In an effort to document my family treasures which cannot be scanned in, I am publishing this series of pictures as part of the Treasure Chest Thursday theme at Geneabloggers.  Someday in the future, I hope to shed some light on these treasures for my family who might inherit them.  What were they for?  Who did they come from? Why were they considered treasures?  Let’s find out.

Rock from the Park

This rock was picked up at a park in Saginaw, Michigan by my best friend, Jennifer (Strachan) Peck.  She knew I liked rocks and she happened across this shiny piece, so she picked it up and gave it to me the next time she saw me.  That was back in the summer of 1989.

It has chunks of quartz that shimmer in the light.  There’s no particular reason that I kept it – I just liked it.  Jennie gave it to me so it’s a symbol of our friendship.

Week #25 – Neighbors. Who were your childhood neighbors? Have you kept in touch with any of them? Do you feel the concept of “neighbors” has changed since then?

We lived on a dead end in Bridgeport with only one neighbor – Loreen Scheidler and her kids Ty and Heather.  Kathleen was good friends with Heather and I had a mega-crush on Ty, who was much older than us.  He used to sit on the back deck with his boombox and blast cassette tapes of Twisted Sister and Mötley Crüe in the early 1980’s.  I have no idea what happened to them.  When they moved on, a new family moved in with a young girl my age named Angie.  We became friends for a few years until I moved away to Saginaw, but I never kept in touch with her either.

People these days are much less likely to know their neighbors than they were when I was growing up.  At least, that’s how it seems to me.  We know three of our neighbors today.  I even took them Christmas cookies this year, which was a first in the ten years we’ve lived here.  One of them sent their little daughter back to our house with a plate in return.  People just don’t do that anymore.  None of our neighbors have approached us for anything except a quick wave when passing them on the street.

This is the obituary for my husband’s great grand-uncle, Stephen Zit Green, the brother of Fred Ozro Green.  It was published in the Kalamazoo Gazette in Kalamazoo, Michigan on August 11, 1970.

Obituary for Stephen Zit Green

GREEN, Mr. Stephen Z.
Kendall–

Age 85, passed away Monday afternoon at Lakeview Community Hospital, Paw Paw.  Mr. Green was born Feb. 27, 1885, in Kendall, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Abner Green and was a life resident of this area.  He retired from Ingersolls in Kalamazoo.  Mr. Green is survived by 4 sons and one daughter, Azel A. of Posen, Ill., Stephen D. of St. Petersburg, Fla., Francis W. of Niles, Chester A. of Kendall and Mrs. Bonnie A. Allen of Lawrence; one brother, John of California; one sister, Mrs. Rachel (Nell) Watkins of Kalamazoo; a step-brother, Francis Forbes of Rupert Lake; 18 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his wife, 2 sons, a brother and a sister.  Services will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. from the Gobles Chapel of the Robbins Funeral Home, Rev. Paul Arnstrom officiating.  Burial in Kendall Cemetery.

• Stopped into Ace Hardware for a spot cleaner, and they had exactly the one we wanted. Cashier gave us $20 in discounts & coupons. Woohoo! #
• Breakfast on MLK Day with the folks @ US Egg. Pretty yummy! It was nice to hang out and chat for a while. #
• Back to work. *yawn* #
• I'm about to mail my first three letters to Poland with genealogy requests. I hope they make it to the right places! #
• Dinner tonight is at the "world famous" Pizzeria Bianco in downtown Phoenix. Yum! #
• I'm hosting a Lunch and Learn today to talk about a recent conference I attended for work. I hope someone actually shows up to listen. #
• Six people showed up for my presentation. Yay! #
• I don't like it when people schedule meetings through my lunch hour. #
• I'm pretty sure my brain has left for vacation without me. #
• Just finished my final weight training class. I didn't lose any weight, but I lost about 3% body fat during the 16 weeks. That's something! #
• Someone actually joined my East Valley Genealogy Club! Woot! #
• TGIF! #
• Watching the live Barrett-Jackson collector car auction from Scottsdale. It's so much better on TV than in person. #
• From the woman in Michigan whose memories I salvaged & returned: "Thank you. There should be more people like you in the world." #
• …and then my Genealogy Club member bailed on me. Sometimes I wonder if my constant efforts are worth it! #

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Mary Dreffs holds her youngest children, twins Daniel and Diane

I would like to wish my mother a very HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY!  I love you Mom!

In an effort to document my family treasures which cannot be scanned in, I am publishing this series of pictures as part of the Treasure Chest Thursday theme at Geneabloggers.  Someday in the future, I hope to shed some light on these treasures for my family who might inherit them.  What were they for?  Who did they come from? Why were they considered treasures?  Let’s find out.

Ring Monster From Aunt Colleen

My Aunt Colleen (Cole) Zana made this little ceramic ring holder.  I received it as a gift in 1983.  My sister Kathleen has it’s sibling – a matching red one.  I really treasure this fragile little piece of art.  My Aunt Colleen made it – and I LOVE it because of that!

For years, my sister used hers to store her rings at the sink when she did the dishes.  Mine has held little treasures over the years but I never used it for ring storage.  I keep him stored in a clear display box so it doesn’t get dusty or broken.

Week #24 – Clothes. What types of clothes did you wear as a child? What was “in fashion” and did your style compare? What types of clothes did you wear as a child? What was “in fashion” and did your style compare?

Clothes and fashion – two words that didn’t go together in my vocabulary.  Clothes were to keep you at the right temperature and make sure your legs didn’t chafe.  Clothes kept you dry when it was raining and warm when the snow was falling.  Clothes fostered swimming in the summer, and long arms on shirts kept you from getting poison ivy in the ditch.

Clothes are for comfort and purpose, not aesthetics.  That’s my Mom talking right there, let me tell you.  My sister is the exact opposite.

All of my friends wore Nike shoes with neon laces and Adidas jackets.  They sported ten Swatch watches on one arm and a thousand jelly and bangle bracelets.  They wore jean jackets with buttons featuring New Kids on the Block.  They wore Wrangler jeans with the legs rolled up.  Their hair was perfect with those late 80′s sky-high bangs or elaborate french braids with half a can of Aqua Net holding it in place even during a tornado.

I’ve never had a sense of fashion or the concept of style. I’m sure more than a few of my classmates laughed at my simple unstylish clothes throughout my life, but I didn’t care.  Even today, I wear plain old blue jeans and a t-shirt every chance I get.  I hate carrying a purse.  I’d rather use a men’s wallet or just throw my license and some cash in my pocket.  If I can’t go barefoot, then tennis shoes will do.   I don’t do heels – EVER.  (I wore ballet slippers down the aisle when we got married.)

I never do my hair; I never wear make-up.  I just wake up and rip a comb through my hair to get the snarls out and that is it.  A true tomboy, through and through.

This is the obituary for my husband’s great-grandfather, Fred Ozro Green.  It was published in the Kalamazoo Gazette in Kalamazoo, Michigan on December 10, 1961.

Obituary for Fred Ozro Green

GREEN, Mr. Fred O.
Kendall, Michigan

Age 79, Passed away at the Alamo Nursing Home last night. Mr. Green was born in Michigan and had been a lifelong resident of this area. His wife, Wava, preceded him in death. Surviving are: 4 sons, Ernest of Portland, Ore., Robert of Otsego, Max of Phoenix, Ariz. and Don of Gobles; 4 daughters, Wilma Wait of Kendall, Virginia Stech of Kalamazoo, Betty Leversee of Kendall and Helen Johnson of La Punde, Calif., 22 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; 2 brothers, Stephen Green of Kendall and John Green of Calif.; one sister, Rachel Watkins of Kalamazoo. Funeral services will be held Monday at 2 p.m. at the Kendall Church. Burial in Kendall Cemetery. The family suggests that donations may be made to the Kendall Methodist Church Memorial Fund. Friends may call at the Andre Funeral Home, Gobles, until 11 o’clock Monday morning.