A Christmas Moment

Decorating the tree with Grandma

Admiring the finished product with Grandpa

The wonder of it all!

Oh,  those eyes!

And that dimple!

Part 2 Uncle Larry Grows Up

 The Boys Are All Grown Up Now

Larry is following in Lyle's footsteps to attend Medical School at the University of Illinois, Deane is going to go to Eastern, work at Staley, and enter the Military, and get married in 1960.  Ellen will go to college for a year and get married in 1962. 

 It's Time to Say Goodbye to the Farm.

Gully's older brothers and he were all farmers, and they knew nothing else. But
farming was hard. There was no way to control the weather and pests.  He rented the land, so a lot went to the owner, possibly 50%.
One of Helen's fellow teachers had a husband who was in Human Resources for USI. He hired Gully because he was in his 50's.
Helen and Paul moved to Atwood where Helen taught, a couple of years before their home was finished . They rented a home up the alley on Main Street.
Mennonite Craftsmen built their brick ranch home on Orchard.
Ellen had to stay with Grandma Keyes during the week in Lovington through 8th grade, while the house was being built. (thanks to Aunt Ellen for details)

The family moved to Atwood, and Helen became a First Grade Teacher. Shopping at the IGA was like traveling with a celebrity.

The Five Year Photos Continue.  It looks like Lyle is the only one who has married so far, producing the All-Important First Grandchild.

Larry Gets Married

Looks like it must have been a Christmas wedding.

Never saw Grandma look so coy before.

I don't know if we were at this wedding, but we sure thought Joyce was glamorous!

Time for the next 5-Year Picture. I remember Grandma telling us that young ladies sat with their ankles crossed, and hands folded neatly in their lap. News to me!!!

Babies start arriving.. Larry always has a look of wonder when gazing at his children.

Larry Perfects His Look. And quite a look it was!

He became known for his, shall we say, individual, style of dress.

And, yes, time for the next 5-Year Picture. I think all four of Gully and Helen's kids have completed their families here.

Hmmmm, I'm not sure where this was taken? Illinois? California?

Anyway, I think Larry moved his practice to Illinois somewhere around this time.

Growing up kids. I think this was on Beautiful Lake Springfield.

The next 5-Year Picture. I bet this was 1975. I remember the clothes distinctly. Interestingly, my Dad was only able to get one photo of a wife  through all the years, and that was in 1955!

My Uncle Larry Part 1 The Lovington Years

 My Uncle Larry. 

 He was born in 1937 to Helen Muriel Keyes and Paul Thornton Wacaser in Lovington, IL ...at home, we believe.
My grandmother told the story of her shock when he was born with a caul, and covered with hair.
Since he turned into the local Dreamboat, I think that all resolved.

Grandma labelled all of her photos, so here he is at 3. He is showing the "backwards bending knees" (that's what we all called it) that all the kids and Grandma had...and maybe Grandpa too. How many 80 year old men do you know who can touch palms to the floor without bending their knees??

 1943 looks like a fun year. The kids obviously had to work on the farm. They are barefoot!!! Can you even imagine what they have walked through?

 The arrow points to Larry. I am positive that Grandma told my Dad to NEVER WRITE ON THE PICTURES, but he's not very good at following rules.  Ellen's bathing suit is especially cute.

I bet Deane and my Dad and maybe Larry were heading off to their One Room Schoolhouse here. Great Grandma Keyes and Grandma Helen Keyes Wacaser taught here. The schoolhouse has been converted into a single family home by an Amish family

A couple of the kids below came to the funeral!


Gully with the kids. I don't think he ever  really enjoyed farming, and these were hard years. My Grandma tells the story of standing on the floorboard of the car, driving slowly along the road, throwing fistfuls of poison pellets on the grasshoppers that completely covered the crops. Evidently it was a no-win situation.

 Again, Dad,
No writing on the photos!!
But here they are surely happy to be with the local hero

 So innocent here..

Totally unsure abut what is happening here-- flight school?

Here is the famous "Collecting Milkweed Pods for the War Effort " photo. 

Supposedly the military was using the fluff from the pods to stuff lifejackets as part of the War Effort.

Ellen says Grandma submitted this photo to a magazine.

 This may have been the beginning of Grandma's tradition of the Every -5 -Year- Photo.

My dad looks like he already needs glasses. Deane looks like himself, sweet as pie. Larry looks a bit chubby.

This must be the Second Five-Annual Family Photo. The tradition held for about 50 years!

LARRY: THE DREAMBOAT YEARS

Well, talking to the locals, we discovered that Larry was quite the Dreamboat!

He was a big athlete at Lovington HS- Dad says he was the State's highest scorer in Basketball, and I'm sure that's not all.

You've got to admit-- Super Dreamy!!!!!

Love the signature!!