Mrs. Antonia Prieto Moreno

ANTONIA PRIETO MORENO

JULY 13, 1996

My parents were, Prudencio Prieto Hurtado and Maria Dolores Suarez Gonzalez and they were both born in Ubeda, Jaen, Spain. They left early February, 1913, from Spain to come to America. When they left their home and family in Spain, they took to the new land a daughter named Maria Louisa. They left from the port of Gibraltar. What started to be a slightly rough trip, got to be a very unexpectedly rough voyage and they lost many head of cattle and many pieces of luggage. They also, lost large steamer trunks, one being my mothers. They arrived in Puertarena, Argentina, and stayed there a few days to restock all that they lost. The ship went on to the island of Oahu, Hilo, arriving on March 30,1913. At last, we had arrived in the new land. The land of opportunity and our new home. My parents were admitted into the “House of Immigration." They were there for one month as there was an epidemic of Measles and other diseases brought from the passengers aboard ship. During this trip to America many children on board developed some of these diseases and my sister, Maria Louisa, was one of them. She also developed whooping cough and then pneumonia. She died two weeks before we docked in Hawaii. This made them very sad with a new life adventure just ahead. She, along with the others, were buried at sea.

On April 28, 1913, still at the “House of Immigration," I was born. It was actually the hospital tent they set up because the quarantine was to last 30 to 45 days in the main building. After a few days, they took the three of us and two other families that had also delivered babies, on a special boat to the island of Hawaii. This is where we were to stay. My dad had to work in the plantation fields picking and cutting pineapples and sugar cane. They offered free housing and food for two months. My parents said it was a beautiful place to live, but two months later a volcano erupted under our house, which was raised on stilts. The steam, the hot air and the smell came through the floor. That was enough to make them leave that island, and in such a hurry, my father left his pay at the plantation and had someone bring it to him later, on the island of Oahu. We were on Oahu for three months when some friends came from Hilo with my fathers pay. It was not a check, but 26 “pieces of gold” for 1 month of wages. All the families thought with 26 gold pieces they would all be rich and save money to go back to Spain, but it did not work out quite that way. We lived in Oahu for 9 years. My father worked as a carpenter and a field hand doing his best to support his growing family. Meanwhile, during the 9 years, my brother Joe was born on May 31, 1915. My mother had a miscarriage, then my brother Martin was born November 20, 1917. And another brother was born, Prudencio, on May 8, 1919. Finally, a sister was born, Mary Juana. She was born in Pololo, Oahu, May 6, 1920. I did not enjoy her for long as she died of pneumonia and was buried on her birthday one year later.

My father did all kinds of work. He even built our own house in Pololo Valley. He also worked on large buildings like the Moana Hotel on Kapiolani Blvd. in Honolulu. He use to tell my mother that he feared working on the hotel, as the work he was doing was over the ocean and they told the workers that the ocean was very deep in that area. Once they hit “Blue Rock”, the fear was gone. Then he felt he could work anywhere.

In 1923 we decided to move to California. We left on the ship called President Wilson and arrived in San Francisco in 3 1/2 days. They said it was a record trip. My mother and I were both very sea sick the whole trip, but my father and brothers walked from one end to the other. Once we arrived in San Francisco, we caught passage on a train to Fowler, California. Friends of my parents from Spain, offered their home to us until we found a home of our own. My mother was with child and delivered two weeks from our arrival to Fowler. He was named John, and was born on March 17, 1923. We moved three months later into our home. My dad also bought a 1915 Ford pick up truck. He did carpentry and odd jobs and then finally decided to buy a large tent for the family and we went to Linsey, California to work in the fields. Many families were there with us. The fathers and older brothers worked in the fields picking oranges and lemon. While all the parents were working, my brother John became very ill. So upon their return, they took him to the hospital and at the age of 18 months, on June 23, 1924, he died. Another lose for our family and a very sad time.

We traveled to Hollister and set up camp again with many other families. The children were sent out to find firewood and when we got back we had a new baby brother named Frank. He was born on July 4, 1924 at 4:00 p.m. We were all surprised. We stayed in camp until the picking season was over and my father got an offer to work on an apricot ranch, so off we went to Watsonville, California. We only stayed one month as school had started and my dad didn’t want us to miss any more than we had already, so we went back to Fowler. Dad worked as a carpenter and also helped ranchers prune the trees. My brother Julio was born on October 7, 1926, while we were still in Fowler.

The following January, 1927 my father and I were working in the fields cleaning and pruning trees. It started raining so hard that we had to stop working. On the way home it was very hard to see the road. As we turned the corner, a truck hit our car and threw me out on to the road. They found me buried in the soft shoulder sand on the side of the road. The truck that hit us had run over me and I had several injuries. My father was thrown toward the dash broad and broke the ignition key with his forehead. Some of the workers that were still in the area saw what happened and ran to help us. They took us to the hospital, but my father wouldn’t let anyone carry me but him. He had to go up about 30 or 40 steps that were in the front of the hospital, and all his friends followed us. I was in the hospital for three weeks with broken ribs, broken pelvis and head injuries. The school was next door, so I had visitors before school, at lunch, and after school. I had visitors all day. That was great for me. I enjoyed the company, and it gave me something to look forward to.

In January 26, 1928, my sister, Dolores (Lola), was born in Fowler. She got ill after about two weeks from dehydration. They said she was dehydrated at birth, so they took care of her at the hospital and she stayed pretty healthy after that. We decided to sell the 1915 Ford and bought a 1926 Ford sedan. The family was getting bigger and we needed the extra room.

John was born next, on March 15, 1929, also in Fowler. When he was six months old, we had a family baptism. They baptized Lola, John and Frank. Joe and I were their godparents. We were so surprised because nothing was said before hand as to the baptism plans, but we were both so proud. In 1930 my father bought a house on 5th Avenue, in Clovis for $500.00.

In November 21,1930, Louis was born in Clovis, He got very ill about two weeks later. He was in the hospital for two months or more and they said they couldn’t help him anymore. They told us he was dying. so we took him home to be with our family. My dad was holding him one day and had a drink in his hand. To help my dads sore back, my mother had fixed him a mixture to drink and thought this might help him. He gave a taste to Louis and he started drinking it. It seemed to help and each time drank it, he was feeling better, so they continued to feed him the mixture. It was 1 egg, beaten, wine and milk in a glass. He showed signs of improvement immediately. It took awhile, but he got healthy after a few short weeks and the doctors were very amazed anything helped him at all.

Early in 1930, my father bought a 1929 Buick. We were now a two car family. In 1933, the house that was built in Fowler, was moved to the lot in Clovis. At the time there was a very small house on the lot, so that house was moved to the back of the lot and the house in Fowler was moved to the front of the lot. The back house was called the “summer house” from then on.

Albert was born on August 28, 1933 in the Clovis house. He was a big baby, healthy and full of life. He stood by himself at 5 months, and by 8 months he was walking. He was one of the healthiest of all the babies. And on April 1, 1936, Isabel was born, also in the Clovis house. Within two weeks she was sick and was in the hospital for a month or so. Isabel was a twin, but the first baby died 6 months into the pregnancy. They were fraternal twins, so she was born, to mother’s surprise, three months later. In January 1937, I got sick with influenza. Everyone seemed to be getting this strange illness. My dad came home two days later with the same illness, but it turned into pneumonia. He wouldn’t stay down and rest, so he got worse and worse. The doctor checked him and said it turned into double pneumonia. He was sick for weeks. Two of the children developed whooping cough and between my father and the two babies my mother and I stayed busy. My mother worked hard to take care of my dad, while I took care of the children. One day my mother started getting sick. She coughed and coughed and got so sick, the doctor said she had a stroke. He gave her some medication, and said she would be all right in an hour or so, but she got worse. We had to call the doctor again, but by the time he got there to check her, she had already passed away. The date was March 9, 1937 and Isabel was 11 months old so I took care of her and the others from then on. We rented out our house in Clovis and moved to Hollister. My brothers, who had already been working there had found a big house for us to live in. Shortly after moving there, my dad and brothers opened a restaurant and called it “Joe’s Place." They also rented 100 acres of land so they could plant sugar beets, tomatoes and lettuce so everyone in the family could work while Joe and my dad ran the restaurant. It was going very well until World War II broke out.

My brother Martin went into the Air Force and later Frank went into the Army. When Frank was 19 years old he was already in Europe, mainly Italy and Morocco. Then Julio wanted to volunteer, but dad had to sign his papers because he was too young. Dad signed and he went into the navy. Louis was drafted into the army in Monterey, but was discharged with honors as he had a very sever ear problem. Bud was drafted, but he was 4-F due to his asthma. Bud, Johnny and Louis went to San Diego to see if they could get into the service from there, but again because of Buds asthma, he was 4-F, Louis, because of his ears was 4-F, and Johnny, because he had a heart disorder and was also 4-F. They all came home from the recruiting office very disappointed. Because he was too young for WWII, Albert was later drafted into the army in the Korean War. My brother Joe didn’t go into the service because we had the farm and he was responsible for the working and running of it as will as keeping food on the table along with our Dad.

At the end of the war, all the others came home safe and we were thankful for that. We were very lucky because most other families could not say that, especially with the large number of family members that had gone to war. Frank came home very sick, but he got better after awhile. It just took a little time.

Bud and Elda got married in August 1945. After a few months, Elda got pregnant, but was in a car accident and lost her baby. We were a very upset, but the years following, they had three healthy children.

From the time we arrived in Hawaii, my family had been friends and neighbors to other families, also from Spain, doing the same as our family. Many friends moved with us or at different times, but to the same areas or farms and we did. One of those families was Dolores and Joseph Moreno. They worked near by and didn’t live very far. We kept in touch with them and at times would visit with them. We all grew up together. Since 1940, Sebastian Moreno, the oldest son of Dolores and Joseph Moreno, and I had been writing to each other. He lived in Los Angeles and I lived in Clovis. Even though we had known each other as children, we were now corresponding as sweethearts. He with his family responsibilities and me with mine, we had not much time before now to think of such things. All his brothers went into the service and he was the last to go in. His mother was a widow and he did not want to leave her alone. Sebastian went into the navy and trained in Idaho. Then shortly after, was put on an aircraft carrier. He came home after the war was over, about January 1946. He came to see me shortly after he got home. He went back home and told his Mother that we talked. Later he brought her and some family to visit with us. We announced our wedding plans at the church that Sunday, and two Sundays after. We got married April 14, 1946 on Palm Sunday. We went to San Francisco for our honeymoon. Since we only had $200.00, we didn’t plan to go too far. After we came back from our honeymoon, we moved to Los Angeles with Sebastian’s mother for a few months.

We lived with Sebs (Sebastian) sister, Mercy for awhile, until we found a house we could buy. Our daughter, Dolores (Dolly), was born on the 4th of February, 1947, just before we moved into our new home. (She was born in the Queen of Angels hospital in Los Angeles) We found the house at 7631 Radford Avenue in North Hollywood. Since we were able to buy it with the G. I. loan, we bought it and moved in right away. We bought it for $9,000.00 and the lot size was 50 ft. by 140 ft. It was a two bedroom house with a living room, dining room, large kitchen and wash room area and two car garage in the back.

Seb went back to work at the movie studios, Universal in Hollywood, also Columbia studios and Warner Bros. Studios. He was a lamp operator. He made sure the scenes that they were filming had the right angle of lights on them. He later got a job at Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank. He was there for two years and then got a job at Flying Tigers Air Lines. Seb had a 1941 Chevy that he had before the service. He bought it from his brother Ralph. Within a few short years we all got married. My brother Joe got married to Isabel on October 26, 1947. My brothers, Julio and Frank got married the next year. Julio married Betty on August 22, 1948 and Frank married Margie on November 27, 1948. My sister, Lola, married Joseph Catanzarite on November 6, 1949. My brother, John, married Marian on October 13, 1951.

I had two miscarriages after having our first daughter. Dolly would have been 2 ½ years old with the first one and 4 1/2 years with the second miscarriage and I never had children after that. So she was the only child, never having brothers or sisters and both of us being a part of such large families.

I did some work at home so I could help out financially. I did ironing, sewing, baby sitting and Sebs Mom helped me with some of the work as she and Ralph, Sebs brother, stayed with us for a few years. We bought a piece of land in Pacoima and built a house on it for Sebs Mom and Ralph to live in together. When the house was done, they were going to move in and Ralph decided he didn’t want to live there and Sebs Mom wouldn’t live there by herself because the bus service was not good in that area. They stayed with us and we rented out the house. In 1953, Mom Moreno and Ralph rented out a small apartment in Los Angeles. While he lived there, in 1956, he met Irma and they got married and moved to Glendale.

In 1953, we bought 2 1/2 acres of land in Lancaster. We had it for a few years,

and one day a man from the city of Los Angeles, came to us and wanted to buy the land from us for an airport they were building in that area and needed that land to complete their plans. Reluctantly we sold it, and later it became the corner lot of Edward Air Force Base in Lancaster.

A few months later in 1954, Louis met a lady named Gloria and decided to get married. She had three children already and awhile down the line they added one more son, Louis Jr. My sister, Isabel, the baby of the family, got married to Sherman Mann, on July 1, 1955. He was in the Army, and stayed in for a few years after they married, so, of course she did some traveling with him.

We had a good chance to adopt a very small boy named Michael, in the summer of 1955. His parents were both alcoholics and did not take very good care of him or his two brothers. We had him at our house for a few months. The husband got out of jail and wanted all his sons back, so when his wife got out of jail, court awarded the children back to their parents. We lost our chance to have a son and brother for our daughter, Dolores (Dolly).

In 1956, we bought a 1955 Chevy from a newspaper reporter. It was a nice car. We were in need of a second car and in 1960 we bought a 1959 Chevy station wagon. On February 17, 1957, my baby brother, Albert got married to Edith in Clovis. It was a beautiful wedding and all the families, from both sides, were there. Boy, what a crowd. Edith had a very large family too.

We took a long trip, we, meaning Seb, Dolly, my Dad or Grandpa and me, the summer of 1962 and drove to New York. On the way we stopped to see the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, the Crater Hole and then we headed for Missouri to see Sebs brother, Roy and family. We stayed there two days. The area was beautiful. We learned how to milk cows. There were all kinds of great trees and lakes in the areas near by. We also saw the fish hatchery and had a great day in the water enjoying the scenery. We went on to New York and visited with my sister, Isabel and her family for two weeks or so. We had a great time. We saw the standard things, but the Statue of Liberty was the most interesting and impressive. On the way home, we stopped and did some sightseeing, most was in the Arizona and New Mexico states. A very funny thing happened while I was driving one day. It was very hot and we had all the windows down in the car. We all had a glass of water and Seb was holding mine while I was driving. Grandpa was in the back seat behind Seb and Dolly was back there too, behind me. All of a sudden a gust of wind came up, and Seb, trying to retrieve the hat he was wearing, reached up over his shoulder to catch his hat and gave grandpa a cold shower with my cup of water that he forgot he had, in his left hand. Grandpa was a little shocked, but cooled off with the cold shower. We all laughed very hard and for along time. To this day, I think of that cold shower of grandpas and I still laugh.

In 1961 Seb was affected by Glaucoma. He got home from work one day with a lot of pain and we went to the doctors that night. He was put in the hospital and had surgery the next morning. He was in the hospital for a month and had to lay flat on his back because of type of surgery to his right eye.

In 1963, the last of us got married. Martin decided to take the “ big step” with Odessa, a widowed lady that lived in Fresno, and her daughter lived with them. She had a grown family, so grandchildren were soon to be in the picture. That same year, I had surgery on my thyroid. They removed a small tumor. It was not malignant. I was in Kaiser, Panorama City for one week. After a short recovery, I started working at St. Johns Knitting Company in Van Nuys. It was my first job away from home. Later on I worked at a children’s nursery school in North Hollywood near our house. I still worked or the movie studios sewing velvet clothes and cushions for them.

On February 8, 1964, Dolly got married to Barry Unsworth at the old Holy Rosary church in Sun Valley. At the time it wasn’t the old church, it was just very small. We had the reception at our house and also fixed up the yard. It turned out so nice. The Whole family was there and all our friends as well as Dolly and Barry’s friends. They left late that afternoon to go to Santa Barbara for their honeymoon. On June 8, 1964 our first granddaughter arrived. Her weight was 7 lb. 6 oz. Her name was Dolores Antonia. Dolly went to the doctors that morning and he said it was close to the time, but we thought he meant in a couple of days, so she called me at 3:30 and I was off to get her to the hospital A.S.A.P. On Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1965, Paulene Susan was born and she weighed 8 lb. 4 oz. She was big and was ready to come into this world faster then we were ready, so mama had a little problem with stitches for a while. They were both born at Kaiser Hospital in Panorama City. That same year we bought a house on Fulcher Avenue December of 1965 for Sebs Mom to move into, but she decided against it. Instead, she moved in a duplex right next door to Seb’s sister, Mercy in North Hollywood.

The move to El Segundo was not an easy one, but in 1966, we did it. We made the move, lock, stock and barrel, and I do mean barrel, lots of them, to a rental house near the new location of Flying Tiger Air Lines. So began the search for a home of our own in our new area. Finally, in July of 1967, we found a house we liked and moved again. This would be the last move for awhile. We had a nice house warming party with the whole family. Seb’s mom, really liked the house, but she wasn’t with us for too very long after that. That same year she died, in October, of a heart attack, possibly caused by asthma. She was still living in the duplex next to Sebs sister, Mercy on Bonner Ave. at that time.

On June 26, 1968, Sandra Lee was born. She was born with Down Syndrome. She did very well. She was very quick to learn and very healthy. I had to give them a lot of credit. They were very good with her and worked with her all the time. Later that year, in November, Barry and Dolly bought their first house in Simi Valley on Medina Avenue. It was a beautiful four bedroom house with lots of room. Grandpa Prieto, my Dad, came to visit Dolly and her family in her new home in March of 1969 and really enjoyed it, but that was to be the last visit from him, because two weeks after he went home, he died of a heart attack and they also found he had lung cancer very badly. We were so glad he got to visit with us when he did.

In 1970, I took my first airplane trip. I went with my cousin Rose to Hawaii to see my godmother and family. I overcame two things that for my whole life bothered me. One was escalators and the other was airplanes. I had never been on either one before. Rose talked to me about the trip and I decided to overcome the two obstacles and I did. That same year, Seb and I went to Spain to see our families and the country side. We were there for three weeks, and got back August 30. Boy, I got the traveling bug now.

On February 5, 1971, our grandson was born. His name was Wilson Barry Unsworth Jr. The day Dolly and the baby came home was the day of the big earthquake in Sylmar. It happened at 6:00 a.m. in the morning and it was a 6 points on the Richter scale. What a great way to come into the world. Tada!!! Between 1971 and 1980, Seb and I went to Hawaii three times. It was so nice seeing the places we remembered as children. After traveling for awhile, I decided to work again, so I got a job at the Hawthorn Medical Center. I was the main cook and work early in the morning from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. I just worked a short time as I decided to stop working just before Seb retired from Flying Tigers. It wasn’t any use me working if we were going to do some traveling.

In 1972, my brother Martin, died of cancer. In the same year, my sister-in-law Margaret, Franks wife, died of Loupes disease. That wasn’t a very good year for us. Well, one good thing did come out of it, Lola remarried to a man named Homer Hickerson. The next year, 1973, on February 24, Frank remarried to a lady named Eldora. Our two new additions got along great with the family and everyone loved them both.

In 1975, Seb retired from Flying Tigers Airlines. He had worked there for 26 years and figured it was time. That same year I was in a car accident. It left me with an injury to my neck and back for long awhile. In March of 1975, I had a very serious stroke that left me with impaired speech for at least six months. Three years later, on Easter Morning, I had a second stroke. My speech was affected again, but only for two or three months. I had a third stroke, three months after that, but it was not as bad as before and it didn’t affect my speech this time. I was very lucky to have survived these ordeals with very little permanent damage.

Because of some problems that they did not think they could work out, Dolly and Barry got a divorce. It was very sad for us all. We hoped they would work it out, but after thirteen years, in 1977, their divorce was final.

In 1980, I had major surgery to tie up all my insides. I was in the hospital for a week or so. Shortly after I came home, my brother Joe died from a heart attack. Sebs brother, Joe, died about three months later also of heart failure. In August, 1981, Frances, Sebs sister, died of stomach cancer and her husband, John Busisch, died about one year later from internal bleeding. Mercy was very sick for many years from breast cancer. She died in 1982. Her husband, Ralph Mendez, died a year or so later also of cancer. Mercy and Ralph left two sons, Gregory and Ronald. In 1983 I also had surgery to remove a cancer spot on my left heel. It was Melanoma. They had to graft a patch from my left thigh, and it turned out okay, but that kind of skin cancer wasn’t a good thing to have. I guess will see what happens.

Our granddaughter, Dee, came to stay with us in 1980 for about two years. She worked as a manicurist in the big hotels near our house. My sister, Isabel remarried in 1981 to Richard Cosabona. They were only married a short 4 years when he died of heart failure.

Seb had his second eye operation in 1983 on his left eye at the V.A. hospital in Los Angeles. His stay wasn’t as long as the first time. The surgery went well. After that, we went to Hawaii and Hilo. We went to the Martinez’s 25th Wedding Anniversary party, given for them while we were there. They are old friends from Hawaii and people we both grew up with.

Off and on over the years I served as an officer of the court as a juror. I also did voter election work. I volunteer several times for both of these jobs and enjoyed it. Also doing funds raisers in between everything else. My sister Isabel married again in May of 1989 to an old family friend, Jerry Magagnos.

In 1984, our granddaughter, Susan got married to Richard Stephens at the “Little Chapel in the Canyon”, in Chatsworth. The reception was at her mother’s house in Simi Valley. She and Richard moved to Echo Park for a year or so and then they sold that house and bought another in Eagle Rock. In 1986, they bought a nice big house in Palmdale. It was a nice four bed house with a nice yard and pool.

Dolly met a very nice man in March of 1986, named Gregory Crabtree. He worked in the valley and helped out his mother who also lived there. Dolly and Greg got along great. He helped around the house and with the kids. They got married in April of 1987. It wasn’t meant to be because after a short three months they got a divorce.

After a few years, in 1990, Dolly met Phillip Ritter. She met him in Beatty, Neveda in March. They carried on a long distant relationship for six or eight months and he then moved to California. He was so nice and work so hard around the house and with the kids. They were always doing something. He would work in the Mojave gold mines and drive all the way to Simi every day. It seems to be working out great for the both of them.

In August 1991, Sebs sister, Dolores, died after being in a coma for 17 months. She had been healthy up to the time she went into a coma. It was the result of asthma. She had a daughter, Loretta, who lived with her mother, and a son, Larry. He and his family lived in the state of Washington.

In July of 1992, we all went up to Mt. Charleston resort in Nevada to witness the wedding of our oldest grand daughter, Dee to her fiancé , Arthur Cardenas. It was a beautiful wedding. Seb walked Dee down the isle and gave her away. We had a very nice weekend there. The weather was beautiful and this resort in the mountains was green and quiet. Dee and Art did most of the planning for the wedding. Dolly helped Dee with some of the planning too. On June 30, 1993, we got our first great grand child. They named her Brionna Antonia Cardenas. She was named after me. I was so proud. She was a little doll. She had beautiful eyes and lots of dark hair.

In Sept. 1993, I had two heart attacks and I was rushed to Good Samaritans hospital in Los Angeles. I had open heart surgery there and they did a triple bypass. My recovery was not long at all. They had me up and walking the next afternoon. I was home nine days later. My brothers, Louie and Albert, and sisters, Lola and Isabel, were there to help me get better. After a month or so, we moved some of our personal items like our bed etc. to my daughter’s home so I could rest and not have to worry about getting help around the house. In December we started to look for a new home near the family and we found a beautiful mobile home, so within 2 or 3 months, we moved in and we rented out the house in El Segundo. We were all moved in by the first week in January. Unfortunately January 17, 1994 there was an earthquake in Simi Valley and we stayed at Dolly’s house until the utilities all came on and were working with no problems.

On February 19, 1994, Barry Sr. died. It was very hard on all of us as it was not expected. We all took it very hard. It took some time, but we had to try to get our lives back in order. Within a few months blessed event #2 arrived. Our second great grand child was born on December 30, Arthur Cardenas II. He was so cute. Boy, all that hair. Both he and Brionna were born in Simi Valley Hospital. Dee was just fine through both births. We were thankful for that. I was having kidney problems and ended up in the hospital at the same time. I had to have a stint put in the top of my urethra tube to help my kidney drain.

Well, Dolly and Phil split up June of 1994. After all that has happened in 1994, it was just too much to think about. Phil went back to Beatty, Neveda.

April 22, 1995, Barry and Anna got married at the Chapel in the Canyon in Chatsworth. It was in the “Rose garden”. It was so beautiful, the garden and the wedding. They had the reception at Dolly’s House in the yard. Barry and Anna did most of the work in the house and yard to make it look just right. Barry made a large wooden cover for the pool so we could put tables on it so we could serve dinner and after that, we moved all of the tables off and used it to dance on. Boy, it sure was nice. They went on a cruise for a week to the Grand Cayman Islands and the other islands nearby. They had a great time.

On August 5, 1995, our third great grand child was born to John Coberly and Susan, Skyler Vincent Wilson Coberly. He was so cute. He was born at the same hospital that Sue was born in, and that was Kaiser, in Panorama City. Sue was just fine after the birth. She did very well. Both her and Dee did a fine job with no major problems at birth. We were so very proud. They both have beautiful families.

April 14, 1996 came to us with a very different feeling this year. It was our 50th wedding anniversary. 50 years, boy, I don’t know how we did it. Dolly gave us a very nice party at our club house here in the park where we live and everyone was here. My brothers and their families came from Clovis to celebrate with us. My sister Isabel from New York was here with us too. It was great to see everyone together and we all had a wonderful day and a good celebration.

In September, I had to go to the hospital again for my heart. The doctor said everything looked okay, no damage was done to my heart, so they started me on some new heart medicine and it made me feel much better. Lola came to visit with us for a time while I was going though my recovering. She was sure a big help to me and it was wonderful to have her with me for awhile. I sure miss seeing my sisters. They are so far away, but we write back and forth every week or so and telephone too, so that sure does help.

We were there to witness a 4th addition to the family. On October 19,1996, at 1:09 p.m. Skyler got a little brother. Our fourth great grand child was born to Susan and John. Now John Sebastian Coberly was part of our family. Dolly picked us up so we could be there. He was born at the Antelope Valley Hospital. Now, our family has grown so much that we are running out of wall space to hang all the beautiful pictures we receive from all the families. But I know if we really needed to, we would find more room on our wall and in our hearts for any more additions to our family.

We had a great summer in 1997 with family from Spain that came to visit us. Eva Garcia, from Agramunt, (Lleida), Spain was here for 3 months. She got here in June and left in September. Her parents were here for the last two weeks of her vacation, and it was the fastest and busiest two weeks we’ve had in a long time. Dolly drove them around to see all the sights and visit some family along the way. It was Eva’s 17th birthday August 14, so we had a birthday party for her, and just before they left, her dad, my cousin, Prudencio, had a birthday, so we had a party for him. They left September 15, from L.A.X. Boy, it was sure hard to say good bye to them. We sent all kinds of things back with them for the family in Spain to enjoy. At Christmas we sent them a big box with all kinds of goodies for the families there to enjoy. We also received from them a big box with goodies from Spain for all of us to share.

Last printed 7/6/2006 1:13:00 PM

Okay, we did have more room for photos on the wall after all. We have a new addition to the family. Anna & Barry, after having some problems, gave birth on October 17th 1999, to our fifth great grandchild, Jesse Wilson Unsworth. . He was a very small 4 LBS. 8 oz. and 17 ½ inches long. He was born at UCLA hospital in Los Angeles. Jesse had some problems with his health and they were the best hospital for helping him. He had surgery on his kidneys almost right away, and he pulled through it all just fine. He had a short stay in the hospital, long to Mom and Dad, and then he was homeward bound.

In November of the same year, Dolly met Stephen Hurley. She was putting an ad into a Simi Valley police business newsletter that Steve was selling spaces for. He kept calling her to put an ad in the newsletter and for information for the ad, but really wanted to meet her. Up to this point they only talked on the phone and after 3 weeks of phone calls they finally met. He is quite nice, he helps Dolly out with her business work and around the house. I know he loves her very much. I hope they are happy together.

We were not able to attend our grand daughter, Sue’s, wedding to John Coberly because they went to Las Vegas to get married. My health would not permit the long trip there and back, but I wish we could have been there to witness their marriage. Dolly, Sandy and Steve drove there with them to witness the happy event and represent us. Sue asked her Mom to walk her down the isle. She asked her just before the wedding started. That was a surprise to Dolly and she was so proud to do it. They got married on the last day of the old century, December 31, 1999. Dolly and family left Las Vegas before they closed all the streets for the “2000” millennium celebration and got home in time to bring in the New Year and the new century with us. The new millennium, something that I had never dreamt we would see, but here we are. Sue and John went home to Palmdale and lived there for quite a long time. Johns job was close by and easy to get to for him.

The passed two years I have been in and out of the hospital for choking problems, pneumonia, and disagreements with my heart. My heart wants to give me a hard time, and I won’t let it. So far I am winning. I just need to stay out of that old hospital. They know me only too well in there.

Dolly finally got her trip to Spain in March of 2002. Steve and Sandy went with her and they stayed for three weeks and also stayed in London for four days. They saw a gentleman by the named of Barry Unsworth and his wife. She said he was a very nice man, but they didn’t get to stay very long with them. She said next time they will, as he had a very nice family and a beautiful home. Barry is a very distant relative, they think. I’m so glad they had the chance to go. I know she has been wanting to see Spain her whole life and finally she did. They stayed with the family in Spain that came to see us in 1997, Prudencio and family. They had lots of room for them and they were centralized with the family.

In August of 2002, I fell and fractured my hip. I am holding my own though. With a 6 week hospital stay and two weeks at Dolly’s house, I was up and around again, but with a move on the raise. Sue and John are moving to Simi Valley to be close to the family. We decided to move in to a house together, since they got a very large home with a whole house that is like two, for us to live in and share with them. They have a whole house up stairs and we live down stairs in our whole house. I hope, for now, a perfect arrangement. We do need the help now. Just before the move I had to have a pacemaker put in. My heart was winning the battle and I couldn’t let that happen, so here I am with a new gadget in me to help my heart beat right.

May,2002 We just found out about a new addition to the family again. The second baby for Anna & Barry. We don’t know much now, but the baby is due February or March. They are very happy for their new addition as well as all of us. We just can’t wait.

February, 2003. Okay we were off just a tad…great grandchild #6…..Anthony Wilson Unsworth was born on January 31 2003. He was 5 LBS. 15 1/2 oz. and 19 inches long. He was born at the Santa Monica Hospital. Anna’s family had many births at that hospital, so it was comfortable and familiar to them. Dolly, Steve and Sandy when to the hospital and stayed for 2 or 3 hours and nothing happened and the doctor said, ”not for a while, maybe the next morning”, so they went home and about two hours later Barry called with the good news about the arrival of their new son, Anthony Wilson. Dolly said she was so disappointed they were not there. It happened the same way with Jesse, they left because the doctor said Anna wouldn’t deliver for several hours and two hours or so later Jesse was born. So early the next morning off they went to the hospital again and now to see the new baby and Mama.

Revised 12\15\04

January, 2005

The melanoma in my foot, that I have had since about 1970, returned with no relief in sight. I will be going to the doctors soon for an exam. On January 19, Dolly fell, while taking us to the doctor’s office, and broke her leg. Boy, what a mess. Steve, Dolly’s boyfriend, helped us finish with our doctor while Barry picked up Dolly and took her to see her doctor and with in an hour, everyone was there to see if she was okay. They put a splint on her leg for a week until they could put it in a cast. Sue and Dolly took me to the hospital for my exam on my foot, with Dolly in the wheel chair and me walking with my walker. It was a sight. We all laughed about it, as it should have been the other way around.

In September, 2005, I had my surgery and my foot was okay. They did some tests and said the melanoma had traveled to my longs and that wasn’t good. I just looked at Dolly when she told me. Not much I could say about it. I just hoped it wasn’t so. They had a nurse see me twice a week to help with the dressing of my foot. They were all so very nice and understanding.

In January, 2006

Sebastain and I moved in with Anna and Barry in to their house. It was great seeing the kids all the time. They gave us the use of their master bedroom. Boy, was it big. We got all our dressers and other things in it. Anna always made me laugh. She would see me down sometimes and go flying through the air like a dancer. I would see her and just laugh and laugh. Some times she would help me make my goulash. Lord only knows how I remembered to cook it, because I haven’t done that in many years. It didn’t turn out as good as I thought I remembered it. It was fun just to try it again. I was getting pretty weak. I got chemo therapy tablets for six weeks. I was having a hard time getting around, but I kept on trying. Finally, after four months, in May, even though Anna and Barry were very good to us, we decided to stay with Dolly and Sandy. I wasn’t seeing any improvement and only getting weaker by the day now, the chance to be there with them was good. Harry fell again, for the third time and ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks. He just kept getting weak and blacking out. He hit his head and they needed to watch him for a few days in the hospital.

June 13, 2006. From Dolly…….Well I guess this is where I take over. My Mom wasn’t doing too well. The nurse that came to visit that day asked her if she was giving up and she said "no,no I'll never give up". Three days later we got the use of a hospital bed and other equipment from the hospital,so she would be as comfortable as pssible. Within five days, she went to sleep, but not before saying good bye and I love you to us all. She, I hope, was in no pain and maybe for the next two days she could hear us all talking to her and giving her our love over and over again in hopes that she was hearing us. On June 20, just before dinner, Sandy suggested to say a pray for her, so Dee, Brionna, Arthur, Sandy and I each said a pray and what was in our hearts as we all held her hands with ours. When we were all done we said Amen and she just seemed to know it was time. With the pain in our hearts, we just sadly looked at her and we all cried. She looked so peaceful. I hope she went in peace and with no discomfort. That’s all we could hope for. With her great smile and sparkling eyes, God now has the gift of both with him.

July, 2006