The 64th Anniversary of Mom and Dad's Wedding

My mother and father were married 64 years ago today.  On a post I wrote a year ago, I talked about a movie called The Bride Wore Boots.  My mother always said she had to wear boots to her wedding.  Although I always felt like I had seen a picture of this, it wasn't until my brother, Tom, dug up a photo album containing Mom and Dad's wedding pictures that I was able to see that the picture was more than something in my mind's eye.

Hiding behind one of the pictures was a newspaper article from the January 24, 1948 Cincinnati Enquirer. In the clipping it says that "the mercury is sliding toward zero, perhaps five below. The wind not only chills bones, it freezes type."  The picture on the left shows ice choking the Ohio River.

The weather didn't seem to be negatively affecting the bride.  Her smile is so warm as she climbs the steps to begin a new life.

Since last year's post, four more great-grandchildren have been added to the Jones family -- two boys and twin girls.  The newest addition is my grandson, Andrew, born 8 weeks early on December 29th.

I miss them both so much.  Wish they were here to see this.

Virginia and Johnny Jones

Mom and Dad's Wedding Anniversary

Margaret Ann, Evelyn, Virginia, Johnny, and Jim

Sixty-three years ago today on January 24th, 1948, my parents were married. It was probably a day very much like today. We have a light snow here in Cincinnati. Pictured above is my Mom and Dad celebrating their 25th Anniversary with members of their original wedding party. My mother is wearing her wedding dress -- 25 years and seven children later. What I wouldn't give to have legs that look like that!

Pictured at the left is the original wedding party. My grandmother made all of the bridesmaid dresses for this and the two other weddings that were to take place within a five-month period.

In an earlier post, I discussed how my non-Catholic father and Catholic mother got married at St. James Church in Wyoming.  They had a "Mass".  Little did I know that I was going to have to have a "discussion" with my 5th grade religion teacher, Sr. Mary Alice, about how this was not possible -- it was against canon law.  It's amazing that that memory still sticks with me because it was probably the first time when I would not back down from an authority figure in my life -- especially a nun.  One of my cousins recently gave me a copy of the booklet that was used at their wedding. It gave me some pleasure to see this.

Mom and Dad have seven children, fifteen grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. As of this writing, we are anticipating three more great-grandchildren, including for the first time, a set of twins. I hope they are watching us. Happy Anniversary!

Music of Our Parents - True Love

Background:  Shadowhouse Creations

My parents, Johnny Jones and Ginnie Ryan, married 63 years ago on January 24th, 1948.  As mentioned in an earlier post, they were part of the post-war group of brides and grooms who were later responsible for the "Baby Boom."  My mother and her two sisters, Evelyn and Florence, all got married between January and May of 1948.  Evelyn was actually the first to get engaged, but she felt that, as the oldest, my mother should get married first.  Therefore, my Mom and Dad had to "get it together" and schedule a date before Evelyn's planned April wedding.

It snowed that January 24th, and my mother used to say that there was a movie out at the time called The Bride Wore Boots.  Sure enough, a search of Wikipedia came up with a review of a 1946 romantic comedy staring Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Cummings -- not the most memorable film.

But this is one in a series of posts that discusses the music of our parents -- songs that are etched into the collective memories of the "Big Kids."  One of my favorites is a song called True Love.  I found out that this song, written by Cole Porter, was featured in a 1956 film called High Society.  It starred Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra.  The lyrics were simple.

True Love

Sung by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly

Suntanned, windblown
Honeymooners at last alone
Feeling far above par
Oh, how lucky we are

While I give to you and you give to me
True love, true love
So on and on it will always be
True love, true love

For you and I have a guardian angel
On high, with nothing to do
But to give to you and to give to me
Love forever true

For you and I have a guardian angel
On high, with nothin' to do
But to give to you and to give to me
Love forever true
Love forever true

"True Love" earned Grace Kelly (Later "Princess Grace of Monaco") her first and only gold record. It earned Bing his 21st.  (Credit:  Oldie Lyrics)

I put together a photoshow that features the marriage of Charles McCafferty and Evelyn Ryan.  It is accompanied by this beautiful song.  To hear it, click on this link:  McCafferty Memories

To see a clip of the movie with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, view this youtube clip.  I love the sailboat.

Music of Our Parents - Que Sera, Sera

My mother liked to sing. As mentioned in an earlier post, I always assumed that the songs my parents sang were "old" songs -- not contemporary ones. My mother often sang Doris Day's song, Que Sera, Sera. There was a story that went along with this song. Doris Day, although not in my mother's class, went to the same high school as my mother and her sisters. The high school was Our Lady of the Angels, or O.L.A. located in St. Bernard. It was an all girls' school that in the present day has been combined with the boys' school, Roger Bacon.

Virginia, Evelyn and Florence at O.L.A.

My mother and her sisters all played in the O.L.A. band. Mom played the clarinet, Evelyn played trumpet, and Florence played the sax for a while.  Aunt Evelyn said they convinced Florence to switch to bells, because they needed another petite girl on the bells to match the other bell player.

I learned a lot about the song. According to Songfacts:

"This became Doris Day's biggest hit and her signature song, but she didn't want to record it because she thought of it as a children's song. Livingston explained in Zollo's interview: "She didn't want to record it but the studio pressured her. She did it in one take and said, 'That's the last you're going to hear of this song.'"

In fact, the song went on to win the 1956 Oscar for Best Song.  It also became the theme song for her sitcom The Doris Day Show, which ran from 1968-73.

Here are the lyrics to the song:

When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich
Here's what she said to me.

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

When I was young, I fell in love
I asked my sweetheart what lies ahead
Will we have rainbows, day after day
Here's what my sweetheart said.

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

Now I have children of my own
They ask their mother, what will I be
Will I be handsome, will I be rich
I tell them tenderly.

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

I like the sentiment of this song because it reminds me (a Control Freak) that you can't control everything about your life.  To some extent, what will be, will be. You can download it for $0.99 at Amazon at this link:  Que Sera, Sera 

Later I hope to add a photoshow link so you can hear the whole song and take a flight back to the 50's.

Note:  Doris Day was born Doris Kappelhoff.  She was the granddaughter of four German immigrants.  She grew up in Evanston (Cincinnati, Ohio).  There is some discrepancy about the year of her birth.  Based on the Census, she would have been born in 1923.  My mother, born in 1922, was in the O.L.A. class of 1940.  Aunt Evelyn was in the class of 1942.  According to an interview with Doris Day's son, her mother dropped out of O.L.A. at the age of 16 to pursue her career. 

Elmwood Place -- The Move to Ohio

The 1900 Census shows 26 year-old August, 23 year-old "Annie", and 9 month-old Virginia living on Holman St. in Covington, Kentucky. August's occupation is listed as a "shoe cutter". By 1903, the family had relocated to Elmwood Place, Ohio. August went into business for himself, opening the Valley Shoe Store. One of the Vonderheide grandchildren sent me this picture taken in 1903. You can see August looking out the door of the store. I would love to know who the others are -- we speculated that the little boy might have been son, Val, because he would have been three years old in 1903. I don't know who the couple is on the left (August's parents were both dead by then). It could be Anna pictured on the right, but I just don't know.


The family lived above the store. Aunt Evelyn thinks that Anna must have helped out in the store, because she recalls that they had help looking after the children. She also told me that this picture was of his first store location and that his second location was much bigger and a couple of blocks north.

I have a copy of a newspaper article published in 1953 when August was 80 years old. It has a great summary of this first-generation immigrant's accomplishments.

One of Elmwood's most interesting business personalities, Mr. A. H. Vonderheide celebrated his birthday recently. He was 80 years old on September 1.

Mr. Vonderheide was born in Germany and at the age of 7 came to this country with is parents and twin brothers. He had a sister who had passed away before the family came to the United States.

He recalls that his first employer was Mr. B. H. Kroger of the Kroger Grocery and Baking Company and he was the first clerk employed in the first store Mr. Kroger opened. Later he learned the shoe business and was promoted to foreman of the cutters in the sample room of the shoe factory.

In 1903 he bought the shoe store at 5911 Vine Street in Elmwood Place from Mr. John Imwalle and operated a successful business until he retired a few years ago. After his retirement he enjoyed a vacation in Florida.

In the year 1917, during his career as a shoe business man, Mr. Vonderheide, with a few more business men from Elmwood Place, organized the Inter-Valley Building and Loan Association of which he is now the president.

He is a charter member of the Catholic Order of Foresters and of the Elmwood Eagles. He also a past governor of the Elmwood Moose.

Mr. Vonderheide's wife died March 7, 1931. He has two children, Val and Virginia, eight grandchildren, two of them now serving in the United States Navy and two served in the Navy in previous wars. He has 14 great-grandchildren of whom he is very proud. Everyone is wishing Mr. Vonderheide many more hale and hearty years.

August died in 1959 at the age of 85. At the time of his death he was living with his son and daughter-in-law, Val and Clara, in a home they shared at 922 Springfield Pike in Wyoming. At the time of his death, he already had 26 great-grandchildren with more to come. I was 10 years old. So what do I remember? I remember a proud man who loved his large family. I also remember that as each new great-grandchild was born, the gift from Great Grandpa was a savings account booklet in your name with a deposit of $10. (Was there a lesson in this?) Here is a picture of Roy and August (poor quality) that was extracted from a family video from Easter, 1952. Notice the cigar in August's hand.

Here is a four-generation picture of August, Virginia, Virginia and me. What a fortunate heritage I have!

Virginia Vonderheide Ryan - II

Raising Children

Virginia Ryan loved being a mother.  She had four children in very short order:  Virginia, Evelyn, Florence and Jim.  All four children were born in five years.  As children, Grandma had a desk in a little alcove off of the living room (I have it now), and this family portrait was on it.

Pictured from left to right:  
Florence, Virginia, Jim, Evelyn, Roy and Virginia

Virginia was protective of her family.  Aunt Evelyn told me that when they were growing up, St. James School was located just on the other side of the fence in their backyard.  Grandpa had installed a gate making it easy to get to school.  When Jim was in the 8th Grade, the school relocated to a new facility on Springfield Pike.  "Poor" Jim had to walk to Springfield Pike for school as he was in the first 8th Grade Class to graduate from the new school.  Grandma did not like this one bit.

 You can bet that Grandma sewed all of the girl's dresses and probably made their hats.

 



I recently called Uncle Jim because I realized that he "came of age" during World War II and I knew he had been in the Navy. He told me that he was going to be drafted when he turned 18 in July 1945. Not wanting to be in the Army, he made the decision to enlist in the Navy in June. He attended basic training and then was scheduled to go to Hawaii following a week's leave at home. Meanwhile, the war ended and his orders were changed. I will tell his story in another post.

Jim never saw a day of combat, but that does not mean he was exempt from the "horror" of war. He was assigned to the "cleanup" crew assigned to the Pacific. Need I say more. His mother was understandably very distressed at the thought of her only son going off to war. They lucked out.

Note the picture on the desk!

As I type this, I realize that today is the 16th Anniversary of my mother's death.  I dedicate the page to her memory and the sense of family that she instilled in me.

Virginia Vonderheide Ryan - I

Virginia Vonderheide Ryan - The Early Years

I love this picture!  Once again Roy's gaze upon his bride is priceless! Roy was of German/Irish descent, but Virginia was of German descent.  For the second time in two generations there was a German/Irish union in our family.

In those days, it was common for the bride and groom to pose for a formal portrait.  I love Grandma and Grandpa's picture.  The witnesses to the wedding were the brother of the bride, Val, and the sister of the groom, Florence.

Before Virginia was married, she worked as a "milliner."  A milliner is someone who makes hats. Given this history, I assume that Grandma made the two hats in this picture.  How beautiful!  Her ability to sew and create is something that somehow did not find its way to me, despite having women who loved to sew from both sides of my family.

As mentioned earlier, the "Ryans" purchased what would become the family home when Aunt Evelyn was three years old.  Pictured below is a proud woman behind the wheel of the family car.  The second picture has Florence, Virginia and Evelyn on the running board.  I remember Grandma saying that when she started driving you did not have to have a driver's license.  I love the confidence she seems to display in these pictures.  I've always said that I am descended from a line of strong women.

I don't have a lot of pictures of Grandma in her younger years, but here is another one of my favorites.  Virginia is the one on the left.  Aunt Evelyn is fairly certain that the woman pictured on the right is Roy's sister, Florence.

The pictures seem to be representative of a beautiful family.  But one thing was missing -- she had yet to have a son.  It wouldn't be long before James August Ryan was born, making the family complete. I'm assuming that Jim was named after both of his grandfathers -- James Hugh Ryan and August Henry Vonderheide. 

Johnny Jones and Virginia Ryan

It's been a real adventure blogging about my Dad's siblings: Edith, Charlie (Bud), and Bob. Now I have the privilege of writing about my Dad and Mom -- Johnny and Ginnie.

Dad was the 4th child born to Fred and Norine. He was born on September 30, 1920 (at least that's what we always thought). His birth certificate says that he was born on September 20th, but his mother insists that it was a typo and she ought to know -- she was there. The family count was now one girl, and three boys.

Johnny was ten years younger than his older sister, Edith. I know how this can be as I am 10 years older than my brother, Dan.  The picture is cropped from the picture of "The Perfect Family" picture posted in an earlier posting.

 Dad attended school at Highland Elementary, right across the street from his home at 2424 Eastern Ave. (now Riverside Dr.).  My cousin, Fred Breving, told me that he remembers seeing water founts in the back of the school that were designated for "Colored" and "White".

I have no doubt that Dad loved growing up on the river.  We have that wonderful picture of him in his canoe that he would take out into the river and ride the wake of steamboats that passed by. He had to sell the canoe when he married our mother so that she could buy a sewing machine.

As a young man of his generation, Dad had to go to war.  He spent the war in England loading bombs onto planes.  He never really discussed much about the war, but England was constantly being bombed by the Germans during the war and the Allies returned the favor.  There must have been some lighter moments as one of the pictures that survived the war was one of Dad with two local dogs.

(I think we all inherited that gene).

In this picture, Dad is the one in the upper right hand corner.

Mom and Dad met after the war.  The Newman Club, a Catholic social club for college students, sponsored a boat ride on the Island Queen to Coney Island.  One of Dad's best friends, Bob Kroner, was the President of the organization and invited Dad to come.  Thus my non-Catholic father met my Catholic mother.

Mom and Dad dated and got married on January 24, 1948 at St. James Church in Wyoming.  It was cold and snowy that day in stark contrast to January 23, 1947 when Bob and Mary got married.  Mom and her sisters got married between January and June of 1948.  Her sister, Evelyn, actually got engaged first, but she felt that Mom, being the oldest sister, should be the first to get married.  It was a busy time for Virginia Ryan because she sewed all of the bridal and bridesmaids gowns for all three weddings.

Of this marriage were born seven children: Kath, Tom, Tim, Karen, Ted, Dan and Don.  Dad, whose primarily worked as an electrician at the Environmental Protection Agency, worked additional part-time jobs to support his family of nine.

We lost our father at the age of 57 to cancer.  Our mother married two more times -- first to Dick Godar who also died of cancer, and then to Frank Klug.  Cancer also took Mom shortly before her 72nd birthday.

We often reflect that our parents would be so proud of us.  They both believed in us and believed in education.  I could write an entire blog on my immediate family -- and perhaps eventually I will.  Just know that all of us were blessed and continue to be blessed by being born into this family.


To view of photoshow with pictures of our parents, go to: Johnny and Ginnie Photoshow