Nana Gets Funky

Growing up, I remember my Nana (my great-grandmother -my Mom's grandmother on her Mom's side) as being somewhat of a fiery Portuguese woman.

She defined the term matriarch. She was tough and you didn't mess with her. If there was a holiday, it was celebrated at Nana and Papa's house - no questions asked. One thing was known for sure, she loved her family.

The great thing that I learned when I went through old photos after my Grandma passed away is that I found some saucy photos of Nana. She had a great sense of humor which I wasn't exactly privy to. My Great Aunt Mary remembers how my Nana and her sisters would play dress up. And I found the photos to prove it. I just love these photos, particularly the one where Nana shows some leg in the Hawaiian grass skirt.

Oh, you funny, funny lady.

Grandpa Stanish Meets Grandma

My Grandma Bernette (or "B") and Grandpa Joe are my Dad's parents. They raised their family in the town of Oil City, Pennsylvania. They had three children: my Dad Robert, David, and Linda. Recently on a trip back to Pennsylvania I asked my Grandma how she came to meet my Grandpa Joe.

Grandma's mom, Regina Eilers Frommelt, came from a large family in Guttenberg, Iowa. Regina was the second of ten children and her younger brother Greg was the eighth.

Grandpa Joe came from a large family, as well - fourteen in all. His older sister Ann was a twin and the seventh or eigth in line. Grandpa Joe was also a twin and the eleventh or twelfth in line. So, after that explanation my Great-Great Uncle Greg Eilers married my Great Aunt Ann Stanish in Pennsylvania. They travelled to Iowa after their wedding and my Grandpa Joe tagged along. That's where he met my Grandma.

So, Grandma went back with this travelling group to spend the summer in Pennsylvania before her senior year in high school. She was hooked, but had decided to go back to Iowa to finish out her schooling with her classmates. After high school she went back to Pennsylvania, but Grandpa Joe and Grandma didn't get married until a couple years later. I'll have to ask more questions on that one. But, look at those photos of the two - no wonder they were smitten...a cutie patootie and a handsome devil.

Meet My Papa

My Papa is my great-grandfather. Actually, he's my step-great-grandfather on my Mom's Mom's side. The second husband of my Nana.

Papa's name is Harold Thurber. A somehow cousin of the author James Thurber. Papa lived from 1905 to 1982 in Vallejo, Eureka, and Napa California. I don't know much about his years before he married my Nana. I do know that he came from a family that had 21 children.

He was married and had a daughter before my Nana. All we knew is that he and his first wife divorced and that he never saw his daughter. Late in his life, his daughter showed up on his doorstep asking if he was Harold Thurber. She said she would return on Easter. Papa was so excited because he loved our family and now his family was coming. Apparently he beamed on Easter waiting for her return...she never showed. Papa was heartbroken.

It's been my mission since starting my genealogy searches to find Papa's descendents, if there are any. I want to let them know what a warm, loving man he was for the short time that I knew him. I want to tell them the story of how he helped me get out of trouble with my Nana and how he thought it was so funny helping me climb on top of their roof (how dangerous was that?) or when he plucked the largest strawberry from his garden and gave it to my older brother and I to share. He was just a neat, neat guy.

Not ever knowing his first wife's name or his daughter's name has been challenging. But, today luck would shine on me. I discovered, through a popular genealogy site, the name I was looking for - Genevieve Burke! Oh, how I see a small light at the end of this tunnel. Oh, how I can't wait to meet Papa's family and I get the chance to introduce him.