decided to volunteer at the base library. She had in mind every day, but the librarian thought that one day would be a good start. Then it changed to ½ day then to 2 ½ days then soon to every day.
It came a time when the librarian was transferred and the Asst. librarian's husband was transferred. Because there was a headquarters company there, that had it's own librarian, the people in charge thought that Fay could take on the job temporarily and if she needed any help she could check with the headquarters librarian.
So Fay had 8 months as a paid librarian, being in charge of a library with 33,000 books. She had 3 enlisted employees. One of their other jobs was to rotate books available in the underground libraries that were available for the pilots that who spent 5 days at a time on duty in the underground flight rooms.
The job ended when a woman coming back from Germany was put in charge of the Library. Still it was one of Fay's favorite times.
1964 – Ward went to Turkey - Karamursel Air Force Station near Yalora.
He rented a house and Fay, Linda and Ralph joined him. Gloria was married and living with her husband Aldo.
Ralph finished 7th through 8h grades here.
Linda graduated from high school the first year in Turkey. She returned to the states to attend Douglas College. But first she was in Loveland Ohio, visiting with her Aunt C. Eloise and Bob Shott and family (Eric, Sue and Sally)
1966 – Ramstein Air Force Base Germany – 3 years
Ralph gets badly burned.
1968 Langley Air Force Base, Virginia
Fay and Sally remember a big family Christmas gathering that included. C. Eloise and Sally Shott, Paul N. and Carol Money, with Sharon and Janet Mohney and Ward, Fay and Ralph Ward.
Ward eligible for retirement in September 1969. They bought a house in Rota Spain, but did not live there yet.
In early August they went to Izmir, Turkey where Ralph would attend the Military Dependent School for his senior year of High School.
Ward was 54 when he retired. Fay was 49. (She retired from making bacon and eggs for breakfast and then only cooked them on Sunday.)
The lived in Izmir Turkey near NATO headquarters for 2 years, until 1970. Ralph attended fall semester at University of Maryland at Munich, but was not happy and did not return after the holiday.
1972, Fay and Ward went to live in their house in Rota Spain. Ralph was taking courses from the University of Maryland and working as a bagger at base commissary. Ward was frustrated with not having anything to do. They even came in and watered the inside plants and he had no room to garden.
Fall 1973 – Estepona - They bought a house near by from some Canadians who wanted to return home. The Canadians were not happy that they just wanted the house and not the furnishings, but they got the furniture sold. Ward got to spend 3 years creating beautiful gardens. Every 6 months they had to make a trip out of the country, because they could technically only live there 6 months at a time.
They had the house in Estepona for 12 years. They loved it, but it was not very pleasant in winter, because of poor heating and lack of insulation. They started coming back to the states for 6 months every year.
1980 Bought a Modular house in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Fall 1984 – Sold house in Spain, but left their car there.
1985 - Returned for one more driving trip through Spain and then sold the car.
1985 Sold home at Port St. Lucie and moved to Miami, FL where they lived S.W. of Miami in Kendall Florida in a rented house near Homestead Air Force Base.
February 1987 moved to San Antonio
November 27, 1987 – Fay's sister Celia Eloise Mohney Stroppel dies in Cincinnati Ohio.
1988 traveled back to Spain and took several other trips, including spending a month in Australia and New Zealand.
1992 - 50th wedding anniversary of Albert and Fay Ward.
Family arrives from all over, including children, Grandchildren, brothers, sisters, cousins, Aunts, Uncles – A good time was had by all!
Ward could not get around very well and is diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
June 22, 1995 Albert McConnel Ward died.
1996 – Fay took to trip to Alaska
June 1998 - Fay went to England then to Spain and stayed with friend, Jean for a week, and then to a house she had rented for the summer. Her brother, Paul N. Mohney and his wife Carol came to visit, as did other friends. At the end of the summer she spent another week staying with Jean and then took a Sailboat Cruise home.
Fall 2000 – Took trip with nieces, (C. Eloise's daughters, Sally Shott and Susan Shott Ditmire). They went to Ridgway, Pennsylvania, Alfred University and Hammondsport, New York, saw places from her childhood and spent time with relatives still living in the area.
Late June 2001 – Fay's 80th Birthday Year – Parties all over Europe. Traveled with her friend Jean. Drove to France, Germany and Holland (where they stayed for a month in the home of a friend of Jean). Fay was scheduled to return home on September 11, 2001. Advised that there had been some sort of accident in New York and she could stay in Spain for a couple days or fly to Frankfurt, which was her first scheduled stop on trip. Frankfort would be rather full, because of the German auto show, but Fay decided to go on to Frankfort anyway. They put her up in a hotel for 2 days and then hotel said they were all reserved for weekend and returned her to airport. The airport told her they had a volunteer family that would take her in. It turned out to be a nice middle aged couple with 2 cats and she had her own room and bathroom on the lowest level of their home. They entertained her from Thursday to Monday and would not even let her buy them dinner.
She was able to fly out on September 17, 2001, but still hears from the couple by email.
February 2006 – Fay gives up her cottage on Bannocks Ct and moves to an apartment.
Wife of COL Albert M Ward US Air Force∼When Fay Geneve Mohney was born on August 11, 1921, in Pennsylvania, her father, Ralph, was 24, and her mother, Marjorie, was 23. She married Albert McConnell Ward on August 30, 1942. They had three children during their marriage. She had one brother and one sister. She lived in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, in 1930., and in Boca Raton, Florida, in 1935. She lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1941.
The biography which follows was written by family members during visits with Fay.
August 11, 1921 - Fay Geneve Mohney was born in a hospital at Ridgway PA – she was the 1st child of Ralph Davis Mohney and Marjorie Emeline Fay and the first child from either family to be born in a hospital.
Her parents met while they were students at Alfred University. He earned a degree in Agriculture and she in Home Economics. Ralph was from Ridgway Pennsylvania and went to school on a football scholarship. His schooling was interrupted by his service in WWI. They were married on July 28, 1920 in Marjorie's hometown of Hammondsport, New York.
After their marriage, Ralph made an agreement with the farmer who owned Boot Jack Farm (about 300 acres) near Ridgway Pennsylvania. They would live in the house and he would farm the 300 acres.
Ralph farmed and Marjorie helped add to the family income with making jelly and baked goods and selling them in a roadside stand.
A second daughter, Celia Eloise Mohney was born on December 4, 1924.
June 27, 1925 - Shanley Moore Reunion in Halton Pennsylvania. This is where the large panoramic picture was taken.
1927 (about) -At this time, no one is sure what the exact farming arrangements were, but Ralph was unable to make a living on the farm and through bankruptcy lost his investment of time, money and labor.
Ralph, Marjorie and the girls (Fay and C. Eloise) went to live on Irwin Ave in Ridgway Pennsylvania with Ralph's parents (Frank and Geneve Mohney). Additional residents in house were (More Grandma – Susannah Burns (Frank's Mother), and her daughter Sue Mohney (Frank's sister, who had never married).
More Grandma – Susannah (?) Burns was married to Rueben Mohney their children were
o Gertrude – died early
o Charlotte – married Ray Shanley
o Sue – never married
o Christine married a McCready – parents of Jim and Ruth McCready
About 1928, Ralph left the family in Ridgway and went to Philadelphia, where his brother, Paul R. was already working for Singer. Ralph got a job as a Sewing machine mechanic in the Manufacturers Trade Division
Paul Reuben Mohney – Ralph's brother – had married Marguerite Palmer and went to work for Singer in Scranton in 1920. While living in Scranton their son Franklin was born. Later, Paul was transferred to the Singer office in Philadelphia.
1929 (about) – Family was reunited at Willowgrove, near Philadelphia – Fay remembers going to Airfield to see TriMotor plane
Marjorie taught sewing at the school in Willowgrove.
After stock market crash Singer did not fire anyone, very proud of it (They did cut salaries).
1930 (about) 1st move to Drexel Hill
Ralph was moved from mechanic to Salesman about this time.
Jake Baiter was the Agent of the Singer Philadelphia office and lived at top of hill – they moved to a new house down the hill. Uncle Paul Mohney (Ralph's brother) lived near by.
Fay remembers that they had a milkman and a bread man who would leave items on the porch in the morning.
Ralph and Marjorie (always the modern couple) took their children to a pediatrician Dr. Liebron.
Dr. Liebron bought a farm near Collegeville. Ralph and Marjorie moved to main farm house where he supervised farmer, while still working at Singer. Fay and C. Eloise walked to school. Fay in charge of watching her sister. C. Eloise hit her and gave her a bloody nose when she pulled her out of the way of a car. Another time, Fay had a new-ruffled dress. The ruffle got caught on the slide and ripped off, making the dress, way short, above the knee. It got pinned on so she could walk home.
During this time period, it was a problem in some Jewish families that they were feeding children too many sweets (very unhealthy).
Dr. Liebron would sometimes bring children out for Marjorie to get them eating better. She would feed them regular meals, but no dessert if they did not eat meal. Fay particularly remembers one 6 year old who was very thin and you could see blood vessels in his face.
Dr. Liebron built them a separate house, in between main house and Mohney house was a spring house over a creek.
1932 moved back to Drexel Hill, lived on Berry Ave.
1933 – Depression worsening, salaries reduced. Ralph and family moved in with family friends - Greenwalt (wife named Hannah) Don't remember the name of the husband or the son. Marjorie, Fay, C. Eloise and Paul stayed living in Philadelphia - Ralph went to Japan.
June 1934 – Marjorie, Fay, C. Eloise and son went to Japan to join Ralph. Ralph was sick with scarlet fever while he was there alone.
Trip to Japan was on the President Hoover or President Coolidge, Dollar Steam Ship Company. Ships were the same model they went on one (probably Coolidge) and returned on the other (probably Hoover).
Train from Philadelphia to Chicago – train from Chicago to San Francisco. – were supposed to take ship from there, but long shore men on strike. "San Francisco Singer Man" drove them to San Diego (?) where they caught the ship. Dining room staffed by college kids.
First couple days temporary crew sick and most of passengers. Fay got to wear heels and eat in the Adult dining room. C. Eloise not happy to have to eat with children.
San Diego to Hawaii – where they stopped for a day or 2 – Toured Dole Pineapple factory. They had a pineapple fountain like drinking fountain. Elo drank so much she got sick.
Pali tour to top of ridge – Fay had on new dress with red blue & yellow rounded buttons – One of the buttons was pulled off and lost in the wind.
Back to sea and landed in Yokohama Japan, where Ralph met them and rode the rest of the way to Kobe.
1934 – Japan - Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and London Naval Treaty of 1930 abrogated by Japan
-- China - Chinese Communists' Long March to Yan'an (1934-35)
-- US - Discovery of nuclear fission
Fall 1934 – Lived in Shukugawa Japan, between Kobe and Osaka. Ralph worked at Singer office in Osaka and Fay and Elo went to Canadian Academy in Kobe.
Rented a western style house on street referred to as "Gasoline Alley." It was built by GM – Street extended out like a peninsula into the rice field. At the top of the street was a Japanese hotel with restaurant. The family would eat there once in a while.
When they first arrived, Ralph had made arrangements for a live in Chinese cook and Japanese Amah (housekeeper/maid), they lived in the back of the house in 2, "2-mat rooms" (About 6' X 7') with a small bathroom facility. The mat was a tatami and about the size of a person.
First meal on arrival was a very strong curry. Fay remembers that she did not even consider eating curry for years afterward, way too strong a taste for children.
The first Chinese cook had relatives come share his room and board – did not work out – too many mouths to feed.
The 2nd Chinese Cook, also, did not work out.
Marjorie decided to train Fusaya – san (the Japanese Amah) to become a cook and it solved the problem. She stayed with them the whole time they were in Japan. Another Amah was hired for household duties.
A 3rd Amah was hired to care for son, when he got older. She was about 15 years old. Ralph and Marjorie thought he might learn a bit of Japanese from her, but that thought was dashed when they heard Paul, on the porch, teaching the Amah nursery rhymes in English.
Lived all 3 years in this house.
1936 – Japan - 226 Incident: Young military officers launch an abortive coup d'etat
-- Japan withdraws from the London Naval Conference
The second and third summers, that Ralph, Marjorie and the children were in Japan, they rented a cottage in the mountains for the summer. (Nojori, Japan) a beautiful lake. Ralph would go on some weekends. Fay learned how to swim there, holding onto the docks and kicking. One time she took Paul N. to the lake and he fell off the end of the dock. She remembers pulling him out.
One of Fay's vivid memories is riding down a street of Japanese houses, that were all enclosed by traditional fences. Over one of the fences was hanging a beautiful blooming Cherry Tree. She thought, "Here I am, Fay Geneve Mohney, in Japan!"
Fay remembers her brother having a convulsion (seizure) on the train on the way to the lake and Marjorie sending C. Eloise to get Fusayasan from the other coach. Fay, also, remembers having a convulsion (seizure) when she was at the circus with Aunt Charlotte, Aunt Sue and Uncle Ray in Ridgway.
June/July 1937 – Whole Family returned to states. The Golden Gate bridge was beautiful and in it's full glory. Ralph bought a used Cadillac and they drove across the country from San Francisco.
Going out of his way to tour Hoover Dam. Ralph made air conditioning for Marjorie by buying an Ice Block for under her feet.
Ralph spent a couple weeks in PA and returned to Japan. Fay and C. Eloise to live with Frank and Geneve Mohney in Ridgway and go to school. Marjorie and Paul were staying in Hammondsport with her parents Albert and Bertha Coray Fay until Christmas and then returning to Japan.
1937 – Fall – Frank Merritt Mohney took his Granddaughters, Fay and C. Eloise hunting for their first rabbits. Fay had a 20 gauge shotgun and C. Eloise had a .22 rifle. Frank climbed on a stump to look at the field and fell off, setting off his gun, but he was all right. Both girls were successful in their hunt. Frank advised them that if they were old enough to hunt they were old enough to clean their catch. Fay was particularly thrilled when she got home and a "boyfriend" was waiting on the porch. When he heard she had shot a rabbit he offered to clean it for her. She was thrilled to be able to say, "I've already done that myself, Thank you."
Plans changed and Marjorie rented a little house in Ridgeway (with coal range)and stayed in Ridgway until the end of the school year. Fay was in her Junior year of High School, she, also had her appendix out that year.
It was good that they had gotten home and Fay and C. Eloise had gotten their hunting trip in with their Grandfather (Frank Merritt Mohney), because he died on March 28, 1938.
June/July 1938 - Marjorie and Paul returned to Japan after school was out. Fay and C. Eloise went to the summer home of Paul and Marguerite Mohney on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. (They summered there every year, until Marguerites death.)
At the end of the summer, they returned to Paul and Marguerite's home, 923 Turner Ave, Drexel Hill for school year. Fay was in her senior year, C. Eloise was a Freshman. Paul and Margarite's son, Franklin was about a year behind, C. Eloise, they became great friends and shared many adventures.
Fall of 1938 – John Tyler Davis – son of John Ryland Davis and ½ cousin of Frank and Ralph (shared Grandfather was Lemuel Tyler Davis) was going to be having diner with Uncle Paul Rueben and Aunt Marguerite after the Army-Navy football. He was a cadet at West Point (class of 1939). They suggested he bring along a nice young man and Fay would get a date for John.
There in was the first meeting with Albert Ward and Fay Mohney. They continued writing and would see each other once in a while.
On Marjorie and Paul's return to Japan, Ralphhad found them a house in Kobe, because Paul was starting school at the Canadian Academy and could not go by himself from Shugkugawa.
In June 1939 on Fay's Graduation day Ralph, Marjorie and Paul permanently returned from Japan. Ralph left Japan when the Japanese decided that foreigners were no longer allowed to take money out of the country.
On returning from Japan, Ralph worked at the Singer office in New York and they lived in an apartment in Cranford NJ. Fay attended Virginia Intermont (an all girls college in VA) She roomed with John Tyler's sister, Anna Jean Davis (Snuffy).
1940 - The next summer, Ralph was sent to Cincinnati, Ohio to be agent for the Ohio, Indian and Kentucky area for Singer. They rented a house on Losantiville Ave, Pleasant Ridge. Fay attended University of Cincinnati. Eloise went to school at Withrow High School. Paul N. attended grade school.
Summer 1941 – Ralph wanted to look at "tax lands" in Canada and arranged a big camping trip. – Ralph, Fay, C. Eloise , Snuffy (Anna Jean Davis), and Paul and Marguerite Mohney and the McCreadys
They were loaded up on food and camping supplies for a nice two week stay.
Arrival went well, it was a decent piece of land with a few trees and a nice stream. They set up camp and Ralph fixed dinner. After dinner the mosquitoes attacked, so they went to bed early. C. Eloise found a frog in her sleeping bag, which caused a bit of pandemonium. Even in the sleeping bags, they could not breathe without getting bitten by the mosquitoes. It got so bad they had to abandon site and went to the closest town Peterbourgh Ontario. They found a hotel by the locks, too expensive but Ralph explained the situation and hotel owner rented them a house for 2 weeks. House had coal range.
They had taken a case of Wonder Bread, but the first morning a WW1 vet who had been gassed came around on a bike selling baked good. The vet and his wife made enough money to support themselves by baking and selling the baked goods.
Ralph bought all of his baked goods that day!
The men went out fishing with Indian Guide. Snuffy (Anna Jean Davis), Fay and C. Eloise stayed at house and made bread pudding with not enough milk or eggs. It did not work out so well… lol.
Summer of 1940 – Albert Ward went to Cincinnati to visit Fay on his 30 day pass. He stayed with her for ½ his leave and then went to Georgia to see his family.
Fall of 1941 (?) Ward (as Fay called him, really Albert Ward) invited Fay to go to NY for weekend. Ralph gave his permission under the condition that they stay on separate floors in the hotel.
Sometime in here (?) family lived temporarily on McAlpin St – then bought house on Sheffield Road in Mt. Lookout.
Spring 1942 - Fay wrote to Ward, 3 weeks before he graduated and said "If you still want to get married, there is a girl in Cincinnati who might be interested."
Ward had given her his miniature West Point class ring when he got it, but she had it in her Fathers safe. Fay had him get it out and she wore it on a family trip to Ridgeway Pennsylvania in the spring of 1942.
She got too excited about wedding to pay attention to Shakespeare class. (Marjorie took Fay to get a diaphragm and have blood test.)
May 24, 1942, Fay resigned as Secretary/Treasurer of the Bible school at Montgomery Church of Christ. A position she had held, since the church was started.
Ward graduated on May 29, 1942 and stopped in Cincinnati long enough to get married. (Ralph had arranged to get license office to stay open on Memorial Day. Ward brought his blood test records with him.
On May 30, 1942, Fay Geneve Mohney was wed to Albert McConnell Ward in the garden at the home of Rev. Dr. Edwin Errett the minister.
Rev. Dr. Edwin Errett had given Ralph Davis Mohney a bible, which he used until Rev. Errett's death. Marjorie passed it along to Ward with a note.
June and July 1942 - Fay and Ward left right after wedding on train to Chicago to go to Flying School. - 8 weeks of Basic Flying School in Visalia, San Jacquin Valley, California, where they rented a little house. They had no car, Ward had ordered one, but canceled the order when they decided to get married, he could only afford a wife or a car, not both. They got along with getting rides and walking to the store.
Ward joined the Air Corp for the extra pay, but did enjoy flying and maintained his flight status until he retired at age 54.
August & September 1942 – Ward was at Basic Flying school in Merced for 8 weeks. The rented a house by the railroad track. Cousin Franklin Mohney came to visit there. He had been working as a Fire spotter in a tower in California and visited before he went back to school.
October & November 1942 – Ward was at Advanced flight training in Roswell NM. On the train to Roswell, Fay was motion sick and realized she was 3 months pregnant with Gloria. They took a room with kitchen privileges at the home of a Sergeant and his wife. Ward was not comfortable with living with an enlisted man. He felt he had to be in full uniform, before he would even leave the room to use the bathroom.
Fay remembers that the house had been flooded by the Pecos River. (?) She, also, remembers that she was frequently at the house alone since all the others were working. One day she was on the couch reading a book and an enticing bowl of nuts was on the table. Finally she gave in to temptation and ate one. It was a Mexican jumping bean…
Ward got his wings the end of November and they had 30 days leave. Another flyer from Ohio was in his graduation group and gave them a ride to Cincinnati. About 2 weeks into the leave Ward had his leave cancelled and he had to report to Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas for B26 transition training to fly a Martin B26 (Baltimore Whore – Widow Maker – The B26 was never flown after the war). Training class did not start until January 1, so they really did not have to call them early, but it was bureaucracy.
They had spent a good deal of their $153 monthly pay in getting home, so there was not much money for renting a house and having Christmas in Texas. For Christmas Fay managed to buy Ward a pair of blue silk pajamas, unfortunately he brushed against the electric heater in the bathroom and burned a hole in them on the first night. He felt so bad, he did not want to come out of the bathroom and show Fay.
The parachute straps aggravated a mole Ward had on his back and it had to be removed. Fay was in a bit of a panic when another pilot told her he was sorry to hear about Ward's cancer. Luckily it was not cancer.
Fay had no warm coat and had to write home and ask Ralph and Marjorie to send her a coat. They did, but she was highly embarrassed to have to ask. Later, she heard that the father of the bride was supposed to supply clothes for the brides first year of marriage so she did not feel so bad about it.
In winter/ early spring 1943 – Ward goes to San Angelo, Texas and Fay returned to family home in Mt Lookout, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ward flew B26 to Lunken Airport in Cincinnati to visit Fay. She was so big she got stuck in the bomb bay when he was showing her the plane.
The house was on Sheffield Ave.
It was the original farmhouse for the area.
The street contained many new stylish houses and Ralph had always planned on turning the house, because the front door was not toward the street.
Instead he assembled a 4 column Southern style 2 story porch and workers from the office, came one Saturday to help lift it into place. Fay remembers that looking back on it, Ralph's face was bright red and probably blood pressure was very high, lucky he did not have a stroke on that day. Jim McCready and probably 6 other men helped.
They also, dug out driveway on one side of house making a Garage that was lower then house.
After the changes, there was a combination of trail and steps leading down what was now the back yard to the street. Fay would catch the bus there, when she was attending University of Cincinnati.
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Gloria was due to be born on May 28, 1943.
She refused!
On the evening of June 8, 1943, Fay played softball in the street with Paul and his friends. The next morning when she got up, she complained to her mother that she must have pulled a muscle.
Marjorie had her lay down. Ralph was (of course) out of town. Marjorie called the Singer office and Jimmy came to the rescue, driving Fay to the military hospital in Fort Thomas, KY. The Dr. went out to lunch and did not make it back, until after Gloria made her appearance in the world. Fay had General Anesthesia for the delivery.
Gloria Jean Ward made her appearance on June 9, 1943, weighing in at 7 lbs.
The hospital was very small and only had room for 4 mothers and 4 babies, but Fay and Gloria were the only ones in residence. It was very frustrating to have to lay in bed for a week and listen to the baby crying. Sometimes they would bring her the baby and sometimes not.
Jimmy McCready once again came to the rescue, bringing Fay a bottle of wine to ease the distress of having to listen to the crying baby. She was a bit uneasy when the Military Chaplin came in and saw the wine bottle on the floor under her bed. Fay did not actually drink the wine until after leaving the hospital.
After Fay and Gloria went home to Mt. Lookout house, Ward came to visit. Fay remembers him going to the back bedroom and carefully picking up Gloria and caring his fragile package in to see Fay.
Fay stayed in Cincinnati for about 6 weeks after Gloria was born. Then she packed Gloria in a big basket with diapers stored in the bottom, so that Gloria was high enough to get some fresh air. They took a train to San Antonio, Texas. Fay remembers not allowing anyone on the train to touch Gloria. Ward borrowed a car from the Dr. next door and picked up Fay and Gloria and took them to Del Rio, Texas, where Ward was undergoing more training at Laughlan Air Force Base.
The house they were renting belonged to a woman who was the girl friend of a member of the Dalton Gang. There was a lovely Sheffield tea set in the dining room that Fay enjoyed polishing.
She, also, learned to love Iced Coffee with cream and sugar. She gained 15 lbs, before they left Del Rio. She had only gained 11 lbs when she was pregnant with Gloria.
They had great neighbors there in Del Rio. It was a Dr. and his wife, and they kept a careful eye on Fay and Gloria.
Not long after Fay got to Del Rio, it was her birthday. Ward got her a marzipan cake, the first one she had ever tasted. After eating some, she put it on top of the refrigerator. The next day it was covered by ants, she felt heartbroken.
Around September 1943 – Ward was sent to Battlecreek, MI where they were assembling his B26 Squadron. He went there first and found a house. Fay drove their newly acquired car from Cincinnati to Michigan. Ward had found a little house on a farm near the base, that they shared with another man, whose wife had gone back to college and would visit on holidays and when she could.
Ward had continual serious sinus infections, causing serious pus and discharge. (Later, they determined it was from the corn being harvested.)
The Squadron was ready to deploy to England, but because Ward was sick they pulled his plane and crew and it went without him. The day they took off to leave, he sat at the end of the runway and cried. He was heartbroken.
February 1944 -They went to Replacement depot in Tampa Florida. Ward got much better, since he was now away from the corn fields. They lived with one of Wards former classmates for a while, and then rented a house that had a hugh pantry full of all kinds of dishes. Fay took it on herself to wash one shelf of dishes a day, but did not finish them before they were again relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana to another Replacement Depot.
They did not get a chance to acquire much more then would fit in foot lockers.
Shreveport was the worst place they ever lived. The motel they first lived in was filthy and had Bedbugs. Gloria was 9 months old. Fay kept her in the canvas carriage to keep her off the filthy floor. Gloria learned to move to the end of the carriage and tip it over.
They finally rented a house between the base and a refinery. There were a lot of Gas fumes. Fay was pregnant, but had a miscarriage (gas fumes?)
Instead of getting reassigned to another flying unit, Ward was made a base commander of Pounds Field in Tyler Texas. He was a Lt, when he went there and made Captain while he was there.
There were only 2 houses on the base. One had 3 single officers living in it. Ward and Fay made it there home. All the rooms in the house had airplane wallpaper, each with different colored planes.
Mr. Pounds was the town banker, who had lost a son in flight training. The base was named for his son. Mr. Pounds really took a liking to Ward and Fay and helped them all he could. When they decided to make the 2nd home into an officers club, he helped them acquire the necessary materials and even took them to the next county to buy liquor. The base was in a dry county, but military bases were exempt.
There was only one squadron at the base, so even counting base officers there were only about 35 officers, many did not have wives. They did have an officers wives group though.
One time Fay was very embarrassed when she went to a wives club meeting with a friend of hers, who was visiting and suddenly found herself not remembering anyone's name. She just told everyone this was her friend – so and so- who was there to visit for a few days.
Also they had a self-propelled lawn mower and one day Fay was cutting the grass, the lawn mower got rather out of control and the Guard at the Gate, called Ward to say that his wife was going down toward the creek with the lawnmower, she did manage to get it turned, before she hit the water.
Date unknown – Marshall Field, Kansas was the next stop on Ward and Fay's journey. Ward was the Base Commander. They had moved into the Commander's Quarters and Fay had just made Dining Room curtains, when Ward got orders for Guam.
Early 1945 – Ward goes to Guam and Fay and Gloria return to Cincinnati.
Ralph and Marjorie Mohney were now living on Erie Ave, in Cincinnati Ohio.
Summer 1946 – After the war is over, dependents can go to base, but only if there is a place for them to live. Ward got a quonset hut and they put walls in to divide it into rooms. Ward painted and fixed it up. Then Fay and Gloria took the President Buchanan to Guam to join Ward. It was not the luxurious boat of the President series they had traveled on back and forth to Japan when she was a child, because it had been converted to a troop carrier. There was a shortage of water and they only got drinks at meal time.
Spring 1947 – Ward, Fay and Gloria leave Guam by ship, because Fay is pregnant with Linda and there is no longer and obstetrician on Guam. They take a ship to Korea, then to Hawaii, then to Seattle. Very cold in Seattle, Fay sends for a coat and one is soon delivered by the local "Singer man" in Seattle.
Fay and Gloria stay in Cincinnati and Ward returns to Guam.
September 15, 1947 – Linda Fay Ward makes her entrance into the world.
October 1947 (?) – Ralph, Marjorie and Paul Mohney along with Fay, Gloria and Linda Ward move to Miaminon in Loveland Ohio.
November 1947 (?) Ralph Mohney had a stroke, he recovered and they redecorated the Dining Room.
December 1947 - C. Eloise Mohney married Robert Samuel Shott (son of Samuel David Shott and Louise Dorthea Feusahrens).
Early, 1948 – Singer Company sent Ralph and Marjorie to Mount Dora Hotel (?) in Florida, for him to have a couple months to recover.
Winter of 1948 – Fay and Ward bought a 2nd hand station wagon from the Singer Company and drove to Spokane Washington. AAA had advised them to take Rt. 66 all the way to California and then go to Washington up the Coast. They said the Northern Route would not be safe with a baby. They took AAA advice.
In Spokane, Fay and Ward lived in a house in town. Fay felt stuck for transportation, since Ward took the car to work every day. Especially when she saw that Chi Omega was having a meeting. She called a member of the group and they said someone would be glad to pick her up until they found out where she was living and then said they did not have anyone from that area of town. She was very disappointed.
They moved out of town to Fort George Wright. It was made up of housing and an officers club. The housing was in a long building that contained about 8 apartments. Linda was then about 15 months old and took her first steps there on the parade ground.
They had one on the lower floor, but still the garage was under the building. It was very cold there. Gloria had started to kindergarten in town. The fort maintained the road as far as the bridge over the river then the town maintained the road. One very cold morning, Fay bundled Gloria and Linda for the trip to town, then she went out to start the car. The car was frozen to the garage floor, (she later learned it was -38 degrees). She used 2 teakettles of boiling water to unstick the tires from the floor. Then she got the girls loaded in the car and told them they needed to be very quiet while she drove. They were very still and she made it to the bridge, but then realized the town had not plowed their side of the route. She took Gloria by a long way around and got her to school.
When Ward got home he did remind Fay that children do not have to go to kindergarten on such days.
Unfortunately (or was it fortunately), Wards sinus trouble came back. He said, "It was too cold for this Georgia boy."
Winter 1950 – transferred to Omaha, Nebraska – SAC headquarters – Offutt
Fay and Ward rented a house in Plattsmuth Nebraska. It had an empty lot behind it, so Ward could put a big garden in.
Gloria was in the 1st grade, when they moved further out to the country, where she could catch a school bus, instead of Fay needing to drive her to school. But the bus stop was ½ mile from house so she needed to pack up Linda and drive Gloria to the bus anyway.
Gloria's teacher came to dinner and spent the night. The teacher had made good friends with the cat. In the middle of the night, the cat presented her with the present of a half dead mouse.
They had one of the old style party line phones on the wall in the kitchen. One time 10 to 12 cows had gotten out of their pasture and were in the front yard. Fay called the farmer. He told her to just go out and wave her arms around. Fay said, "But their bigger then I am…" She heard laughing from people listening in on the partyline.
1950 – transferred to Tampa Florida, lived in Guest Quarters on Base for a while, but bought their first house. 6603 Bayshore Blvd. It was a small 3 bedroom tract style house that cost $8,700 (payments were $53 a month). (They kept the house until 1972 and rented it out. It provided them with some additional income. A realtor managed it and they only had one bad tenant.
This was one of Fay's favorite places.
In the morning, she would drive Ward to work, Gloria to school, Linda to preschool and then do errands, play golf or bridge and then go back and pick up the girls. Ward generally got a ride home. Fay learned that if you fry onions, your husband will think you've really been cooking.
The public school for their end of Bayshore Blvd was not a good school, so Gloria went to private school.
As always, Fay took part in the Officer's Wives Club and worked on their paper. She, also, learned to play golf and was a part of the Tampa Woman's Golf Assoc. They would play golf and have lunch at different clubs every week. One of her favorite clubs was owned and run by Babe Diedrickson and her husband, George ???.
Life was good here!
June/July 1952 – Ward was sent to B29 transition training to get ready to go to Korea. He got home to visit a couple times before leaving for Korea.
"The Break-In"
One night Fay heard a noise in the bathroom, it sounded like Linda had gotten out of bed and was playing on the bathroom scale. She hollered at her, "Linda get down." But when she looked in the bathroom a white arm was poking in through the window and reaching for the latch. She screamed, "What are you doing?" The fellow took off running, tripping and breaking her pepper bush that she had nourished for 2 years.
She called the police, and the base police and a neighbor most have called the sheriff, because they all arrived in a hurry and it was quite a scene. Apparently, the would-be robber had broken in to the shed, and tried the back door and then was attempting the window when Fay caught him in the act.
She tried to call Ward about it, but he was out on survival training. When he got back, he had to wait in line for the phone and must have been doing some imbibing while he was waiting, because he was tipsy when he finally got through to her. She wanted to get bars put on the windows and a light on the telephone pole in the back yard. Ward said, "What ever you want to do honey is fine with me…" Fay, also, went to the pound and bought a dog.
February 3, 1953 Ralph McConnel Ward makes his appearance a couple weeks early. He weights 5 ½ lbs. Ward was away and a friend of theirs who was a little drunk took her to the hospital. Fay had been taking care of their 9 month old and thinks she went into early labor, because of the lifting of the baby in and out of crib. Ward got home for a visit, shortly after his birth.
Not long after, Ralph's birth Ward went fight in Korea. He was stationed at Yakota Air Force Base, near Yokohoma, Japan and flew B29's over Korea.
Summer 1953, Ralph and Marjorie Mohney went to visit his brother, Paul N. and Marguerite Mohney on Long Beach Island New Jersey. While they were still there Fay arrived with her children to visit. Marjorie stayed longer and Ralph went home. Fay drove Marjorie back to Ohio and stayed there for a visit.
C. Eloise and Bob Shott were living in the barn apartment with their 2 children Eric (age 4) and Susie (age 2).
While Fay was there visiting Ralph and Marjorie were at some friends for dinner. Ralph wasn't feeling well and went to lie down. He did not feel any better, Jim McCready drove him to the hospital, he was telling jokes on the way to the hospital, but could not remember names of things. He was having a massive stroke.
While he was in the hospital, there was a lot of ferrying people back and forth to visit. Jim was around with a car and so was Fay and C. Eloise and Bob Shott.
One time when Fay went to visit, she told Ralph that his goose were chasing the little children (Eric and Susie Shott, and Linda Ward) at Miaminon. He said to catch it and take the goose to the Meat Locker in Loveland and he would take care of it. Fay remembers cornering the goose in a fence and wrapping it up and sending Gloria to get the truck. They took the goose to the meat locker and that was the end of that…
Fay was with Ralph when he died on August 7, 1953. She remembers that he was resting quietly and then his body gave a little jerk and then she went to get the nurse to verify that he was dead.
Fay remembers Ralph's mother Geneve coming to the funeral and crying, "It should have been me."
After Ralph Davis Mohney died, Miaminon was sold, because Marjorie did not drive and could not get around. Marjorie moved to an apartment Montgomery (?). Paul N. was attending classes at Miami University at this time.
Right before Christmas, Ward called to say, he would be coming home, and how would she like Altus… then the phone call was cut off. She found an atlas and discovered that it was in Oklahoma.
Christmas Day 1953, Ward came home bearing gifts. He brought Ralph a model of a motor boat and Japanese dolls for Gloria and Linda. He brought Pearls for Fay.
Early 1954 – They rented out their house and move to Altus Oklahoma.
SAC was just taking over a base. Ward was either the supply officer or the material officer.
They lived in a subdivision house built for the military personnel, so there were lots of compatible people around. There was not really any civilization around. They had to drive to Texas to go to a restaurant. It was a dry county, but if you called the taxi, they would bring you liquor.
Gloria was about 10 years old and was getting ready to go into 7th grade. They sent a note home at the end of 6th grade asking to pick her classes for the next year. Fay picked out French, math, English and other regular classes. Then she, also, wrote in Latin. When Gloria took it to school, the teacher said, "What does your mother think, you're going to go to Harvard."
Fay went in to protest, but it was a country town and they did not have Latin or any advanced classes.
Fay did the regular wives club and wives newspaper duties and played a little bridge. She did not really play golf after Tampa.
2 years later (about 1956) –
Wichita, Kansas another base being taken over by SAC. Ward was a Lt. Colonel.
They lived in town and Gloria had a good friend that lived nearby. Then they got one of only 5 quarters on base, later 2 more were built. But it was a small group of people and they all got along well. Fay did the usual, Officer's wives club and bridge.
1959 – Ward got orders for Taiwan. (called Formosa when Ralph and Marjorie had visited there in the 1930's)
Fay invited Marjorie to go with them. Marjorie went to Wichita and drove to San Francisco with Fay, Gloria, Linda and Ralph. She (Marjorie) had forgotten to get her visa, which Fay did not discover until they were in San Francisco and it was the day before they were to get on the plane. Fay found a sitter at the base north of San Francisco and took Marjorie into town to get her visa. The people were most helpful and they were able to leave as planned.
Ward had rented them a house in Taiwan, but it was too small. They found a larger house with a kitchen, Living room/Dining room, office, Bath and Bedroom and 2 servant rooms on the first floor and 4 bedrooms and a bath upstairs. The upstairs bath was on the other side of a porch over the kitchen, so it was a bit chilly for night time visits.
They had 3 servants, a cook, a maid and a Pedicab boy (rickshaw driver). The Pedicab boy's name was Juan.
Marjorie, Fay and the children got around in the cart. The Pedicab boy lived in a shack in the yard.
Ralph went to kindergarten and 1st grade, while they were in Taiwan. At the end of the school year, Ralph's teacher told him, "Ralph you have to learn to sit in your seat, your next teacher may not love you as much as I do."
Gloria had her Sophomore and Junior years of high school in Taiwan. Linda went to 6th and 7th grade.
Taiwan stories.
Another attempted robbery –
One night, very late, there was a knock at the door. Fay figured out that it was Juan, the pedicab boy, he was saying "dorabo" (Japanese for robber) and motioning for Ward to come out quickly. Ward got his gun out from under the bed and ran out into the yard, without dressing, but he was unable to catch the intruder.
1960-While they were in Taiwan, they were invited to tea with Chiang Kai-Shek, the President of the Republic of China.
Marjorie loved playing Mahjong and Fay and Ward took her to Bingo every week. It was amazing that she always seemed to win something.
Fay played the usual bridge and was active in the Officer's wives club.
They took a special trip to Japan, that had been arrange by the "Singer man," including all the tours and hotel reservations. "You can always count on a Singer man." Of course, Uncle Paul R. Mohney was still Agent for the Philadelphia office, although he retired soon after that at the age of 62 or so.
Marjorie had gotten a strep infection and because she was not a military dependent, was admitted to the 7th Day Adventist Hospital in Taipai. She was home, but still not feeling well enough for the trip.
Fay and the rest of the family enjoyed the trip and she was able to show them where she had lived as a child, as well as, other highlights of the country.
One of Ward's jobs on Taiwan was to do weekend flights to Hong Kong. One weekend, Marjorie and Fay went with him and stayed over. Marjorie visited with a "Singer man" and his wife that she had known from Japan. They lived up on the peak overlooking Hong Kong. Fay and Ward stayed in town.
When Marjorie met them at the airport for the return to Taiwan, the couple invited Fay to stay for the week and go home the next weekend when Ward returned. She decided to take them up on the offer.
A typhoon hit Hong Kong that week. They had for warning. The couples 2 Chinese men servants locked themselves in their rooms and would not come out. There were huge glass windows overlooking the city. Fay and the couple moved all the furniture away from the windows and rolled up the rugs and then went to bed. The next morning there were trees and branches down. They had to clear them to be able to get the car out of the garage. Some of the trees were cashew trees, which it turns out are related to poison ivy and can cause the same reaction. Fay was broken out in a rash for the rest of her weeklong stay, and she mostly stayed in bed covered with calamine lotion.
On Friday, Ward came back and picked her up as planned.
The greatest treasure of the trip to Hong Kong was Fays, custom made 11 pairs of shoes and matching bags, which she used for years.
Summer 1960 – All returned from Taiwan. Marjorie took another apartment in Silverton near her Montgomery Church of Christ.
Fay, Ward and the children visited with C. Eloise and Bob Shott and their children, Eric, Susie and Sally, who were now living in a house up the hill from the beloved Miaminon.
In July/August of 1960 – The next home was at Westover Air Force Base in Springfield, Massachusetts.
They were in Westover for 4 years.
Gloria graduated from High School at Chicopee Massachusetts. The following year she went to Springfield College, but was not happy. She quit and went to work for an insurance company, where she met Aldo Charles Zucaro, who was an auditor. They were married on October 14, 1963.
Linda completed eth through 11th grade while they were in Mass. Ralph went from 2nd through 6th grade.
When they first arrived the only base quarters were apartments, so they rented a small house until something more suitable was available.
They wound up with 2 – one bedroom apartments in a U-shaped building that contained 4 apartments.
They used the one apartment as it existed with Fay and Ward taking that bedroom. In the other apartment, Ralph had the bedroom and Gloria and Linda used the Living/Dining area for a shared bedroom.
Along with Fay's usual Officers Wives Club duties, Fay was the volunteer head of the local Girl Scout Camp. When the Girl Scouts decided to hire a director the head of the Springfield Girl Scout Organization told Fay to go apply for the job. Ward took the day off to drive her to Boston to do the job application. One of the first questions out of the woman's mouth was where did she go to school. Fay told her, and then she wanted to know what her degree was in. Well when Fay told her she had not graduated, she very haughtily stated that they only hired College graduates. Fay and Ward just left and Fay decided to spend her time and energy other places.
She decided to volunteer at the base library. She had in mind every day, but the librarian thought that one day would be a good start. Then it changed to ½ day then to 2 ½ days then soon to every day.
It came a time when the librarian was transferred and the Asst. librarian's husband was transferred. Because there was a headquarters company there, that had it's own librarian, the people in charge thought that Fay could take on the job temporarily and if she needed any help she could check with the headquarters librarian.
So Fay had 8 months as a paid librarian, being in charge of a library with 33,000 books. She had 3 enlisted employees. One of their other jobs was to rotate books available in the underground libraries that were available for the pilots that who spent 5 days at a time on duty in the underground flight rooms.
The job ended when a woman coming back from Germany was put in charge of the Library. Still it was one of Fay's favorite times.
1964 – Ward went to Turkey - Karamursel Air Force Station near Yalora.
He rented a house and Fay, Linda and Ralph joined him. Gloria was married and living with her husband Aldo.
Ralph finished 7th through 8h grades here.
Linda graduated from high school the first year in Turkey. She returned to the states to attend Douglas College. But first she was in Loveland Ohio, visiting with her Aunt C. Eloise and Bob Shott and family (Eric, Sue and Sally)
1966 – Ramstein Air Force Base Germany – 3 years
Ralph gets badly burned.
1968 Langley Air Force Base, Virginia
Fay and Sally remember a big family Christmas gathering that included. C. Eloise and Sally Shott, Paul N. and Carol Money, with Sharon and Janet Mohney and Ward, Fay and Ralph Ward.
Ward eligible for retirement in September 1969. They bought a house in Rota Spain, but did not live there yet.
In early August they went to Izmir, Turkey where Ralph would attend the Military Dependent School for his senior year of High School.
Ward was 54 when he retired. Fay was 49. (She retired from making bacon and eggs for breakfast and then only cooked them on Sunday.)
The lived in Izmir Turkey near NATO headquarters for 2 years, until 1970. Ralph attended fall semester at University of Maryland at Munich, but was not happy and did not return after the holiday.
1972, Fay and Ward went to live in their house in Rota Spain. Ralph was taking courses from the University of Maryland and working as a bagger at base commissary. Ward was frustrated with not having anything to do. They even came in and watered the inside plants and he had no room to garden.
Fall 1973 – Estepona - They bought a house near by from some Canadians who wanted to return home. The Canadians were not happy that they just wanted the house and not the furnishings, but they got the furniture sold. Ward got to spend 3 years creating beautiful gardens. Every 6 months they had to make a trip out of the country, because they could technically only live there 6 months at a time.
They had the house in Estepona for 12 years. They loved it, but it was not very pleasant in winter, because of poor heating and lack of insulation. They started coming back to the states for 6 months every year.
1980 Bought a Modular house in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Fall 1984 – Sold house in Spain, but left their car there.
1985 - Returned for one more driving trip through Spain and then sold the car.
1985 Sold home at Port St. Lucie and moved to Miami, FL where they lived S.W. of Miami in Kendall Florida in a rented house near Homestead Air Force Base.
February 1987 moved to San Antonio
November 27, 1987 – Fay's sister Celia Eloise Mohney Stroppel dies in Cincinnati Ohio.
1988 traveled back to Spain and took several other trips, including spending a month in Australia and New Zealand.
1992 - 50th wedding anniversary of Albert and Fay Ward.
Family arrives from all over, including children, Grandchildren, brothers, sisters, cousins, Aunts, Uncles – A good time was had by all!
Ward could not get around very well and is diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
June 22, 1995 Albert McConnel Ward died.
1996 – Fay took to trip to Alaska
June 1998 - Fay went to England then to Spain and stayed with friend, Jean for a week, and then to a house she had rented for the summer. Her brother, Paul N. Mohney and his wife Carol came to visit, as did other friends. At the end of the summer she spent another week staying with Jean and then took a Sailboat Cruise home.
Fall 2000 – Took trip with nieces, (C. Eloise's daughters, Sally Shott and Susan Shott Ditmire). They went to Ridgway, Pennsylvania, Alfred University and Hammondsport, New York, saw places from her childhood and spent time with relatives still living in the area.
Late June 2001 – Fay's 80th Birthday Year – Parties all over Europe. Traveled with her friend Jean. Drove to France, Germany and Holland (where they stayed for a month in the home of a friend of Jean). Fay was scheduled to return home on September 11, 2001. Advised that there had been some sort of accident in New York and she could stay in Spain for a couple days or fly to Frankfurt, which was her first scheduled stop on trip. Frankfort would be rather full, because of the German auto show, but Fay decided to go on to Frankfort anyway. They put her up in a hotel for 2 days and then hotel said they were all reserved for weekend and returned her to airport. The airport told her they had a volunteer family that would take her in. It turned out to be a nice middle aged couple with 2 cats and she had her own room and bathroom on the lowest level of their home. They entertained her from Thursday to Monday and would not even let her buy them dinner.
She was able to fly out on September 17, 2001, but still hears from the couple by email.
February 2006 – Fay gives up her cottage on Bannocks Ct and moves to an apartment.
The biography which follows was written by family members during visits with Fay.
August 11, 1921 - Fay Geneve Mohney was born in a hospital at Ridgway PA – she was the 1st child of Ralph Davis Mohney and Marjorie Emeline Fay and the first child from either family to be born in a hospital.
Her parents met while they were students at Alfred University. He earned a degree in Agriculture and she in Home Economics. Ralph was from Ridgway Pennsylvania and went to school on a football scholarship. His schooling was interrupted by his service in WWI. They were married on July 28, 1920 in Marjorie's hometown of Hammondsport, New York.
After their marriage, Ralph made an agreement with the farmer who owned Boot Jack Farm (about 300 acres) near Ridgway Pennsylvania. They would live in the house and he would farm the 300 acres.
Ralph farmed and Marjorie helped add to the family income with making jelly and baked goods and selling them in a roadside stand.
A second daughter, Celia Eloise Mohney was born on December 4, 1924.
June 27, 1925 - Shanley Moore Reunion in Halton Pennsylvania. This is where the large panoramic picture was taken.
1927 (about) -At this time, no one is sure what the exact farming arrangements were, but Ralph was unable to make a living on the farm and through bankruptcy lost his investment of time, money and labor.
Ralph, Marjorie and the girls (Fay and C. Eloise) went to live on Irwin Ave in Ridgway Pennsylvania with Ralph's parents (Frank and Geneve Mohney). Additional residents in house were (More Grandma – Susannah Burns (Frank's Mother), and her daughter Sue Mohney (Frank's sister, who had never married).
More Grandma – Susannah (?) Burns was married to Rueben Mohney their children were
o Gertrude – died early
o Charlotte – married Ray Shanley
o Sue – never married
o Christine married a McCready – parents of Jim and Ruth McCready
About 1928, Ralph left the family in Ridgway and went to Philadelphia, where his brother, Paul R. was already working for Singer. Ralph got a job as a Sewing machine mechanic in the Manufacturers Trade Division
Paul Reuben Mohney – Ralph's brother – had married Marguerite Palmer and went to work for Singer in Scranton in 1920. While living in Scranton their son Franklin was born. Later, Paul was transferred to the Singer office in Philadelphia.
1929 (about) – Family was reunited at Willowgrove, near Philadelphia – Fay remembers going to Airfield to see TriMotor plane
Marjorie taught sewing at the school in Willowgrove.
After stock market crash Singer did not fire anyone, very proud of it (They did cut salaries).
1930 (about) 1st move to Drexel Hill
Ralph was moved from mechanic to Salesman about this time.
Jake Baiter was the Agent of the Singer Philadelphia office and lived at top of hill – they moved to a new house down the hill. Uncle Paul Mohney (Ralph's brother) lived near by.
Fay remembers that they had a milkman and a bread man who would leave items on the porch in the morning.
Ralph and Marjorie (always the modern couple) took their children to a pediatrician Dr. Liebron.
Dr. Liebron bought a farm near Collegeville. Ralph and Marjorie moved to main farm house where he supervised farmer, while still working at Singer. Fay and C. Eloise walked to school. Fay in charge of watching her sister. C. Eloise hit her and gave her a bloody nose when she pulled her out of the way of a car. Another time, Fay had a new-ruffled dress. The ruffle got caught on the slide and ripped off, making the dress, way short, above the knee. It got pinned on so she could walk home.
During this time period, it was a problem in some Jewish families that they were feeding children too many sweets (very unhealthy).
Dr. Liebron would sometimes bring children out for Marjorie to get them eating better. She would feed them regular meals, but no dessert if they did not eat meal. Fay particularly remembers one 6 year old who was very thin and you could see blood vessels in his face.
Dr. Liebron built them a separate house, in between main house and Mohney house was a spring house over a creek.
1932 moved back to Drexel Hill, lived on Berry Ave.
1933 – Depression worsening, salaries reduced. Ralph and family moved in with family friends - Greenwalt (wife named Hannah) Don't remember the name of the husband or the son. Marjorie, Fay, C. Eloise and Paul stayed living in Philadelphia - Ralph went to Japan.
June 1934 – Marjorie, Fay, C. Eloise and son went to Japan to join Ralph. Ralph was sick with scarlet fever while he was there alone.
Trip to Japan was on the President Hoover or President Coolidge, Dollar Steam Ship Company. Ships were the same model they went on one (probably Coolidge) and returned on the other (probably Hoover).
Train from Philadelphia to Chicago – train from Chicago to San Francisco. – were supposed to take ship from there, but long shore men on strike. "San Francisco Singer Man" drove them to San Diego (?) where they caught the ship. Dining room staffed by college kids.
First couple days temporary crew sick and most of passengers. Fay got to wear heels and eat in the Adult dining room. C. Eloise not happy to have to eat with children.
San Diego to Hawaii – where they stopped for a day or 2 – Toured Dole Pineapple factory. They had a pineapple fountain like drinking fountain. Elo drank so much she got sick.
Pali tour to top of ridge – Fay had on new dress with red blue & yellow rounded buttons – One of the buttons was pulled off and lost in the wind.
Back to sea and landed in Yokohama Japan, where Ralph met them and rode the rest of the way to Kobe.
1934 – Japan - Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and London Naval Treaty of 1930 abrogated by Japan
-- China - Chinese Communists' Long March to Yan'an (1934-35)
-- US - Discovery of nuclear fission
Fall 1934 – Lived in Shukugawa Japan, between Kobe and Osaka. Ralph worked at Singer office in Osaka and Fay and Elo went to Canadian Academy in Kobe.
Rented a western style house on street referred to as "Gasoline Alley." It was built by GM – Street extended out like a peninsula into the rice field. At the top of the street was a Japanese hotel with restaurant. The family would eat there once in a while.
When they first arrived, Ralph had made arrangements for a live in Chinese cook and Japanese Amah (housekeeper/maid), they lived in the back of the house in 2, "2-mat rooms" (About 6' X 7') with a small bathroom facility. The mat was a tatami and about the size of a person.
First meal on arrival was a very strong curry. Fay remembers that she did not even consider eating curry for years afterward, way too strong a taste for children.
The first Chinese cook had relatives come share his room and board – did not work out – too many mouths to feed.
The 2nd Chinese Cook, also, did not work out.
Marjorie decided to train Fusaya – san (the Japanese Amah) to become a cook and it solved the problem. She stayed with them the whole time they were in Japan. Another Amah was hired for household duties.
A 3rd Amah was hired to care for son, when he got older. She was about 15 years old. Ralph and Marjorie thought he might learn a bit of Japanese from her, but that thought was dashed when they heard Paul, on the porch, teaching the Amah nursery rhymes in English.
Lived all 3 years in this house.
1936 – Japan - 226 Incident: Young military officers launch an abortive coup d'etat
-- Japan withdraws from the London Naval Conference
The second and third summers, that Ralph, Marjorie and the children were in Japan, they rented a cottage in the mountains for the summer. (Nojori, Japan) a beautiful lake. Ralph would go on some weekends. Fay learned how to swim there, holding onto the docks and kicking. One time she took Paul N. to the lake and he fell off the end of the dock. She remembers pulling him out.
One of Fay's vivid memories is riding down a street of Japanese houses, that were all enclosed by traditional fences. Over one of the fences was hanging a beautiful blooming Cherry Tree. She thought, "Here I am, Fay Geneve Mohney, in Japan!"
Fay remembers her brother having a convulsion (seizure) on the train on the way to the lake and Marjorie sending C. Eloise to get Fusayasan from the other coach. Fay, also, remembers having a convulsion (seizure) when she was at the circus with Aunt Charlotte, Aunt Sue and Uncle Ray in Ridgway.
June/July 1937 – Whole Family returned to states. The Golden Gate bridge was beautiful and in it's full glory. Ralph bought a used Cadillac and they drove across the country from San Francisco.
Going out of his way to tour Hoover Dam. Ralph made air conditioning for Marjorie by buying an Ice Block for under her feet.
Ralph spent a couple weeks in PA and returned to Japan. Fay and C. Eloise to live with Frank and Geneve Mohney in Ridgway and go to school. Marjorie and Paul were staying in Hammondsport with her parents Albert and Bertha Coray Fay until Christmas and then returning to Japan.
1937 – Fall – Frank Merritt Mohney took his Granddaughters, Fay and C. Eloise hunting for their first rabbits. Fay had a 20 gauge shotgun and C. Eloise had a .22 rifle. Frank climbed on a stump to look at the field and fell off, setting off his gun, but he was all right. Both girls were successful in their hunt. Frank advised them that if they were old enough to hunt they were old enough to clean their catch. Fay was particularly thrilled when she got home and a "boyfriend" was waiting on the porch. When he heard she had shot a rabbit he offered to clean it for her. She was thrilled to be able to say, "I've already done that myself, Thank you."
Plans changed and Marjorie rented a little house in Ridgeway (with coal range)and stayed in Ridgway until the end of the school year. Fay was in her Junior year of High School, she, also had her appendix out that year.
It was good that they had gotten home and Fay and C. Eloise had gotten their hunting trip in with their Grandfather (Frank Merritt Mohney), because he died on March 28, 1938.
June/July 1938 - Marjorie and Paul returned to Japan after school was out. Fay and C. Eloise went to the summer home of Paul and Marguerite Mohney on Long Beach Island, New Jersey. (They summered there every year, until Marguerites death.)
At the end of the summer, they returned to Paul and Marguerite's home, 923 Turner Ave, Drexel Hill for school year. Fay was in her senior year, C. Eloise was a Freshman. Paul and Margarite's son, Franklin was about a year behind, C. Eloise, they became great friends and shared many adventures.
Fall of 1938 – John Tyler Davis – son of John Ryland Davis and ½ cousin of Frank and Ralph (shared Grandfather was Lemuel Tyler Davis) was going to be having diner with Uncle Paul Rueben and Aunt Marguerite after the Army-Navy football. He was a cadet at West Point (class of 1939). They suggested he bring along a nice young man and Fay would get a date for John.
There in was the first meeting with Albert Ward and Fay Mohney. They continued writing and would see each other once in a while.
On Marjorie and Paul's return to Japan, Ralphhad found them a house in Kobe, because Paul was starting school at the Canadian Academy and could not go by himself from Shugkugawa.
In June 1939 on Fay's Graduation day Ralph, Marjorie and Paul permanently returned from Japan. Ralph left Japan when the Japanese decided that foreigners were no longer allowed to take money out of the country.
On returning from Japan, Ralph worked at the Singer office in New York and they lived in an apartment in Cranford NJ. Fay attended Virginia Intermont (an all girls college in VA) She roomed with John Tyler's sister, Anna Jean Davis (Snuffy).
1940 - The next summer, Ralph was sent to Cincinnati, Ohio to be agent for the Ohio, Indian and Kentucky area for Singer. They rented a house on Losantiville Ave, Pleasant Ridge. Fay attended University of Cincinnati. Eloise went to school at Withrow High School. Paul N. attended grade school.
Summer 1941 – Ralph wanted to look at "tax lands" in Canada and arranged a big camping trip. – Ralph, Fay, C. Eloise , Snuffy (Anna Jean Davis), and Paul and Marguerite Mohney and the McCreadys
They were loaded up on food and camping supplies for a nice two week stay.
Arrival went well, it was a decent piece of land with a few trees and a nice stream. They set up camp and Ralph fixed dinner. After dinner the mosquitoes attacked, so they went to bed early. C. Eloise found a frog in her sleeping bag, which caused a bit of pandemonium. Even in the sleeping bags, they could not breathe without getting bitten by the mosquitoes. It got so bad they had to abandon site and went to the closest town Peterbourgh Ontario. They found a hotel by the locks, too expensive but Ralph explained the situation and hotel owner rented them a house for 2 weeks. House had coal range.
They had taken a case of Wonder Bread, but the first morning a WW1 vet who had been gassed came around on a bike selling baked good. The vet and his wife made enough money to support themselves by baking and selling the baked goods.
Ralph bought all of his baked goods that day!
The men went out fishing with Indian Guide. Snuffy (Anna Jean Davis), Fay and C. Eloise stayed at house and made bread pudding with not enough milk or eggs. It did not work out so well… lol.
Summer of 1940 – Albert Ward went to Cincinnati to visit Fay on his 30 day pass. He stayed with her for ½ his leave and then went to Georgia to see his family.
Fall of 1941 (?) Ward (as Fay called him, really Albert Ward) invited Fay to go to NY for weekend. Ralph gave his permission under the condition that they stay on separate floors in the hotel.
Sometime in here (?) family lived temporarily on McAlpin St – then bought house on Sheffield Road in Mt. Lookout.
Spring 1942 - Fay wrote to Ward, 3 weeks before he graduated and said "If you still want to get married, there is a girl in Cincinnati who might be interested."
Ward had given her his miniature West Point class ring when he got it, but she had it in her Fathers safe. Fay had him get it out and she wore it on a family trip to Ridgeway Pennsylvania in the spring of 1942.
She got too excited about wedding to pay attention to Shakespeare class. (Marjorie took Fay to get a diaphragm and have blood test.)
May 24, 1942, Fay resigned as Secretary/Treasurer of the Bible school at Montgomery Church of Christ. A position she had held, since the church was started.
Ward graduated on May 29, 1942 and stopped in Cincinnati long enough to get married. (Ralph had arranged to get license office to stay open on Memorial Day. Ward brought his blood test records with him.
On May 30, 1942, Fay Geneve Mohney was wed to Albert McConnell Ward in the garden at the home of Rev. Dr. Edwin Errett the minister.
Rev. Dr. Edwin Errett had given Ralph Davis Mohney a bible, which he used until Rev. Errett's death. Marjorie passed it along to Ward with a note.
June and July 1942 - Fay and Ward left right after wedding on train to Chicago to go to Flying School. - 8 weeks of Basic Flying School in Visalia, San Jacquin Valley, California, where they rented a little house. They had no car, Ward had ordered one, but canceled the order when they decided to get married, he could only afford a wife or a car, not both. They got along with getting rides and walking to the store.
Ward joined the Air Corp for the extra pay, but did enjoy flying and maintained his flight status until he retired at age 54.
August & September 1942 – Ward was at Basic Flying school in Merced for 8 weeks. The rented a house by the railroad track. Cousin Franklin Mohney came to visit there. He had been working as a Fire spotter in a tower in California and visited before he went back to school.
October & November 1942 – Ward was at Advanced flight training in Roswell NM. On the train to Roswell, Fay was motion sick and realized she was 3 months pregnant with Gloria. They took a room with kitchen privileges at the home of a Sergeant and his wife. Ward was not comfortable with living with an enlisted man. He felt he had to be in full uniform, before he would even leave the room to use the bathroom.
Fay remembers that the house had been flooded by the Pecos River. (?) She, also, remembers that she was frequently at the house alone since all the others were working. One day she was on the couch reading a book and an enticing bowl of nuts was on the table. Finally she gave in to temptation and ate one. It was a Mexican jumping bean…
Ward got his wings the end of November and they had 30 days leave. Another flyer from Ohio was in his graduation group and gave them a ride to Cincinnati. About 2 weeks into the leave Ward had his leave cancelled and he had to report to Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas for B26 transition training to fly a Martin B26 (Baltimore Whore – Widow Maker – The B26 was never flown after the war). Training class did not start until January 1, so they really did not have to call them early, but it was bureaucracy.
They had spent a good deal of their $153 monthly pay in getting home, so there was not much money for renting a house and having Christmas in Texas. For Christmas Fay managed to buy Ward a pair of blue silk pajamas, unfortunately he brushed against the electric heater in the bathroom and burned a hole in them on the first night. He felt so bad, he did not want to come out of the bathroom and show Fay.
The parachute straps aggravated a mole Ward had on his back and it had to be removed. Fay was in a bit of a panic when another pilot told her he was sorry to hear about Ward's cancer. Luckily it was not cancer.
Fay had no warm coat and had to write home and ask Ralph and Marjorie to send her a coat. They did, but she was highly embarrassed to have to ask. Later, she heard that the father of the bride was supposed to supply clothes for the brides first year of marriage so she did not feel so bad about it.
In winter/ early spring 1943 – Ward goes to San Angelo, Texas and Fay returned to family home in Mt Lookout, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ward flew B26 to Lunken Airport in Cincinnati to visit Fay. She was so big she got stuck in the bomb bay when he was showing her the plane.
The house was on Sheffield Ave.
It was the original farmhouse for the area.
The street contained many new stylish houses and Ralph had always planned on turning the house, because the front door was not toward the street.
Instead he assembled a 4 column Southern style 2 story porch and workers from the office, came one Saturday to help lift it into place. Fay remembers that looking back on it, Ralph's face was bright red and probably blood pressure was very high, lucky he did not have a stroke on that day. Jim McCready and probably 6 other men helped.
They also, dug out driveway on one side of house making a Garage that was lower then house.
After the changes, there was a combination of trail and steps leading down what was now the back yard to the street. Fay would catch the bus there, when she was attending University of Cincinnati.
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Gloria was due to be born on May 28, 1943.
She refused!
On the evening of June 8, 1943, Fay played softball in the street with Paul and his friends. The next morning when she got up, she complained to her mother that she must have pulled a muscle.
Marjorie had her lay down. Ralph was (of course) out of town. Marjorie called the Singer office and Jimmy came to the rescue, driving Fay to the military hospital in Fort Thomas, KY. The Dr. went out to lunch and did not make it back, until after Gloria made her appearance in the world. Fay had General Anesthesia for the delivery.
Gloria Jean Ward made her appearance on June 9, 1943, weighing in at 7 lbs.
The hospital was very small and only had room for 4 mothers and 4 babies, but Fay and Gloria were the only ones in residence. It was very frustrating to have to lay in bed for a week and listen to the baby crying. Sometimes they would bring her the baby and sometimes not.
Jimmy McCready once again came to the rescue, bringing Fay a bottle of wine to ease the distress of having to listen to the crying baby. She was a bit uneasy when the Military Chaplin came in and saw the wine bottle on the floor under her bed. Fay did not actually drink the wine until after leaving the hospital.
After Fay and Gloria went home to Mt. Lookout house, Ward came to visit. Fay remembers him going to the back bedroom and carefully picking up Gloria and caring his fragile package in to see Fay.
Fay stayed in Cincinnati for about 6 weeks after Gloria was born. Then she packed Gloria in a big basket with diapers stored in the bottom, so that Gloria was high enough to get some fresh air. They took a train to San Antonio, Texas. Fay remembers not allowing anyone on the train to touch Gloria. Ward borrowed a car from the Dr. next door and picked up Fay and Gloria and took them to Del Rio, Texas, where Ward was undergoing more training at Laughlan Air Force Base.
The house they were renting belonged to a woman who was the girl friend of a member of the Dalton Gang. There was a lovely Sheffield tea set in the dining room that Fay enjoyed polishing.
She, also, learned to love Iced Coffee with cream and sugar. She gained 15 lbs, before they left Del Rio. She had only gained 11 lbs when she was pregnant with Gloria.
They had great neighbors there in Del Rio. It was a Dr. and his wife, and they kept a careful eye on Fay and Gloria.
Not long after Fay got to Del Rio, it was her birthday. Ward got her a marzipan cake, the first one she had ever tasted. After eating some, she put it on top of the refrigerator. The next day it was covered by ants, she felt heartbroken.
Around September 1943 – Ward was sent to Battlecreek, MI where they were assembling his B26 Squadron. He went there first and found a house. Fay drove their newly acquired car from Cincinnati to Michigan. Ward had found a little house on a farm near the base, that they shared with another man, whose wife had gone back to college and would visit on holidays and when she could.
Ward had continual serious sinus infections, causing serious pus and discharge. (Later, they determined it was from the corn being harvested.)
The Squadron was ready to deploy to England, but because Ward was sick they pulled his plane and crew and it went without him. The day they took off to leave, he sat at the end of the runway and cried. He was heartbroken.
February 1944 -They went to Replacement depot in Tampa Florida. Ward got much better, since he was now away from the corn fields. They lived with one of Wards former classmates for a while, and then rented a house that had a hugh pantry full of all kinds of dishes. Fay took it on herself to wash one shelf of dishes a day, but did not finish them before they were again relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana to another Replacement Depot.
They did not get a chance to acquire much more then would fit in foot lockers.
Shreveport was the worst place they ever lived. The motel they first lived in was filthy and had Bedbugs. Gloria was 9 months old. Fay kept her in the canvas carriage to keep her off the filthy floor. Gloria learned to move to the end of the carriage and tip it over.
They finally rented a house between the base and a refinery. There were a lot of Gas fumes. Fay was pregnant, but had a miscarriage (gas fumes?)
Instead of getting reassigned to another flying unit, Ward was made a base commander of Pounds Field in Tyler Texas. He was a Lt, when he went there and made Captain while he was there.
There were only 2 houses on the base. One had 3 single officers living in it. Ward and Fay made it there home. All the rooms in the house had airplane wallpaper, each with different colored planes.
Mr. Pounds was the town banker, who had lost a son in flight training. The base was named for his son. Mr. Pounds really took a liking to Ward and Fay and helped them all he could. When they decided to make the 2nd home into an officers club, he helped them acquire the necessary materials and even took them to the next county to buy liquor. The base was in a dry county, but military bases were exempt.
There was only one squadron at the base, so even counting base officers there were only about 35 officers, many did not have wives. They did have an officers wives group though.
One time Fay was very embarrassed when she went to a wives club meeting with a friend of hers, who was visiting and suddenly found herself not remembering anyone's name. She just told everyone this was her friend – so and so- who was there to visit for a few days.
Also they had a self-propelled lawn mower and one day Fay was cutting the grass, the lawn mower got rather out of control and the Guard at the Gate, called Ward to say that his wife was going down toward the creek with the lawnmower, she did manage to get it turned, before she hit the water.
Date unknown – Marshall Field, Kansas was the next stop on Ward and Fay's journey. Ward was the Base Commander. They had moved into the Commander's Quarters and Fay had just made Dining Room curtains, when Ward got orders for Guam.
Early 1945 – Ward goes to Guam and Fay and Gloria return to Cincinnati.
Ralph and Marjorie Mohney were now living on Erie Ave, in Cincinnati Ohio.
Summer 1946 – After the war is over, dependents can go to base, but only if there is a place for them to live. Ward got a quonset hut and they put walls in to divide it into rooms. Ward painted and fixed it up. Then Fay and Gloria took the President Buchanan to Guam to join Ward. It was not the luxurious boat of the President series they had traveled on back and forth to Japan when she was a child, because it had been converted to a troop carrier. There was a shortage of water and they only got drinks at meal time.
Spring 1947 – Ward, Fay and Gloria leave Guam by ship, because Fay is pregnant with Linda and there is no longer and obstetrician on Guam. They take a ship to Korea, then to Hawaii, then to Seattle. Very cold in Seattle, Fay sends for a coat and one is soon delivered by the local "Singer man" in Seattle.
Fay and Gloria stay in Cincinnati and Ward returns to Guam.
September 15, 1947 – Linda Fay Ward makes her entrance into the world.
October 1947 (?) – Ralph, Marjorie and Paul Mohney along with Fay, Gloria and Linda Ward move to Miaminon in Loveland Ohio.
November 1947 (?) Ralph Mohney had a stroke, he recovered and they redecorated the Dining Room.
December 1947 - C. Eloise Mohney married Robert Samuel Shott (son of Samuel David Shott and Louise Dorthea Feusahrens).
Early, 1948 – Singer Company sent Ralph and Marjorie to Mount Dora Hotel (?) in Florida, for him to have a couple months to recover.
Winter of 1948 – Fay and Ward bought a 2nd hand station wagon from the Singer Company and drove to Spokane Washington. AAA had advised them to take Rt. 66 all the way to California and then go to Washington up the Coast. They said the Northern Route would not be safe with a baby. They took AAA advice.
In Spokane, Fay and Ward lived in a house in town. Fay felt stuck for transportation, since Ward took the car to work every day. Especially when she saw that Chi Omega was having a meeting. She called a member of the group and they said someone would be glad to pick her up until they found out where she was living and then said they did not have anyone from that area of town. She was very disappointed.
They moved out of town to Fort George Wright. It was made up of housing and an officers club. The housing was in a long building that contained about 8 apartments. Linda was then about 15 months old and took her first steps there on the parade ground.
They had one on the lower floor, but still the garage was under the building. It was very cold there. Gloria had started to kindergarten in town. The fort maintained the road as far as the bridge over the river then the town maintained the road. One very cold morning, Fay bundled Gloria and Linda for the trip to town, then she went out to start the car. The car was frozen to the garage floor, (she later learned it was -38 degrees). She used 2 teakettles of boiling water to unstick the tires from the floor. Then she got the girls loaded in the car and told them they needed to be very quiet while she drove. They were very still and she made it to the bridge, but then realized the town had not plowed their side of the route. She took Gloria by a long way around and got her to school.
When Ward got home he did remind Fay that children do not have to go to kindergarten on such days.
Unfortunately (or was it fortunately), Wards sinus trouble came back. He said, "It was too cold for this Georgia boy."
Winter 1950 – transferred to Omaha, Nebraska – SAC headquarters – Offutt
Fay and Ward rented a house in Plattsmuth Nebraska. It had an empty lot behind it, so Ward could put a big garden in.
Gloria was in the 1st grade, when they moved further out to the country, where she could catch a school bus, instead of Fay needing to drive her to school. But the bus stop was ½ mile from house so she needed to pack up Linda and drive Gloria to the bus anyway.
Gloria's teacher came to dinner and spent the night. The teacher had made good friends with the cat. In the middle of the night, the cat presented her with the present of a half dead mouse.
They had one of the old style party line phones on the wall in the kitchen. One time 10 to 12 cows had gotten out of their pasture and were in the front yard. Fay called the farmer. He told her to just go out and wave her arms around. Fay said, "But their bigger then I am…" She heard laughing from people listening in on the partyline.
1950 – transferred to Tampa Florida, lived in Guest Quarters on Base for a while, but bought their first house. 6603 Bayshore Blvd. It was a small 3 bedroom tract style house that cost $8,700 (payments were $53 a month). (They kept the house until 1972 and rented it out. It provided them with some additional income. A realtor managed it and they only had one bad tenant.
This was one of Fay's favorite places.
In the morning, she would drive Ward to work, Gloria to school, Linda to preschool and then do errands, play golf or bridge and then go back and pick up the girls. Ward generally got a ride home. Fay learned that if you fry onions, your husband will think you've really been cooking.
The public school for their end of Bayshore Blvd was not a good school, so Gloria went to private school.
As always, Fay took part in the Officer's Wives Club and worked on their paper. She, also, learned to play golf and was a part of the Tampa Woman's Golf Assoc. They would play golf and have lunch at different clubs every week. One of her favorite clubs was owned and run by Babe Diedrickson and her husband, George ???.
Life was good here!
June/July 1952 – Ward was sent to B29 transition training to get ready to go to Korea. He got home to visit a couple times before leaving for Korea.
"The Break-In"
One night Fay heard a noise in the bathroom, it sounded like Linda had gotten out of bed and was playing on the bathroom scale. She hollered at her, "Linda get down." But when she looked in the bathroom a white arm was poking in through the window and reaching for the latch. She screamed, "What are you doing?" The fellow took off running, tripping and breaking her pepper bush that she had nourished for 2 years.
She called the police, and the base police and a neighbor most have called the sheriff, because they all arrived in a hurry and it was quite a scene. Apparently, the would-be robber had broken in to the shed, and tried the back door and then was attempting the window when Fay caught him in the act.
She tried to call Ward about it, but he was out on survival training. When he got back, he had to wait in line for the phone and must have been doing some imbibing while he was waiting, because he was tipsy when he finally got through to her. She wanted to get bars put on the windows and a light on the telephone pole in the back yard. Ward said, "What ever you want to do honey is fine with me…" Fay, also, went to the pound and bought a dog.
February 3, 1953 Ralph McConnel Ward makes his appearance a couple weeks early. He weights 5 ½ lbs. Ward was away and a friend of theirs who was a little drunk took her to the hospital. Fay had been taking care of their 9 month old and thinks she went into early labor, because of the lifting of the baby in and out of crib. Ward got home for a visit, shortly after his birth.
Not long after, Ralph's birth Ward went fight in Korea. He was stationed at Yakota Air Force Base, near Yokohoma, Japan and flew B29's over Korea.
Summer 1953, Ralph and Marjorie Mohney went to visit his brother, Paul N. and Marguerite Mohney on Long Beach Island New Jersey. While they were still there Fay arrived with her children to visit. Marjorie stayed longer and Ralph went home. Fay drove Marjorie back to Ohio and stayed there for a visit.
C. Eloise and Bob Shott were living in the barn apartment with their 2 children Eric (age 4) and Susie (age 2).
While Fay was there visiting Ralph and Marjorie were at some friends for dinner. Ralph wasn't feeling well and went to lie down. He did not feel any better, Jim McCready drove him to the hospital, he was telling jokes on the way to the hospital, but could not remember names of things. He was having a massive stroke.
While he was in the hospital, there was a lot of ferrying people back and forth to visit. Jim was around with a car and so was Fay and C. Eloise and Bob Shott.
One time when Fay went to visit, she told Ralph that his goose were chasing the little children (Eric and Susie Shott, and Linda Ward) at Miaminon. He said to catch it and take the goose to the Meat Locker in Loveland and he would take care of it. Fay remembers cornering the goose in a fence and wrapping it up and sending Gloria to get the truck. They took the goose to the meat locker and that was the end of that…
Fay was with Ralph when he died on August 7, 1953. She remembers that he was resting quietly and then his body gave a little jerk and then she went to get the nurse to verify that he was dead.
Fay remembers Ralph's mother Geneve coming to the funeral and crying, "It should have been me."
After Ralph Davis Mohney died, Miaminon was sold, because Marjorie did not drive and could not get around. Marjorie moved to an apartment Montgomery (?). Paul N. was attending classes at Miami University at this time.
Right before Christmas, Ward called to say, he would be coming home, and how would she like Altus… then the phone call was cut off. She found an atlas and discovered that it was in Oklahoma.
Christmas Day 1953, Ward came home bearing gifts. He brought Ralph a model of a motor boat and Japanese dolls for Gloria and Linda. He brought Pearls for Fay.
Early 1954 – They rented out their house and move to Altus Oklahoma.
SAC was just taking over a base. Ward was either the supply officer or the material officer.
They lived in a subdivision house built for the military personnel, so there were lots of compatible people around. There was not really any civilization around. They had to drive to Texas to go to a restaurant. It was a dry county, but if you called the taxi, they would bring you liquor.
Gloria was about 10 years old and was getting ready to go into 7th grade. They sent a note home at the end of 6th grade asking to pick her classes for the next year. Fay picked out French, math, English and other regular classes. Then she, also, wrote in Latin. When Gloria took it to school, the teacher said, "What does your mother think, you're going to go to Harvard."
Fay went in to protest, but it was a country town and they did not have Latin or any advanced classes.
Fay did the regular wives club and wives newspaper duties and played a little bridge. She did not really play golf after Tampa.
2 years later (about 1956) –
Wichita, Kansas another base being taken over by SAC. Ward was a Lt. Colonel.
They lived in town and Gloria had a good friend that lived nearby. Then they got one of only 5 quarters on base, later 2 more were built. But it was a small group of people and they all got along well. Fay did the usual, Officer's wives club and bridge.
1959 – Ward got orders for Taiwan. (called Formosa when Ralph and Marjorie had visited there in the 1930's)
Fay invited Marjorie to go with them. Marjorie went to Wichita and drove to San Francisco with Fay, Gloria, Linda and Ralph. She (Marjorie) had forgotten to get her visa, which Fay did not discover until they were in San Francisco and it was the day before they were to get on the plane. Fay found a sitter at the base north of San Francisco and took Marjorie into town to get her visa. The people were most helpful and they were able to leave as planned.
Ward had rented them a house in Taiwan, but it was too small. They found a larger house with a kitchen, Living room/Dining room, office, Bath and Bedroom and 2 servant rooms on the first floor and 4 bedrooms and a bath upstairs. The upstairs bath was on the other side of a porch over the kitchen, so it was a bit chilly for night time visits.
They had 3 servants, a cook, a maid and a Pedicab boy (rickshaw driver). The Pedicab boy's name was Juan.
Marjorie, Fay and the children got around in the cart. The Pedicab boy lived in a shack in the yard.
Ralph went to kindergarten and 1st grade, while they were in Taiwan. At the end of the school year, Ralph's teacher told him, "Ralph you have to learn to sit in your seat, your next teacher may not love you as much as I do."
Gloria had her Sophomore and Junior years of high school in Taiwan. Linda went to 6th and 7th grade.
Taiwan stories.
Another attempted robbery –
One night, very late, there was a knock at the door. Fay figured out that it was Juan, the pedicab boy, he was saying "dorabo" (Japanese for robber) and motioning for Ward to come out quickly. Ward got his gun out from under the bed and ran out into the yard, without dressing, but he was unable to catch the intruder.
1960-While they were in Taiwan, they were invited to tea with Chiang Kai-Shek, the President of the Republic of China.
Marjorie loved playing Mahjong and Fay and Ward took her to Bingo every week. It was amazing that she always seemed to win something.
Fay played the usual bridge and was active in the Officer's wives club.
They took a special trip to Japan, that had been arrange by the "Singer man," including all the tours and hotel reservations. "You can always count on a Singer man." Of course, Uncle Paul R. Mohney was still Agent for the Philadelphia office, although he retired soon after that at the age of 62 or so.
Marjorie had gotten a strep infection and because she was not a military dependent, was admitted to the 7th Day Adventist Hospital in Taipai. She was home, but still not feeling well enough for the trip.
Fay and the rest of the family enjoyed the trip and she was able to show them where she had lived as a child, as well as, other highlights of the country.
One of Ward's jobs on Taiwan was to do weekend flights to Hong Kong. One weekend, Marjorie and Fay went with him and stayed over. Marjorie visited with a "Singer man" and his wife that she had known from Japan. They lived up on the peak overlooking Hong Kong. Fay and Ward stayed in town.
When Marjorie met them at the airport for the return to Taiwan, the couple invited Fay to stay for the week and go home the next weekend when Ward returned. She decided to take them up on the offer.
A typhoon hit Hong Kong that week. They had for warning. The couples 2 Chinese men servants locked themselves in their rooms and would not come out. There were huge glass windows overlooking the city. Fay and the couple moved all the furniture away from the windows and rolled up the rugs and then went to bed. The next morning there were trees and branches down. They had to clear them to be able to get the car out of the garage. Some of the trees were cashew trees, which it turns out are related to poison ivy and can cause the same reaction. Fay was broken out in a rash for the rest of her weeklong stay, and she mostly stayed in bed covered with calamine lotion.
On Friday, Ward came back and picked her up as planned.
The greatest treasure of the trip to Hong Kong was Fays, custom made 11 pairs of shoes and matching bags, which she used for years.
Summer 1960 – All returned from Taiwan. Marjorie took another apartment in Silverton near her Montgomery Church of Christ.
Fay, Ward and the children visited with C. Eloise and Bob Shott and their children, Eric, Susie and Sally, who were now living in a house up the hill from the beloved Miaminon.
In July/August of 1960 – The next home was at Westover Air Force Base in Springfield, Massachusetts.
They were in Westover for 4 years.
Gloria graduated from High School at Chicopee Massachusetts. The following year she went to Springfield College, but was not happy. She quit and went to work for an insurance company, where she met Aldo Charles Zucaro, who was an auditor. They were married on October 14, 1963.
Linda completed eth through 11th grade while they were in Mass. Ralph went from 2nd through 6th grade.
When they first arrived the only base quarters were apartments, so they rented a small house until something more suitable was available.
They wound up with 2 – one bedroom apartments in a U-shaped building that contained 4 apartments.
They used the one apartment as it existed with Fay and Ward taking that bedroom. In the other apartment, Ralph had the bedroom and Gloria and Linda used the Living/Dining area for a shared bedroom.
Along with Fay's usual Officers Wives Club duties, Fay was the volunteer head of the local Girl Scout Camp. When the Girl Scouts decided to hire a director the head of the Springfield Girl Scout Organization told Fay to go apply for the job. Ward took the day off to drive her to Boston to do the job application. One of the first questions out of the woman's mouth was where did she go to school. Fay told her, and then she wanted to know what her degree was in. Well when Fay told her she had not graduated, she very haughtily stated that they only hired College graduates. Fay and Ward just left and Fay decided to spend her time and energy other places.
She decided to volunteer at the base library. She had in mind every day, but the librarian thought that one day would be a good start. Then it changed to ½ day then to 2 ½ days then soon to every day.
It came a time when the librarian was transferred and the Asst. librarian's husband was transferred. Because there was a headquarters company there, that had it's own librarian, the people in charge thought that Fay could take on the job temporarily and if she needed any help she could check with the headquarters librarian.
So Fay had 8 months as a paid librarian, being in charge of a library with 33,000 books. She had 3 enlisted employees. One of their other jobs was to rotate books available in the underground libraries that were available for the pilots that who spent 5 days at a time on duty in the underground flight rooms.
The job ended when a woman coming back from Germany was put in charge of the Library. Still it was one of Fay's favorite times.
1964 – Ward went to Turkey - Karamursel Air Force Station near Yalora.
He rented a house and Fay, Linda and Ralph joined him. Gloria was married and living with her husband Aldo.
Ralph finished 7th through 8h grades here.
Linda graduated from high school the first year in Turkey. She returned to the states to attend Douglas College. But first she was in Loveland Ohio, visiting with her Aunt C. Eloise and Bob Shott and family (Eric, Sue and Sally)
1966 – Ramstein Air Force Base Germany – 3 years
Ralph gets badly burned.
1968 Langley Air Force Base, Virginia
Fay and Sally remember a big family Christmas gathering that included. C. Eloise and Sally Shott, Paul N. and Carol Money, with Sharon and Janet Mohney and Ward, Fay and Ralph Ward.
Ward eligible for retirement in September 1969. They bought a house in Rota Spain, but did not live there yet.
In early August they went to Izmir, Turkey where Ralph would attend the Military Dependent School for his senior year of High School.
Ward was 54 when he retired. Fay was 49. (She retired from making bacon and eggs for breakfast and then only cooked them on Sunday.)
The lived in Izmir Turkey near NATO headquarters for 2 years, until 1970. Ralph attended fall semester at University of Maryland at Munich, but was not happy and did not return after the holiday.
1972, Fay and Ward went to live in their house in Rota Spain. Ralph was taking courses from the University of Maryland and working as a bagger at base commissary. Ward was frustrated with not having anything to do. They even came in and watered the inside plants and he had no room to garden.
Fall 1973 – Estepona - They bought a house near by from some Canadians who wanted to return home. The Canadians were not happy that they just wanted the house and not the furnishings, but they got the furniture sold. Ward got to spend 3 years creating beautiful gardens. Every 6 months they had to make a trip out of the country, because they could technically only live there 6 months at a time.
They had the house in Estepona for 12 years. They loved it, but it was not very pleasant in winter, because of poor heating and lack of insulation. They started coming back to the states for 6 months every year.
1980 Bought a Modular house in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Fall 1984 – Sold house in Spain, but left their car there.
1985 - Returned for one more driving trip through Spain and then sold the car.
1985 Sold home at Port St. Lucie and moved to Miami, FL where they lived S.W. of Miami in Kendall Florida in a rented house near Homestead Air Force Base.
February 1987 moved to San Antonio
November 27, 1987 – Fay's sister Celia Eloise Mohney Stroppel dies in Cincinnati Ohio.
1988 traveled back to Spain and took several other trips, including spending a month in Australia and New Zealand.
1992 - 50th wedding anniversary of Albert and Fay Ward.
Family arrives from all over, including children, Grandchildren, brothers, sisters, cousins, Aunts, Uncles – A good time was had by all!
Ward could not get around very well and is diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
June 22, 1995 Albert McConnel Ward died.
1996 – Fay took to trip to Alaska
June 1998 - Fay went to England then to Spain and stayed with friend, Jean for a week, and then to a house she had rented for the summer. Her brother, Paul N. Mohney and his wife Carol came to visit, as did other friends. At the end of the summer she spent another week staying with Jean and then took a Sailboat Cruise home.
Fall 2000 – Took trip with nieces, (C. Eloise's daughters, Sally Shott and Susan Shott Ditmire). They went to Ridgway, Pennsylvania, Alfred University and Hammondsport, New York, saw places from her childhood and spent time with relatives still living in the area.
Late June 2001 – Fay's 80th Birthday Year – Parties all over Europe. Traveled with her friend Jean. Drove to France, Germany and Holland (where they stayed for a month in the home of a friend of Jean). Fay was scheduled to return home on September 11, 2001. Advised that there had been some sort of accident in New York and she could stay in Spain for a couple days or fly to Frankfurt, which was her first scheduled stop on trip. Frankfort would be rather full, because of the German auto show, but Fay decided to go on to Frankfort anyway. They put her up in a hotel for 2 days and then hotel said they were all reserved for weekend and returned her to airport. The airport told her they had a volunteer family that would take her in. It turned out to be a nice middle aged couple with 2 cats and she had her own room and bathroom on the lowest level of their home. They entertained her from Thursday to Monday and would not even let her buy them dinner.
She was able to fly out on September 17, 2001, but still hears from the couple by email.
February 2006 – Fay gives up her cottage on Bannocks Ct and moves to an apartment.
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