This week I’m sharing photos of my father’s family in Illinois. This photograph was taken in July 1960 in Chicago.
From left to right: Aunt Anna, Aunt Marge, Aunt Dolly, Grandma, and Mom
Grandma and Aunt Anna were sisters–maiden name Klein. They grew up in Elmhurst, Illinois, which is in DuPage County. They were only a year apart in age and born in Budesheim, Germany, in 1892 and 1893.
Aunt Marge was Grandma’s daughter (Dad’s sister) and married to Guido (Joe) DiBasilio. Her sons Michael and Steven were already born by 1960 and James was born in April 1960. He was a new baby at the time of this photo.
Aunt Dolly was Uncle Frank’s (my dad’s twin) wife. She was born Doloria Pawlak. My cousin Leah was also born in 1960, February, so she was also a little baby when the photo was taken. David wasn’t born until 1962.
I was five years old at the time this pic was taken. My brother not born for three more years.
Look at the box of Kleenex table napkins on the table. The Corningware coffee pot. The dome clock behind them is in my living room today.
You see my mother’s beautiful very sheer dress? I remember it very well.
OK, in the lower right from our view? A baby bottle. So it could have belonged to Jim or Leah–or maybe even Steve who was only three?
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I’ve shared the photo above before (it’s one of my favorites). My dad, his two siblings, and their mom. This was taken years before the photo of the women.
Do you see the picture behind Dad’s left shoulder?
This is it:
It’s a needlepoint that my father brought back from the Korean War. It hangs in my bedroom. The frame and mat are still in great shape because Grandma always liked to buy the best. So we know the photograph was taken after Dad got back from the war. Maybe he was already a college student at Western Michigan University, but the photograph was taken in my grandmother’s home in Chicago.
Have you seen similar Korean needlework before? I’d love to see other versions.
The Family Kalamazoo 