THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN BY ALMA (ZIEGENFUS) HOUCK
MAY 6, 2002, FOUR DAYS AFTER HER SISTER LUELLA PASSED ON
Dear Leah, Mary Louise and Charles and families,
First of all - Luella was my favorite and closest sister. As a
youngster
I held her up as my model. She learned to drive at 16 - I was going to
learn
at 16 too. In fact she and I drove cars but not Della or Hilda. But
Della
could drive but her spouse didn't want her to if I understand
correctly.
I really don't know much about Luella until she was in High School.
Through her , Mom got to use Crisco. In Jr. High she had cooking and
sewing
classes. In cooking class they used Crisco. Since Mom couldn't get
good
lard she started to use Crisco too. That was way back in 1922-23.
When she was a Sr. in High School she and another class mate,
Dorthea
Shaeffer were asked to write their class song. Luella played the piano
and
Dorthea did too I suppose. They asked Mrs. Caleb Snyder to help them.
I
believe they put the words to sheet music Luella had. I can still see
it. I
believe the tune might have been "Let me call you Sweet-heart." I did
tell
Leah about this years ago and I believe she found it among Luella's
music.
All of which reminds me, Luella told me in later years that Pop would
ask her
to play that song and then he'd get on his knees in front of Mom and
put his
arms toward her and sing the song to her. How romantic, it almost
makes me
cry. Many years later David was a director of the local Farm Bureau as
Sec.
then Pres. for many years. At a stockholders meeting (dinner) after
the
business meeting they'd have some entertainment. This one time they
had a
group of men singers and I knew the singer who was in charge. He said
they
would play the first part of a song before the chorus to see if anyone
would
recognize the song. The room was full of people and no one said a
word. I
knew it right away so I loudly called "Let me call you Sweetheart".
Afterward he came to our table and asked how I knew that tune. I said
it was
my Dad's favorite song. I must have heard Luella play it so often that
perhaps it was her favorite song too. Now to get back to Luella - I
recall a
class-mate Sam Anewalt coming to see her and she played the piano. Sam
worked in the Post-office all his life.
She graduated in 1927. Since Mom and Pop didn't have the money to
send
her to college - Pop's brother, Uncle Warren, said he'd loan her the
money.
Uncle Warren was a math teacher in the Allentown High School and an
Insurance
agent. He had four boys - the oldest a little younger than Luella.
She went to what is now Kutztown University, and that was the last
year
you could go two years to be a teacher. After this it would be four
years
and here is something interesting - when Pop went to PolyTechnic
Institute in
Gilberts, PA the Prin. was a Mr. Rothermel and when Luella went to
Kutztown
he was the Pres. of the college.
She had many friends at college - from Saylorsburg, Slatiington
and the
coal regions. One of the girls from the coal regions - Dorothy Snyder
came
to visit Mom and Pop many years later. Of course Mom had her stay to
eat.
She was planning on having pork chops and sent me to thestore for more.
Luella also had a friend from Palmerton - Alice Mooney. I don't
remember
if she went to Kutztown or not but she became a teacher too. One time
she
and Alice dated two young state troopers. Luella's was Virgil Porter
or
Portor - I remember seeing his pictures - very handsome.
Life in college was very different in those days. Boys were kept
separate from girls - and had more freedom. When the girls wanted
sundaes
they'd put a rope out their window down to the ground with money and
the boys
would go to town for the treats, tie them on the rope and the girls
would
pull the ropes back up the windows.
Lights had to be out at 10P.M. and someone would walk the halls to
check
if they were out. Luella said they would put or drape a blanket across
a
table and sit underneath and study with a flashlight. This way when
the
keyholes were checked they couldn't see any light.
She also had a ukulele and brought it home to play. One of the
songs
she'd play and sing was about a cat. I sent the words and music as
best as I
could to Mary Louise years ago. The words were like this:
"Anybody see my kitty, anybody see my cat?
She came home with a kink in her tail
And I know she's been flirting
Down in our alley -
Up in Finnegan's flat.
Kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty
Anybody see my cat?"
And she could dance too. I can picture her in the living room
doing the
Charleston. Yes that was your Mother.
One Christmas when she came home from school she told me she had a
present for me. Well, I just couldn't wait till Christmas so I hunted
for
it...and found it too. A mirror, comb and brush set. Wasn't that nice
of
her? I never told her I found it.
When she had her school picture taken one of the girls gave her
pearls to
put on. She graduated in 1927.
Obituary from May 10, 2002 issue of Tampa Tribune
She put an application in the Palmerton School District and when
Pop went
to speak to the Superintendent he was told she had no experience. She
had to
get experience first. Pop told him how could she get experience
without a
job first. Regardless, she got a job in a one-room school like her
classmates or some anyway. You all know this school - up above
Aquashicola
and was part of the R.D.2 property there. It is still there but it
looks as
if it had been on fire and needs work done plus paint. I remember
Luella
having programs in school and Pop would take us up with his car -- a
Ford.
We also had a family car and that was always an Oldsmobile.
The very first Teachers Institute in Mauch Chunck (now Jim Thorpe)
she
attended she met Stanley. It must have been love at first sight -
because
they didn't wait long to get married. During that year she had a
miscarriage
and they lived with Stanley's Mother. He taught school in Parryville
and she
got a job there too later. They both took summer courses at E.
Stroudsburg
State Teachers College. They rented a room at a private home. Mary
Louise
was born in the Palmerton Hospital while they lived in Parryville.
When she
was a tot he got a job teaching science and music in Palmerton and they
moved
to the 600 block on Franklin Street. Luella named Mary after the
grandmothers. Mom's name is Mary Ann. Stanley's Mom is Mary Estella.
She
wanted them to give her Estella for the middle name but Luella chose
Louise.
Both Charles and Leah were born in Palmerton and by that time they
lived at
449 Lafayette Ave. The name Charles was after Pop and Warren after
Uncle
Warren. Luella told me Stanley said she should add Daniel to Charles'
name
as his grandfather was named Daniel and he was a good man. But she
said she
didn't. I guess he liked the name Leah Jane ---although he thought
Anna Mae
instead of Mary Louise. He also wanted a fourth child but not your
mother.
I remember her talking about it.
She stayed home and raised the children. She had alot of ironing
to do
each week - and she did like ice cream. So she'd send Hilda to town to
buy
her a pint of Hershey's ice cream and boy that tasted good to her. I
was
just thinking, where were the 3 children, did they know about this pint
of
ice cream?
When Mary Louise was in Jr. or Sr. High (you know the time better
than I)
Luella tutored for a year then went back into full time teaching.
[Mary's
note: Mother did not work while I was at home. Tutoring and teaching
came
when I was in college.]
Moving to Allentown later on brought them closer to the church they
attended and she served a term of First Reader. She had 2 gowns made.
I
recall one was a powder blue velvet - very nice. Very pretty.
She got perms, went to the hairdresser every week and had beautiful
clothes. A beautiful lady she was.
Some more comes to mind.
She taught me to drive a car but she never taught me to park
between two
cars. I tried several times by myself but couldn't so I always parked
where
I had more space - all my life.
She also taught Verdie. Verdie was older than I and at that time
you had
to go to Allentown to take the Driver's Test. I went along with Luella
when
she took Verdie down. As Verdie was driving, Luella was going over the
questions with her for the last time and Verdie drove up on the
pavement.
Good it was a quiet street and no one outdoors. And she did pass the
test.
I took my test while I was in High School. I don't know if I had to go
to
Allentown or not. I passed the first time due to the fact I didn't
need to
park between two cars - Ha Ha.
As you know Stanley directed several bands - The Parryville and Ben
Salem
bands[and Kunkletown]. And during that time they played at many
picnics. I
remember being up here with Luella at the Trachsville church picnics.
Luella
took me along for company to all the picnics and would always buy me a
hot
dog and soda. I thought that was so great.
I can still see Mom washing a beautiful yellow dress Luella had in
college. I believe it was silk - Mom washed it in a solution of some
sort
instead of water. The skirt was in baked-in pleats and always stayed
the
same. Water would have ruined it.
One time your folks took me along to Philadelphia and while he went
for
his music lesson she and I went shopping. She told Stanley when they
got to
the city she needed stockings so he stopped somewhere and she bought a
pair.
Later she bought a pair of shoes. I can still see a table filled with
shoes
- or rather piled up. And guess what? I made up that very day when I
grew
up I was never going to allow myself to get down to having no good
stockings
to wear. And I never did. I always had new ones in reserve and still
do.
She did come up to help me take care of Mom and I was grateful for
that.
She and your Dad missed each other very much and she called him every
day.
Mom passed on 3 weeks after putting her to Gracedale. I should have
kept her
because she really didn't want to go. Later Luella said when she got
home
and saw how Stanley was she'd never leave him that way again. He
really must
have missed her. Their love must have remained solid all their married
life.
It's almost 7 P.M. I spent all afternoon with the letter, taking
time
out for supper. I know I wrote too much of things you don't want or
might
not be important. But I wrote as it came to me. Use what you can.
I want to go to the Great-room to watch Jeopardy and Wheel of
Fortune
now. Its 7:05p.m.
All my love to you Leah, Mary and Charles (spouses too) and God
bless.
Alma
Excuse all mistakes including sentence structure but I did want to
do it
today so you could all read it while you're down there. I won't
re-read it.
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