A love story for my posterity

Last week I found a letter from my grandma (Dorthella Wadsworth, yes that's the correct name) to my mother dated 1963. When my mom was about 16 years old she moved from Germany, where her family was stationed in the Army, to live with her grandmother in CA. I scanned the letter and sent it out to my family, including my father. Below are a series of emails I received from my dad there after.

Another portion to the information I gave you. We met at a party sponsored by the church for college age youth of the San Bernardino Stake. I was with a friend and said see that cute blond over there in the corner, I'm gonna marry her. As a church institute group, we were all invited to come dance on a local San Bernardino television dance show. I introduced myself to her that night at the party and asked her if she wanted to be in the dancing tv show together and she said ok. We went over to Fontana Ward, where in those days they didn't lock that building, and helped ourselves to a class room and practiced dancing together. A short time later we danced on said program and they held a dance contest which we won and they gave us a huge stack of 45 rpm records. When I got to church the next Sunday the Scouts that I was Assist. Scout Master with embarrassed me by saying they saw us performing.

We went together for a month or less and got engaged. We purchased a ring which she picked out. She got stage freight and backed out of the wedding. Then three days later she said she made a mistake and wanted to get back together. Then I got scared and said no, this is a big step. Then two days later I took her to A & W Drive In Root Beer Stand, and when she wasn't looking I put the ring in her root beer. She got down to the bottom of her drink, which were served in glass mugs, and almost swallowed the ring. Then she cried, and we couldn't stand to be apart from that day.

I continued in college. She said that was the last thing she wanted to do, and dropped out to help put me through. College was so much cheaper in those days. I think Junior College was like $7.00 per semester, plus very economical books in the $4 to $6 range. If it cost $10 it was a huge book and highly unusual. Rent was about $50 a month. Having a baby was about $50, including the hospital stay. Gasoline was around .20 cents a gal. Hardly anyone had their own tv's, and very few had their own typewriters.

Anyway, thanks for sparking some wonderful memories by sharing Grandmother Wadsworth letter.

Thanks for sharing the letter. That was pre Noel times. I know a little about that time though. They sent Judy to the states for two reasons. One was they did not want her to marry a non member, and two was to help Grandmother Violet Hendrickson with grandpa as he was dieing. She entered Pacific High School and was voted leader of the marching band. (She looked so beautiful in her marching band from College also.)

Grandpa Durant said he wished he had never let her go, as he always regretted not being in charge of her life during that year and a half before she married me. They missed Judy's second or third letter telling them she and I were getting married right when they got here from Germany, and it was a big surprise and they expected the marriage to occur later. We met them in Idaho, and Judy said, oh, guess what, we're getting married tomorrow in the Idaho Falls Temple. Her Grandmother Violet knew as she rode up with us from CA as did Grandmother Lababe for the wedding. What a pleasant lady Grandmother Violet was. She was like Judy's mother as even after our marriage they talked daily on the phone as she was a comfort to her grandmother. When I would go to visit Judy and her grandmother before marriage, they would always have a big plate of oatmeal cookies and milk for me. They lived in a pretty small place in San Bernardino on Mayflower St, right down town. I did write to Dot and Durant and asked for Judy's hand in marriage, and I never got Durant's letter in response which got lost coming from Germany. He said he asked me why I was only interested in marrying her hand and didn't want to marry the rest of her.

Judy's Aunts Marva and Marthella threw a dinner and reception for us in their homes in Idaho Falls. (Now they live in Hemet, CA) We Honeymooned on the Idaho Falls River, across from the temple. Then down through Yellowstone, where Judy's Aunt and Uncle had us stay in their vacation trailer out in the middle of Moose, etc. Mother and Grandmother rode back with Ted and Celeste. Then we got to Salt Lake City and they rode home with us to CA. While in Salt Lake Grandmother Florence Covington threw a reception for us with her children. She put cornflakes in our bed that night and thought she was so funny...so did we.. We loved that grandmother... As you kids got older we
she and her second husband use to stay with us. We recorded the first Christmas she could remember with her giving the story of how she got an orange, but the best present of all was the snow and all her cousins to play with that day.

I will write more unsolicited info. later. I love my children and grandchildren so very, very much. How glad I am Judy and I were married, even if it was only for 32 years. If her dad hadn't let her come to America we probably never would have met. She said she got so sea sick, as the trip was on a ship.. spent most of the whole trip in the nurses office..

While attending San Bernardino Junior College, I worked on a used car lot and sold motor cycles, automobiles and camping trailers. Judy worked for Kentucky Fried Chicken. One night I went to pick her up about 9 or 10 pm and there were mashed potato's all over everything, the ceilings, the walls, equipment and employees. They were right in the middle of a mashed potato fight. (Didn't know your mother could be so mischievous did you?) It was a real sight. Back then their chicken was delicious and she would bring home left overs every night. I got to where I hated chicken. After that job she went to work at Sears Service Center. We lived in a small apartment that was a converted hot dog stand in Colton, which we paid $45 mo for, a train track went down the middle of our street and trains would come by and shake us like an earth quake in the middle of the night. The apartment was in a triangular shape with the service window still in the kitchen. We had our bed in the kitchen. Later we managed apartments at the same time we went to college and worked, and even once again after BYU, so we had our rent free. Then kids kept coming and with the birth of Sheri we purchased a small two bedroom home down a dirt road in Rialto.

P.S.

Re her job at Enchanted Forest, a Christmas carnival rides situation on the way to Lake Arrowhead was owned by a Mormon. She worked the whole summer with promise of pay but the guy went out of business and she never got a penny...