Mom and Dad shortly before his death
Were they living still, tomorrow (July 1) would be mom and dad's 90th wedding anniversary. Like many young couples during the Great Depression, they opted to elope rather than have a traditional ceremony. So, with friends they went secretly to South Carolina; no doubt with some trepidation, when dad went to visit his new father-in-law, he asked, "Should I run?" Whereupon, the reply, "I think that you have run enough already".
They were well matched although greatly different in temperament and 'style'. Mom tended to be direct, plain spoken and often opinionated. She loved her family---immediate and extended ---and expressed it largely in non-verbal actions. My mom could cook! Dad filled the 'encourager' role and was hardly passive in his relationships. He was forever grateful to the woman he called 'Mamma' who had taken him as an infant when his biological mother abandoned him and his father was for a time unable to care for him.
Coming of age during the economic hardships of the 1930's, they both were hardworkers and over time rose from 'blue collar' to solid 'middle class'. Dad moved from mill operative, to employee at two dry cleaning companies, to owning a dry-cleaning business with a brother-in-law, and retiring as an agent of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. While they were not high school graduates (Mom acquired her GED and LPN when her sons became adults), they both possessed an abundant endowment of 'Wisdom'. My brothers and I were probably college graduates before we knew we had options because of their frequent refrains "When you go to college . . ." and "We want you to have opportunities that we didn't have."
On two previous occasions, on the evening prior to a neighbor's anniversary party, the husband's each had a fatal heart attack. So as their 50th anniversary approached, Mom and Dad told us that there was to be no formal party or reception for them. Instead, all of us spent several leisurely days on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Good choice. . . he lived almost another ten years.
An online dictionary defines legacy as "giving something that will be valued and treasured by those who survive after your death". Using that definition, my brothers and our families have been bequeathed a rich legacy.
Satchel
❤️ Ellen
ReplyDeleteBeautiful sentiment. Sam Z.
DeleteNice article! Those Wachs men and their wives indeed left a legacy!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful testimony to your parents' legacy, your inheritance. I know that were, and would be, proud of you for your legacy in this world.
ReplyDeleteI love Ms and Pa. They took us in and shared life with us.
ReplyDelete