Tuesday, February 16, 2010
My sister sent along three photos from Henny's funeral lunch. Which I won't post online because they're private, & wouldn't make any sense anyway, but you'd see my sister is still a looker. An impressive group shot of grand & step-grandkids & a few significant others, only two missing. Range in age from 18 to 40. All save one young woman are taller than me, some way taller, using my nephew David as the comparison. If any of these "kids" needed to connect or re-connect, it's a simple matter for them; they just punch a few numbers into their pocket gadgets & then tweet or text. I hope they did.
***
I met Henrietta "Henny" Logan Rixon's daughter, Judy, before I met Henny. Judy was president of the Roselle Park Teenage Republican Club. It was a small group. I joined it only because Dad was running for re-election as 3rd Ward Councilman. He had a pretty safe seat, but there was a mayoral election & the Teenage Republicans handled much of the doorstep leaflet distribution, tedious work. There were perks from dad's political office. He had a free pass to the movie theater I could use (I doubt that's allowed anymore). There was a second phone line in the house opening up the main one for teen blab. I ate for free at the annual Republican Club Picnic in exchange for running the soda stand. I got to be tally board kid at headquarters on Election Night. During the campaign season, people sitting the headquarters table in downtown storefront would give me a dollar to bring them some pizza slices & fresh coffee. It was the only good connection I had with dad. I was Republican by default. Judy really was a Republican & still is, & Henny was active in the Republican Club. For my mom, politics was social, party affililiation didn't matter much to her. So that's how Dad met Henny. I don't know when they fell in love; he & mom were long separated before I became aware of anything. Henny must have been quite aware of the problems in our household. It was a small town. Anyway, dad won easily, the mayoral candidate squeaked in by handful of votes during a Democratic year statewide.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
***
I met Henrietta "Henny" Logan Rixon's daughter, Judy, before I met Henny. Judy was president of the Roselle Park Teenage Republican Club. It was a small group. I joined it only because Dad was running for re-election as 3rd Ward Councilman. He had a pretty safe seat, but there was a mayoral election & the Teenage Republicans handled much of the doorstep leaflet distribution, tedious work. There were perks from dad's political office. He had a free pass to the movie theater I could use (I doubt that's allowed anymore). There was a second phone line in the house opening up the main one for teen blab. I ate for free at the annual Republican Club Picnic in exchange for running the soda stand. I got to be tally board kid at headquarters on Election Night. During the campaign season, people sitting the headquarters table in downtown storefront would give me a dollar to bring them some pizza slices & fresh coffee. It was the only good connection I had with dad. I was Republican by default. Judy really was a Republican & still is, & Henny was active in the Republican Club. For my mom, politics was social, party affililiation didn't matter much to her. So that's how Dad met Henny. I don't know when they fell in love; he & mom were long separated before I became aware of anything. Henny must have been quite aware of the problems in our household. It was a small town. Anyway, dad won easily, the mayoral candidate squeaked in by handful of votes during a Democratic year statewide.
Labels: growing up, obituary
