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"Mother was a good wife, a mother to admire and look up to ... " | |||
| Most Important Influence ... | ||||
The most important influence in my life was my mother....Charlotte Rhodes Little Goodrich. Born March 28, 1898. Died March 1, 1995, age 97, minus 27 days. Mother was a good wife, a mother to admire and look up to, a Girl Scout captain for about 6 years, a collector of rocks, stamps, a superb knitter and crotchetier, as well as making all our dresses (with bloomers to match) when we were ready for school. One Christmas she made 17 pairs of mittens for us to give to our friends, and baked gazillions of cookies for us to give to our teachers, year after year. Mother loved Christmas; probably because she had been an only child and lived out in the country and had very little contact with others beside church and school friends. We always had a big Christmas with gifts in piles, only to be opened after breakfast, and in certain order. I miss being separated from family during the holidays. Mother knew every wild flower and tree and especially birds in our yard. She had feeders and bird baths near the window of the dining room so she could watch them, and they really did flock to her yard. She also planted a wild flower garden in the back yard with stepping stone paths so she could go and see the white trillium, lady slippers, and all her favorite posies. A lot of the names of the flowers, trees, rocks, and birds stuck in my memory, even though I didn't realize I was learning them. My father was also an example of character-building. His father died at the age of 48 (as he did, also) and left my grandmother with 4 children to raise. Dad, being the oldest, at 14 years old, went to work at Colt's Mfg. Co. (Colt 45 ... the gun that won the west) and worked his way up to be Treasurer of the company during World War II. That responsibility and raising three daughters as well as being highly hypertensive, I am sure, led to his early demise.
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