Nettie

Nettie was my father's mother. She was the backbone of the family and held them together through the roughest time in American history. She and Tom married in twenties and had children in time to face the great depression and World War II. Nettie was a force to be recognized and generally ruled with a strong hand. She had little time for idleness or stupid people. She taught me many things. How to play Canasta ; how to hook a rug; how to hang wall paper and how to make a good tasting meal when you had very little to work with. Because of her experience in the depression she was extremely careful with money. Long after my grandfather died, when she was well over 80, she drove the oldest car in town . It was a prewar Dodge. I think, and the antique box shape made it very easy to spot. She wore her hair in bun and I only saw her once with it down. I was amazed when I realized that her hair extended well below her waist. Those days when times were hard, people did things that we now consider cruel. But as was common practice for people with poor teeth, Nettie had each child as they reached maturity have their teeth pulled and fitted for dentures. There were no more dental bills. Nettie had a good heart and would give anyone in need what she could. She was a major element in my education.