Sibling love

Margaret, Bill and Pat

On March 8, 1998 Uncle Bill wrote "Dear Judy, Jody, Jerry and Jana,
Just a few thought and notes from Uncle Bill.  Pat wrote in my 1934 Lincoln High School annual:
Dearest Bill;
Just a word of kindly advice from one who knows and sure dish it out, you ought to known.  Always remember to be a "good guy" and don't quit.  Tell everybody you're good, in fact, you're better than they are and pretty soon they'll either believe it or push you in the face.  I hope you'll always love to eat, cuz then we'll get along.  Don't forget all the things I've told you and look out for "Wine, Women and so forth."  Maybe if you'd study instead of playing around so much you'll graduate with me yet.  I hope so.  Thanks for all your kindly advice, that I get so often, and let's hope we'll always be near enough to each other to say "Hi Pal."  Your Pal and Sister "Pat"

 

Pat would sit in front of me in Geometry class and that way I could sleep.  Then she would help me with the lessons that night.  She still graduated a year a head of me and she is almost two years younger than I am.  Smart Sister!  When we moved to Newport, Oregon she took a post graduate course so she could help pick out the right "date" and I would help her pick out the "good guys."  That way we would double date a lot.  We also did a lot of plays together.  She would instigate them and then rope me into helping her.  We had a lot of fun together and were real close.  Thanks to her help I turned out all right."

I love that you Mother, Margaret and Bill were very close and good friends.  You all bonded early when your Mother died when you were just 11 years old, in 1928.  Margaret was 14 and took care of you.

Seeing these pictures today makes me miss all of you but especially you Mom.

jody

ps I love you!

 

Mothers Wisdom

Look how cute you are cooking 
with Trouta the cat watching you.  

I have a few things that I say that make me think of you Mom.  I can hear you say "just walk real fast and swing your arms."  You would tell me that when I had a run in my hose or got something on the front of my shirt.  It took me a while to figure out how silly I would look, but it was excellent advice.

Every time I tell my dogs that they are "bad characters" I'm pretty sure you use to use that phrase with our pets, especially the bad character dachsunds. 

I can hear you say, "I need a drink."  I know you loved martinis.  It makes it sound like you were an alcoholic but you weren't but I like to say that too when I need a Diet Coke or a Dr Pepper Ten.

This is kind of the view that we had of the moutains. 

You loved to talk about the beautiful Chugach Mountains that we had such a view of.  In the fall the hot topic was the "termination dust," the snow, coming down the mountains.  It was an everyday conversation.  

I like to talk about clouds.  

I miss you. 

jody

P.S. I love you Mom

Christmas not so fun tradition

Christmas 1957 or 1958

Oh, I remember that I always wanted to have the tree and decorations up way earlier than we ever got to have them up.  Maybe that is why I start so early and decorate everything! 

We could get up early and see what Santa brought us but it was forever before we got to open gifts.  

We had to have breakfast, sit at a very nicely set table that had a little gift by our plates.  

Then DO THE DISHES, then GET DRESSED. 

 As you can see we were dressed in real clothes and Mother you had on a perfect outfit. 

 I bet it was afternoon before we could open gifts.  I just remember it being a killer waiting. 

 I quickly axed those tradition, feel lucky Schofield children and grandchildren.

jody

P.S. I love you Mom!

I think Mother you were a woman before your times.  

When my friends Moms were home you were a career woman with a lot of style.  

It was always a treat for you to come to school which wasn't very often.  I think I was in the 5th grade and you came to visit the school.  I can remember being so happy that my Mother was at school. 

You had a long patent leather purse with different colored pockets on the outside.  

My friends thought the purse was so cool 

therefor you were cool.
We didn't live very far from the school so I would walk home for lunch.  Sometimes I would get to ride my bike that I shared with Jana.  Since you were working you would have my lunch ready in the refrigerator.  Usually, bean with bacon sandwich, since I loved that soup.  But what I liked best was that you would have a note on a little tooth pick flag.

jody

P.S. I love you Mom!

A Tuna?

Tuna Club 1933 (16 years old)

"Disproving the old tradition that few sailors know how to swim, a Tuna Club was formed among the girl-seaman of the Lincoln High in 1933.  The cardinal purpose is to aid girls in becoming more proficient swimmers, divers, and life-savers, thus producing better material for student leaders and directors, and furthering interest in this sport.  The Minnows, a branch of the club, enables new mermaid s to obtain practice in swimming 6 lengths of the girls tank, in executing 3 dives satisfactorily, and in demonstrating 3 standard strokes.  All these are requirements for the Tuna Club membership."

You were a wonderful swimmer and diver.  Since our house was 100 feet up the hill from the Spa, an indoor swimming pool, we learned to swim early and spent many many hours at the pool.  I remember that you were a life guard and a swim teacher.  I always wanted to dive like you, a beautiful pointed toe swan dive, but I just never got it.

  Remember walking up the hill in the winter and our hair would freeze?  

I have lots of happy memories of swimming at the Spa,

 swim team and even being a swim teacher 

for my 7th grade P E class. 

 I must of got my love of the water from you, you Tuna!

jody

p.s. I love you Mom!

Such Class

You were basically a single parent.  Dad was gone and working out of town most of my growing up years.  I'm sure it was hard.  I don't remember you complaining. When Dad came home the sun rose and set on him.  We had to hurry and scurry around to make the house perfect.  He was our world. 

  What I mostly remember was that you never talked bad about Dad.  Even when you might of had a right to. 

 I so respect you for that.  He was our Dad.

1986 Dad, Ashley 9, Jessica 11, Mom

Dane and I brought Aaron 12,  Ashley 9, and Ethan 6 to Alaska in 1986.  Dad was visiting Jerry and Jessica 11, was in Anchorage with Jerry for a visit.  I can remember being so please that you and Dad were together for a visit and this was after both of you had been remarried for 15+ years.

Cousins

During that visit you took Ashley and Jessica to the store and bought them purple nail polish.  Ashley remembers it as her first purple nail polish, but not the last.  I see you in Ashley.  She has your style, your flash, your class.

1986 Mt Aleyska Aaron, Ethan, Jessica, Ashley, Mom (Gramma Pat)

jody

P.S. I love you Mom!

Travel Love

Mother, you opened up the world to me.  Your love of travel was passed onto all of us.  I know that you were able to touch all continents and travel around the world several times.  When you went to work for Air France you were able to open up travel for all of us.  

I have wonderful memories of the first time you took Judy, Jana and I to Paris.  I think I was 12 years old.  We  stayed with your Air France captains family right in Paris. 

One night after Jana and I went to bed

 you and Judy went out for french onion soup and we weren't very happy that we didn't get to go.

The trip to the Louve took forever.  You and Judy looked and pondered each and every picture and statue.  Maybe that is where you got your love of art, theater and fine dining.  That was one of many trips to Paris.

Yellowstone Park 1987

Trips to Hawaii were wonderful, climbing the ruins in Mexico with Vince sitting down on each step coming down, the market place in Jedah, Saudi Arabia, the beautiful blue water in Beirut, Lebanon, watching Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park and

1974 Columbia Glacier

more.

Thanks for sharing the world with me.

jody

p.s. I love you Mom! 
p.s.s  Ethan reminded me that probably not the high light of the trip but the people that we stayed with in Paris had a biday.  I had never seen one or new what they were used for.  I thought it was a strange toilet and they never said anything about the "wash closet" down the hall.  We all took naps after arriving and I woke up and used the bidet as the toilet.  whoops!   I bet you were so embarrassed.  I think it is my most embarrassing moment.  Ha