My website has been dedicated to the memory of my late grandparents. This page is devoted to pictures and stories about my late grandparents.
This page was very difficult for me to bring together as it reminded me of a time, of people and of places that I miss very much..but just the same, as painful as it was to put this page together..it was something I needed very much to do.
I did not have the opportunity to see my grandparents one last time before they crossed over to the other side. I hope as they across from the other side and see this small tribute..it makes them proud and lets them all know how much I love them..how much I miss them..and how proud I am that to have them as grandparents.
My mother's parents
Henry and Ethel Evans
My father's parents
George and Viola Bauman
I will begin with a few comments about my father's parents, George and Viola. I am sorry to say I have very few stories to tell in relation to George and Viola. I will explain why later.
The picture shown here is the one and only picture I have of my grandparents. This picture was taken on their wedding day in 1914! Thanks goes to my cousin Flo for sending me this picture and as it is the only one I have, I treasure it.
I have no memories at all of my grandmother, Viola. She tragically passed away in childbirth when my father was a young boy, so I never knew her.
I have a few memories of my grandfather, George. I remember visiting him and his second wife when they lived in Florida. I remember him showing me the plastic pink flamingos in their front yard and remember him playing games with me in the yard..but that's the extent of my memories of him. Sad, but true.
I have really only one story to tell and that was relayed to me by my Aunt Dorothy (Dot). She told me that my grandfather George adored me. She recalled a family picnic where I parked my rear-end on my grandfather's lap and proceeded to feed him olives till he thought he was going to bust! She told me that he "thought I was just something else" and sat there eating those olives one after another till there were no more. He didn't have the heart to tell me he didn't like olives!
Bless his heart..I'm sorry Grandpa George for making you eat all those olives! LOL
I have many pictures and memories of my mother's parents, Henry and Ethel.
This is a picture of the house where I remember spending a great deal of time as a child. My grandmother kept me during the day while my mother worked. To this day, a very big part of my heart remains in this house and on this property.
I remember one very funny story from the years I spent in this house. I remember it was cold outside so it was probably either late fall or early winter. My uncles hung me from the clothes line! I don't remember exactly how they did this, but it involved my coat and some clothes pins. I remember hanging there yelling my head off and remember my grandmother yelling at my uncles to "get her down from there right now!"
I was pretty young when they hung me from that clothes line, but I still remember it. When I think about it now, the mental imagine I get just cracks me up! I wish someone had a home video of that"hanging"!
This is my grandmother in the front room of the house pictured below.
I do not know what year this picture was taken.
This is my grandfather. This picture was taken at the American Seed Company where he worked for many, many years.
This is my grandmother holding me. The year on the back of the picture says 1955.
This is my grandfather and me. This picture was taken when I was two years old..at my birthday party.
This is a picture of my grandmother and me. I am not sure how old I was in this picture as there is no date on the back to indicate the year it was taken.
But let me tell you, to this day, this picture makes me want to run and hide my head in the sand! Check out that curly do!
Why in the world when I had naturally curly hair to begin with, my mother insisted upon toturing me with those bloody home permanents and making my hair even curlier..is beyond me! LOL
My grandmother was a fantastic cook and a wonderful baker. She loved her family very much and loved nothing more than having her family gathered all together in one location for birthdays, holidays, family summer cookouts.
I remember as a child when it was my birthday, my grandmother would bake me my favorite cake and make me my favorite home made ice cream.
I have fond memories of canning and freezing fruits and vegtables with my grandmother. I remember her basement being full of shelves with all kinds of canned fruits and her freezer being full to the brim with fresh-froze veggies for us to eat and enjoy all winter! And let's not even go there when it comes to the home made applesauce..yummy!!
My grandmother was a very avid quilter and she loved to crochet as well. I wish to this day I had taken the time to have her teach me to quilt. I tried to learn to crochet but I just could never get the hang of it!
My grandmother also collected roosters/chickens/hens..it is my plan when I am able to remodel my kitchen to paint rooster/hen plates to hang on the wall in her memory.
My grandfather had the greenest thumb on the face of the planet! That man had the most gorgeous flower gardens you ever saw. I am still searching for some photos of those gardens. Hopefully I will find them so I can put them here on the site.
My grandfather also collected antiques. He had a very extensive collection of all kinds of antique items. My uncles still have the antique car that belonged to my grandfather.
I remember going to my grandparent's farm to spend weekends. My grandmother had the most wonderful vegetable garden up on the hill. We would go up there in the afternoon and pick veggies to have for dinner. My grandmother also grew strawberries up on that hill. That was my favorite thing to pick. I have to admit though when I was picking strawberries up on that hill, more of them when in my stomach than went in the bowl of berries that was supposed to be for strawberry shortcake!
I have so many wonderful and treasured memories of my grandparents and of growing up in the country. My kids were born and raised in the city and I can't help but believe they have missed out on so much by being raised in the big city rather than in the country.
I will admit that if I did not live here in Phoenix as I do now, I would not have my husband Steve, my two sons and numerous other blessings. But on the other hand, the old saying that you can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl holds very true for me.
I may live in the big city, but my heart is and always will remain in Lancaster County, PA.
