220211 Sentinel, Mothers

The pictures at the end of this post are some of my favorites.
The pictures were taken on our farm. They are Joyce’s mother and my mother holding our granddaughter.
Both of them were wonderful mothers and had known each other since 1963. They always got along well together. When Joyce and I first started dating her mother and father went over to meet my mother and father, wanting to know who and what my family was all about. Mom and dad must have passed the test so Joyce and I could continue dating. Neither Joyce or I were present during this meeting and did not know about it until Joyce’s mom told her that the parents had met together.

After my naval tour on Guam I went home on leave, I had orders to report to Naval Air Station, North Island on Coronado across the bay from San Diego. That was the first time Joyce had been away from home for an extended period of time. Joyce and her father were very close and he called my mother after we were gone for several months. He told my mom that he missed Joyce terribly and life was not so good without her being home with him. He said things were not the same without her. Today, with Joyce passed away from me, I can understand why he felt the way I do today.

In 1968 my mom went back to work for the first time since WW-2. She would call Joyce’s mother for advice on workplace situations mom was experiencing. Both families were very close. My mother spent her life taking care of her mother and her sister’s children and her own children from WW-2 until 1968, when her children were able to take care of themselves, with grandpa supervising them. He had been retired by then and was home with the kids until mom got back from work. Grandpa would then go to his local tavern to visit with the crew of regulars there. Grandpa and dad loved their beer. I do too and I suppose that is in my DNA from them and a long ancestry of Irish and German ancestors who were all fond of that delightful lager.

The cover photo in the email and on Facebook of the two grandmas was taken in 2003 long after both fathers had passed away. Joyce’s father in 1967 and my father in 1993. The two mothers were best friends until their passing away, my mother in 2005 and Joyce’s mother in 2006. The two pictures below are of the last time they held our granddaughter Hailey in 2004. This was great grandma Mickey holding Hailey.

This picture is my mother, Hailey's great grandma in 2004 holding Hailey.