Throwback Thursday - Nan's sister Sadie

In keeping with Nan's family that I talked about last Thursday, this story is about going to visit Nan's sister Sadie.  The year was 1991 and Sadie was in a nursing home in Ulster County, Kingston, NY. She had had a 99th birthday party.  We were not able to make it to the party, but we went to visit her shortly after.

My two aunts - Dot and Esther, me, and my grandmother went to see her.  Sadie's daughter was there with her.  I believe that the last time they saw each other was in 1979.  Sadie was blind at this time and when we got there, my grandmother when up to her, took her hand, and said, "Sadie, it's Lu.  I've come to visit."

It was kind of tense and I thought my grandmother might start to cry.  Sadie hesitated for a moment, and then she said, "Where the hell have you been all these years?"  At that point we all burst out laughing, the tension was broken, and we had a wonderful visit!

Sadie was the oldest of the four girls, and my grandmother was the youngest.  At this point, Sadie was 99 and my grandmother was 90.

I blogged the picture below before, here.  Sadie is the one in the  dark dress, and my grandmother is the baby.  The other two girls were Eldora (left) and Marion (right).  There were also four brothers, and two baby girls who died before their first birthday.

I'm so glad we had the opportunity to visit with Sadie that one last time.  I just don't know why we didn't do it more often!

Throwback Thursday - Nan's family

My grandmother came from a large family.  There were four girls and four boys and two baby girls who died in infancy.

The family was from Chateagay, NY, almost to the Canadian border.  She didn't see her family much after she got married and moved away.

This picture was taken in October of 1958.  Three of her sisters and one brother came to visit.

L to R - Sadie, Aldora, Marion, Bert, and Lucy.  She looks very happy in this picture.  I never thought much about it as a kid, but it must have been hard for her not to see her family very much.

277/365 - Nan and her mother

This is a picture of my paternal grandmother, Lucy Bessette when she was about 10 (circa 1911) and her mother in front of their home in Chateaugay, NY.  Her mother, Linda, died when my grandmother was about 20, which lead to her eventually leaving the farm and moving in with her sister Marion who was married and living in White River Junction, VT. This is where she met and married my grandfather who was working for the Western Union there.

Also pictured is her dog, Bruce!