Josephine
This entry is inspired by my fellow blogger, Tom Carten. If you haven't seen his blog yet, it's at http://northfranklin.blogspot.com ...He performs a great service to the Wyoming Valley Community by informing blind radio listeners of local news...including obituaries. I won't say any more because he is a humble guy and might have an urge to hit me over the head with a big stick if I reveal information about him! Anyway, he wrote about a recent decedent who was one of many Rosie the Riveters that kept our nation's war effort going. It made me think about my Aunt Josie.
Wonderful, wise, nervous...that's my Aunt Josie. Many women in our family are/were wonderful, wise, and nervous (including yours truly) so that is not what is outstanding about her. A tall, beautiful woman from a hard working family, she always did the best she could. During the war, she found work at an aircraft plant near Harrisburg. It's amazing to me that she went that far away from her home. Two of her brothers were in the service, and one stayed home to run the family farm. (He had a medical condition, and was therefore exempt from duty.) Only one of her brothers came home from the war. Still, her physical and emotional strength contributed to our country's eventual win over the Axis of Evil.
She still made time for my dad, who was a child at the time. His mother died, and his father was fighting in the European Theater (actually, he was cooking...but you get the idea). My dad escaped the orphanage because of the big heart of his grandmother, Auntie Helen, and Aunt Josie. They took care of him. They were his parents. They stepped in when nobody else would. I love and admire them for that. My dad's grandmother was an orphan, "taken off the altar" in Hazleton somewhere, so she would not want her grandchild in an orphanage.
Aunt Josie married a man named George Eicher, who became my godfather. Loud, strong, and many times outrageous, he probably didn't help her nervousness, but he was a good guy...with the outstanding talents of a mason. He contributed many hours to help with building projects at St. Jude's in Mountaintop. He wasn't the type to darken the door of the church, but he was "good with his hands" and God blessed him for his contributions. His dandelion wine would sit on the kitchen counter in a big bottle. Everybody said the wine tasted great, but I wouldn't know. Overall, Uncle George was quite a character. I loved to hear him talk...he would always talk about the "Amish" (a like in able), and when he got excited his voice went up about three octaves.
They had three boys...Jake, George Jr., and Mark. Mark is the best cousin to me, perhaps because we are closest in age. He provides me with strong emotional support when the chips are down and I love him for that. Jake is a good guy, too. He has a good heart like his mum. Auntie Helen always called George Jr. "Mountain Man" because of his lifestyle and his huge beard. He inherited what I call "the Yanulus temper" which is tough to control. I hope he learns how to handle it and treats his brothers better. Mark, you are still my best buddy...between us we can remember almost everything Auntie Helen said to us.
Aunt Josie was named Josephine after her father (no surprise) and he was named Joseph because he was born on the feast of St. Joseph. Joseph is a good choice because he took care of and provided for his family. It was the number one priority in his life. Aunt Josie was the same way. Family. Family. Family. (Gosh, no wonder I married an Italian!)
What have you done for your family today? What have you done for your country lately, besides complain about it?
Good News
I finished the final draft of short story one (untitled at this point). I'll think of a title someday. Onward to the next mountain to climb.
Wonderful, wise, nervous...that's my Aunt Josie. Many women in our family are/were wonderful, wise, and nervous (including yours truly) so that is not what is outstanding about her. A tall, beautiful woman from a hard working family, she always did the best she could. During the war, she found work at an aircraft plant near Harrisburg. It's amazing to me that she went that far away from her home. Two of her brothers were in the service, and one stayed home to run the family farm. (He had a medical condition, and was therefore exempt from duty.) Only one of her brothers came home from the war. Still, her physical and emotional strength contributed to our country's eventual win over the Axis of Evil.
She still made time for my dad, who was a child at the time. His mother died, and his father was fighting in the European Theater (actually, he was cooking...but you get the idea). My dad escaped the orphanage because of the big heart of his grandmother, Auntie Helen, and Aunt Josie. They took care of him. They were his parents. They stepped in when nobody else would. I love and admire them for that. My dad's grandmother was an orphan, "taken off the altar" in Hazleton somewhere, so she would not want her grandchild in an orphanage.
Aunt Josie married a man named George Eicher, who became my godfather. Loud, strong, and many times outrageous, he probably didn't help her nervousness, but he was a good guy...with the outstanding talents of a mason. He contributed many hours to help with building projects at St. Jude's in Mountaintop. He wasn't the type to darken the door of the church, but he was "good with his hands" and God blessed him for his contributions. His dandelion wine would sit on the kitchen counter in a big bottle. Everybody said the wine tasted great, but I wouldn't know. Overall, Uncle George was quite a character. I loved to hear him talk...he would always talk about the "Amish" (a like in able), and when he got excited his voice went up about three octaves.
They had three boys...Jake, George Jr., and Mark. Mark is the best cousin to me, perhaps because we are closest in age. He provides me with strong emotional support when the chips are down and I love him for that. Jake is a good guy, too. He has a good heart like his mum. Auntie Helen always called George Jr. "Mountain Man" because of his lifestyle and his huge beard. He inherited what I call "the Yanulus temper" which is tough to control. I hope he learns how to handle it and treats his brothers better. Mark, you are still my best buddy...between us we can remember almost everything Auntie Helen said to us.
Aunt Josie was named Josephine after her father (no surprise) and he was named Joseph because he was born on the feast of St. Joseph. Joseph is a good choice because he took care of and provided for his family. It was the number one priority in his life. Aunt Josie was the same way. Family. Family. Family. (Gosh, no wonder I married an Italian!)
What have you done for your family today? What have you done for your country lately, besides complain about it?
Good News
I finished the final draft of short story one (untitled at this point). I'll think of a title someday. Onward to the next mountain to climb.
posted by Reading Reader | 2:35 PM
1 Comments:
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