Last week on this Blog I posted some photographs taken at the weddings of several Hatch's Bookstore employees back in the 1980s. But before I moved to Denver, back in the late 1970s, my entire family and I attended the wedding of our cousin Betty. My parents drove up from Stuart, Florida, and we once again all got together as an extended family like we used to in the good old days. I think this was probably the last time that ever happened. I moved to Denver, soon to be followed by my sister Susan and brother-in-law George, and my parents for the most part stayed put in Florida. In the photograph on the left (from left to right) are my sister Susan, my Uncle Jack (my mother's brother), my father Nelson, my mother Mary, and my cousin Byron, Betty's baby brother.
Betty, by the way, was married to Tom for many years and they had two children, Carrie and Sandra. Tom worked as the Lumber Manager at Gee Lumber, a popular lumber yard and home improvement chain in the Chicago area before places like Home Depot and Lowes put them out of business. Tom had a major stroke while still in his forties, was paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, and could no longer speak. I am not sure how much he was aware of us and his surroundings, although he let his youngest daughter Carrie help him. After a year or two, Tom passed away, and a few years after that Betty met Frank at her church, and they got married. We were all very happy for them, and they were happy together for the rest of their lives. My sister and I never saw any of our Chicago relatives again after we moved to Colorado, although my mother went back a few times to visit with them. Years ago, people would remain in their neighborhoods, such as our south side Chicago community of Brainerd, for their entire lives. Now everybody is spread out all over the country. Just a sign of the times. I guess. And in a way very sad.
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