Excerpts from Dad’s letters to Mom when he was in the Army

Camp Campbell, KY.  Mailed to 406 East A, Hutchinson, KS
Postmarked 3-14-43
“Sweet, when the time comes you notify the Red Cross there in Dodge and they will notify the Red Cross here and they will make it possible for me to get an emergency furlough.”

Postmarked 3-15-43
Have you been writing to Florence?  When are you going to Hutchinson to stay?  The 1^st Sgt. told me I was almost sure to get a leave when the baby comes.  Sweetheart, I think you just better stay there instead of trying to come to me before “Chuckie” is born.  When you go to Hutchinson tell Glen and Lois I think of them a lot, and tell Glen I envy him.”

Postmarked 3-21-43
Mother (Alice Pyles) told me about you renting a piano.  Practice “Soliloquy” a lot so you can play it for me when I come home.  How is Florence?  I bet she misses Vernon a lot.  Tell me all about your new home and how you like it and everything.  Do you see Lois and Glen often?  I am so happy that Mary and Archie thought to bring the baby things.  I really like them.  They are always so thoughtful and considerate of others.  They are perfectly happy together, aren’t they?

Camp Campbell, KY.  Mailed to Dodge City, KS
Postmarked 6-6-43
I am glad for you if the piano is there.  I can hear you playing “Soliloquy” right now.

Lynne Remembers:
Mother’s birth certificate shows her name as Virginia Louise.  Grandma and Grandpa Gardiner later changed  her name to Betty Jean.  (Caused a bit of a problem when she applied for Social Security.)
Now I know why:   Mom said,  “now lookie here” when she got irritated with us; why she told us dresses she was sewing for us  always went through an ugly stage before they fit perfectly and looked beautiful; and why when we tried to say, “Mother, make her .....,” she told us “Mother Maker is dead!”  Grandma Gardiner taught her. 
Grandpa told Mom, “People who have to be told, can’t be told.”
Dad said Mom had healing hands.  When we were sick, she made us a special bed on the couch and sat on the edge with us and rubbed our hands.  She fed us milk toast too, Jan (years later I made milk toast for her).

Gretchen (Lynne’s Daughter) Remembers Grandma (Betty) and Grandpa (Danny) Pyles:
Going with Grandma to look at rental homes when she was selling real estate.  I used to get so car sick because of her two-footed driving in the hills of Salem (stop, go, stop, go).
Sitting in Salem Nazarene church with Heather (cousin) and laughing at all the L-O-N-G prayers (and we were usually in the second or third row).  One day we asked our Moms why we had to “smell the pews” (turn around and kneel) when we prayed! 
Going to the Oregon State Penitentiary (when Grandpa was Chaplain there).  It was scarey but we just followed closely behind him with big eyes and didn’t make a sound.
Eating lunch at McDonald’s with Grandpa’s blind friend.  I was fascinated watching her eat without being able to see.  (I’m sure she could feel me staring at her.)
Eating Thanksgiving dinner on the stairs of Grandma’s house.  Grandma’s “to die for” pumpkin pie.
Grandpa’s thousands of photo albums upstairs in the loft.
Grandma’s wigs on the upper shelf of her closet - all lined up in a row.
Grandma taking Heather and I do Goodwill to shop for “dress up clothes.”
Grandma’s soft music playing when we would go for visits.  (Editorial: My kids still call “easy listening” and/or religious music “Grandma music.”  Lynne) 
Grandma leaving Kleenex everywhere.  She used to tell me it was OK to pick your nose because sometimes you just couldn’t get it out any other way - then use your Kleenex.

Heidi (Lynne’s Daughter) Remembers Grandma (Betty) and Grandpa (Danny) Pyles:
I remember getting so excited as we would drive up the hill in Salem on the way to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  Gretchen and I would look up at the patio door to see if they were watching us come (and they were) so we would jump out of the car and run up to them – that was a great feeling.
Staying the night at their white, one-story house in Salem in the hot summer.  I slept in a twin bed and ran through the sprinkler.  Seems like I was there a week.  I think Robin was still living at home.
Going for rides with Grandma to her real estate appointments.
Shredded wheat for breakfast.
Grandpa’s frozen Snicker candy bars.  They are still my favorite.
Grandpa’s chili.
Grandma whipping things SO FAST in a bowl.
Thanksgiving at their house.
Very tall Christmas trees.
The hard-shelled bugs that crawled around the patio door.
The rug that hung on the wall in the dining room.
Grandma’s huge bathtub.
Watching Grandma put her makeup on.  It was a process.
Shopping for her shoes at Nordstroms.
Going to Street of Dreams with Grandma, my aunts and my Mom.
Going to the demister and buying something we wanted – a fake bird (dove).  Grandpas made a bird cage for me when we got home.
Making a fort under their stairs with the thick orange blankets.  Gretchen, Heather and I would make the blanket “stick” to the wood on the stairs.  Grandma didn’t like it because the “fuzz” stayed on the wood.
Grandpa watching TV in the loft.
Picking them up at Grandpa’s office for the Oregon State Fair when he worked for the State.
Grandma being a patient of Ed’s when he was in dental school.
How proud I was of her when she walked into a room.  I would say “That’s my Grandma.”  She was so beautiful.
Her funeral – I have never cried so hard.
Gretchen (my sister) sent me money from her own savings account so I could buy an airline ticket to come home for Grandma’s funeral.  (Ed and I were in school in Chicago.)
Grandpa moving to the Alzheimer’s Special Care Facility.
Grandpa bringing down all of his photo albums when we went to visit.
Rattling his keys when he was ready to go home and Grandma was still talking to Mom about something.
Grandma coming to help Mom decorate.
Grandma making my prom dresses and using paper sacks for the pattern.  “It always goes through an ugly stage, honey” she would say.  Boy,  she wasn’t kidding.
Grandpa marrying Ed and I.
Grandma spending hours and hours handsewing beads to my cathedral length wedding gown.
She sewed matching robes for all my bridesmaids.
Playing the piano for us.
The way Grandma held her food with her fingers.
Grandma’s wrinkled tissues laying around.
Grandpa coming to the hospital when Jessica was born.  He held her up to look out the window and said, “It’s a big world out there, kiddo.”
Sitting on Grandma’s bed with Gretchen and Heather in our new, matching Christmas pajamas.
Going to church with Grandma and Grandpa and having everyone know them.
Telling Grandma about my dates.
Her frosty nail polish.
The weird face Grandpa could make.
Grandma’s wigs.  Watching Diane comb them.
The day Grandpa got his shelty dog – Duke II

Glenda Remembers:
Lynne, remember when you taught me the piggity oar ole sliggity ave has giggity on to reggityest?  Ha, too bad I can’t spell it.  Remember our flower shop and false fingernails?

Gail Remembers:
I remember Betty making assembly-line dresses in the upstairs room, Danny mating dogs in the basement, (were they poodles?), trying to get the dog to step onto the carpet when he knew he wasn’t allowed, his famous chili, Diane talking “ib” with her friends so I couldn’t understand her, and getting into trouble for throwing her shoes out of the car window all the time.  There are so many memories of Betty and your family but the ones that will go to heaven with me are: when Betty was still in the Portland hospital, about three days before she was to go to the nursing home, Lynne and she spontaneously sang, “This is the Day That the Lord Has Made.”  When I think my day is intolerable, I think of that and it buoys me up.  Betty came to visit Mom when she was so sick and we were so tired, it had been so long since things seemed normal, and it truly seemed to me that she brought Jesus with her.  She cheered Mom so and whenever I think of her the first thing I think of is that she brought the hands of Jesus when she came.  I loved her so.  In the nursing home she looked at me and out of the blue she said “you little stinker!”  Makes me smile even now.  The last time Mom and I went to her pretty home in Salem – painting the bird sanctuary we got from Jim, her sore eyes when she tried to stay up and talk, going junking. I still have treasured pieces of junk we got together.  I could go on and on but those are the highlights.  I look forward to going to see the home she helped Jesus prepare for each one of us.  I’ll bet she’s having soo much fun.  Do you suppose she decorated Dad’s?

Barb Remembers:
Mom and I went to Betty’s EVERY Saturday afternoon.  They’d sew and decorate while Robin would teach me about growing up ... boyfriend stories and such.
I remember Danny leaving on a short trip and Betty painting the living room pink.
I remember that stinky basement, in the Ontario house, due to their poodle, “Winnie.”  I’m not convinced that Betty ever liked that dog.
My only Christmas memories of childhood are those Christmas Eves at the Pyles’.  The beautifully wrapped presents.  It took hours to unwrap all the presents ... one person at a time ... what marvelous anticipation.
I remember Harmon Killebrew arriving during one of those sessions to deliver a memento to Jimmy.
I remember Robin dressed in a fleece union suit, crying after getting her much-wanted pair of skis.

Lois Remembers:
Dear, dear Betty.  Always bubbling with enthusiasm.  Creativity  plus!  Softly understanding, easy, and a delight to Danny.  Pretty and gifted in SO many ways.  We miss her.

Diane Remembers:
Mom tapping her toes.  Her hand firm around my wrist.  Piano practice.  The day I was cutting and combing her wig and I grabbed the scissors instead of the thinning shears and cut a huge chunk out of her brand-new wig!  Her rubbing my hands when I was sick.  How she hated my messy bedroom.  Her gentle cooking and homemade nighties.  Peanut butter fudge.
Dad was always there.  Dancing with Mom.  Indian dancing with a hula hoop.  Marrying me again...and again...    In his words, “We’ll just keep doing  this until we get it right.”
Saying  “That’s where she rides” when the gas station attendant checked the oil (even if it didn’t register on the dip stick).

Heather (Diane’s Daughter) Remembers Grandma (Betty) and Grandpa  (Danny) Pyles:
Grandma’s witch shoes (short boot heels with pointed toes that  laced all the way up the front.)
Trips to Goodwill for dress-up clothes.
Raspberry freezer jam.
Fuzzy fort on stairs.  Grandma was irritated by the “fuzz” left on the wood of the stairs.
Needles and pins left in everything she made (pillow, chair cover, etc.)
Wads of Kleenex.
She made my prom and homecoming dresses.  (My homecoming dress was so tight around the bottom that I couldn’t get it over my head.)  The pins were always left in the dresses  while she was sewing, so I got stuck when I tried them on - she would pull, I would scream.
Grandpa’s frozen Snickers.
Oyster crackers.
Chili.
Food, man.  Lunchtime.
They tried to feed us those nasty Vienna Sausages, so Gretchen and I took them outside and threw them over the cliff.
Always lots of money in his bathroom drawer.
He let me play with his “church supplies” and his “yellow” white-out.

Zach (Diane’s Son) Remembers Grandma (Betty and Grandpa (Danny) Pyles:
Didn’t know for a long time that Grandma wore a wig.  (Whoa, the first time I saw her without it!  I couldn’t believe it.)
Oyster crackers.
Kitchen utensils in the bathtub for toys.
Picking raspberries and raspberry jam.
Rolling the soccer ball down the stairs.
Grandpa wrestling with me.  Horse-back rides.
Playing with his office supplies.
Army stories.
Fishing.  I caught a lot more fish than he did!
Fried chucker at Christmas.

Copyright © 2003-2008 philfrisk
Last modified: March 31, 2008