Eighty-five years ago today was the birth of my mother, Lela Nell (Johnston) Hork, the only daughter of Tom J. Johnston and Pansy Louise Lancaster. She was born in Stephenville, Texas, a small-sized town southwest of Fort Worth. In 1930, there were about four thousand residents in Stephenville.
Here is the earliest photo I have of my mother with her mother.
She lived in Texas most of the 1930s and then near the beginning of World War II, her father worked on construction sites in Idaho, Oregon, and California. They finally settled in California, living in Walnut Creek and finally in Pleasant Hill.
I have many photos of my mother, at least half with either her mother or her cousin, Sandra, in them.
In high school, she was very active. She served as social secretary during her freshman year at Acalances High School and kept track of all of her dates. She never seemed to have a free night.
She met my father at the annual Walnut Festival and they married on 19 April 1953. Together they had six children.
My mother was a very creative person. When I was young, she had a painting studio in the backyard. Her favorite subjects were still lifes. She also loved to do crafts and making things out of discarded or used items. She made bowls from old 78 rpm records that she melted over coffee cans in the oven and then sprayed with gold paint. She made Christmas trees with egg cartons, painting them gold, green, or silver, and gluing in small items such as bells, angels, etc. Every year, she decorated a large apple box for Valentine's Day where our classroom put in their Valentine cards for each of our classmates. I wish I had photos of some of these items.
She enjoyed looking for used treasures at Goodwill, Salvation Army, or St Vincent de Paul stores and called it "junking" instead of shopping. I think she got her ideas from magazines. She subscribed or purchased from the grocery store the following magazines: Good Housekeeping, Women's Day, Family Circle, Cosmopolitan, Better Homes and Gardens, and Sunset.
She was also liked to sew and many of our dresses were sewn by her. One time, my two brothers, sister, and I had outfits made from the same fabric and matched her dress, too. It was very easy to tell who was who when we traveled. Here is a sample of us older four kids wearing her creation.
My mother didn't like her photo taken when she got older, so we have very few of her. She didn't like her weight. It never mattered to us. Unfortunately, she died young, at only 57 years old in 1992. My daughters never got a chance to know her and experience all of her creative talents. My daughters are both very artistic, taking after her.
Happy Birthday, Mom. I sure miss you.
Copyright © 2019 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.
Here is the earliest photo I have of my mother with her mother.
She lived in Texas most of the 1930s and then near the beginning of World War II, her father worked on construction sites in Idaho, Oregon, and California. They finally settled in California, living in Walnut Creek and finally in Pleasant Hill.
I have many photos of my mother, at least half with either her mother or her cousin, Sandra, in them.
In high school, she was very active. She served as social secretary during her freshman year at Acalances High School and kept track of all of her dates. She never seemed to have a free night.
She met my father at the annual Walnut Festival and they married on 19 April 1953. Together they had six children.
My mother was a very creative person. When I was young, she had a painting studio in the backyard. Her favorite subjects were still lifes. She also loved to do crafts and making things out of discarded or used items. She made bowls from old 78 rpm records that she melted over coffee cans in the oven and then sprayed with gold paint. She made Christmas trees with egg cartons, painting them gold, green, or silver, and gluing in small items such as bells, angels, etc. Every year, she decorated a large apple box for Valentine's Day where our classroom put in their Valentine cards for each of our classmates. I wish I had photos of some of these items.
She enjoyed looking for used treasures at Goodwill, Salvation Army, or St Vincent de Paul stores and called it "junking" instead of shopping. I think she got her ideas from magazines. She subscribed or purchased from the grocery store the following magazines: Good Housekeeping, Women's Day, Family Circle, Cosmopolitan, Better Homes and Gardens, and Sunset.
She was also liked to sew and many of our dresses were sewn by her. One time, my two brothers, sister, and I had outfits made from the same fabric and matched her dress, too. It was very easy to tell who was who when we traveled. Here is a sample of us older four kids wearing her creation.
My mother didn't like her photo taken when she got older, so we have very few of her. She didn't like her weight. It never mattered to us. Unfortunately, she died young, at only 57 years old in 1992. My daughters never got a chance to know her and experience all of her creative talents. My daughters are both very artistic, taking after her.
 |
| A rare shot of all of us |
Copyright © 2019 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.
Lovely photos, lovely memories. (hugs)
ReplyDelete