Old Family Photos for the Fun of it.

November 2021

 I have been trying to get some old family photos from my siblings and I thought I would put a few on here for my children and grandchildren to see. That is, if they ever look at my blog. 😉

My mother's parents, Edward (Eddie) Frederick Lofstrom and Ruth Elizabeth Paul, probably around 1929-1930 when they were engaged or newly married. They were married on January 29, 1930. My mother Charlotte Ruth Lofstrom was born on October 13, 1933. She was their only child.

I never met my Grandpa Eddie. He died of a massive heart attack at the age of 43 in April 1951. My mother was only 17 yrs. old at his death.

This photo is of my Great "Grandpap" Paul. My Grandmother's father. He passed away in 1949 at the age of 66.

This is a very rare photo for our family. The man on the left is Ferdinand M. Fiege and the man on the right is my Grandfather Eddie. "Ferd" Fiege was my grandfather's Regional or national boss at the G.C. Murphy Company. Three or four years after Grandpa Eddie died my Grandmother Ruth married Ferdinand Fiege, who was a widower, and he is the Grandpa that I knew and loved so much.

I believe this photo of Grandpa Eddie was taken shortly before he passed away.

My Grandmother, Ruth Elizabeth Paul Lofstrom Fiege in 1962. She was such a beautiful woman and always so very stylish and artistic. I did not know until I was an adult how sad and abandoned she probably felt as a child. Her mother, Teresa Mallon Paul, left her and her father when she was 5 yrs. old. I do not know the reasons she left, and I won't judge her, because I can't imagine what life was like back in 1912 in the steel town of McKeesport, PA, or what kind of man my grandfather was to live with. I  know my mother loved him, but also mentioned how very, very strict he was. Teresa was a very prominent singer and entertainer in the McKeesport area and she and her sister were called the songbirds of McKeesport (according to my mother). Little Ruth was passed from grandparents to Aunts and Uncles as her father had to work and couldn't take care of her. She never saw her mother again as she died in Ohio in 1914 when Ruth was 7 yrs. old. Her father remarried when she was about 15. All I ever knew was what a wonderful grandmother she was and how much she loved us. And OH... how we loved Grandma Ruth!

This was my mother Charlotte Ruth Lofstrom, at the age of 14 all ready for her first formal dance. Momma was 18 when she and Dad married in 1952. They had 5 children and we had an amazing childhood with two such wonderful parents who were always so loving and our house was full of love, laughter and music. But sometimes things happen. They divorced in 1974 and my mother passed away after having a stroke in 1987 at the age of 54. She was fun and beautiful and loving and did so very much for so very many people. Our home was always open to anyone who needed a place of refuge. Mom was always a favorite with our friends and a mother to more than just us 5 children. There is still and emptiness in part of my heart, I miss her so much.

Here we are, the five of  "Eppert" children with our Grandma and Grandpa Eppert (Mildred and John) about 1961 or early 1962. I believe our ages here are John 9, Michelle (Shelly) 7, Cindy 5, Patty 3 and Sandy 1. Notice how nicely John and Michelle are standing and how Patty and Sandy are looking right at me. Now, look at the vice grip my grandpa has me in between his knees. I may look innocent, but I am sure they were having a hard time keeping me still. 

This is the last photo taken of my Grandpa John Wayne Eppert Sr. I believe it was taken by my sister Michelle on Saturday October 26, 1974. Grandpa passed away the next day. He was a coal miner and a farmer. He always beat us at checkers and would take us fishing at the pond. No Bluegill or Sunfish was too small for him to clean and have Grandma fry up for us for dinner. He would give the best hugs and would take us out to the fields with him. He let us sit on his lap and drive the big tractors when we were little or sit on the big fender and talk about life while he plowed or harvested when we were teenagers. His cause of death was emphysema and other lung issues brought on by Black Lung disease from working in the underground coal mines and years of smoking. He was 68 yrs. old. 

This old photo of my very young and beautiful Grandmother, Mildred Esther Eppert, is from about 1929, when she and my grandfather were courting. They were married in 1931 after 'courting' for 5 years, waiting for her younger brothers to grow up enough that she could leave the house.  Mildred's mother died when she was 15 and at that tender age Mildred became "mother" to her 4 younger siblings, the youngest only 8 months old.  We loved staying the night with Grandma Eppert and she loved having us play at her house. To walk through her vegetable and flower gardens was a treat for us all summer long. To fish in the pond or skate on it in the winter and come inside to steaming mugs of homemade hot cocoa filled our hearts with all her warmth and love. And to have her rock us in her rocking chair in the kitchen and sing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and other songs are favorite childhood memories. Oh the love that she gave, the hugs and the kisses! Always happy to see us.

And this is my Dad, Dr. John Wayne Eppert Jr., but everyone one called him 'Doc' because he was a DVM, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Well, everyone called him 'Doc' except his Aunts. They always called him John Wayne.

My father was a kind, gentle and very caring man with both people and animals. He was Chief of the Seelyville Volunteer Fire Dept. for years, an EMT, a member of the Seelyville Town Council and a Lay Minister in the Seelyville United Methodist church. He was my hero and a giant of a man in my eyes. He loved to camp and fish and hunt and play games and taught us all how to enjoy this great world. He was constantly teaching and for this reason we would love to watch him work while doing surgeries or farm calls. I miss him more than words can express, it hurts sometimes, and like my Mom, he died too young, in 1997 at the age of 64. He passed away from the disease Primary Amyloidosis. A very rare disorder in which abnormal proteins build up in tissues and organs. 

This photo is from back in the days when I knew I was the luckiest girl in the world because my parents were the best and were the favorites of many of my friends and everyone knew that they loved each other so much. I believe it is from 1968.

I have so many other photos and stories I could tell, but I need to get on the ball and finish out my blog posts for the year 2021. I hope my grandchildren have grown a little closer to these "Greats" in our family tree.