Family...

Family, so important, and so needed! This week I had a lot of time to think about my family, especially after the spectacular 90th birthday party that they, my family, gave me!!! And since I already told you about my family growing up and my Mother and Father, (who by the way died on the Feast of St. Joseph in 1970!) So I thought I would tell you about my husband and the father of my 5 biological children who came into my life with two children, Lester Bert III,twelve years old and Florence Rose 7 years old. Her Mother died in giving birth to her and so her Grandmother Farnsworth raised her as her own child! Cappy and I took Lester Bert to live with us until he was about 17 when he went into the Air Force. Cappy, whose real name was Afton Leroy Farnsworth, (he used to say he only kew two girls and a river that were named Afton!)was a very gentle man. Oh he could cuss with the best of them but it was almost a part of his speech!! He didn't mean a thing about it and in fact. I don't think he even realized that he was swearing, or "cussing"! He got along with everybody and everybody liked him. He was bald when I met him and he told me (and his Mother told me) that he had started going bald very young! He had been a "sickly" youngster and so had stomache ulcers and was kind of held back from doing chores like his older brother had to do. Rake up leaves, chop wood and bring it into the house, etc. Hence the name "Cappy" as most people knew him. He got the name when he was a small child and his Mother had asked him to bring in some wood. There was a lot of little Mexican kids around the sawmill in Mexico where they lived at the time and so one of the Mexican workers at the mill saw Cappy line up the kids and actually had them bringing in the wood! The Mexican man laughed and told Cappy's father that Cappy was a real "El Capitan", Captain, and the name stuck!!! I think I knew his real name when he put it on our Marriage license! He loved every one of his kids so much! Lester Bert was at first a problem, because I had taken "his" place in his father's life!!! No amount of trying to show him that I really cared about him worked, but then in later years we became friends. when he began to have children and he had a couple of stepchildren!! Florence Rose was like a stranger to her Father because he was off working someplace and even if Lester B. could be with him, she couldn't and so that posed a problem. I tried one time to have her come and live with us and all she did was cry all night and day for her "mamma" I told Cappy, it just wasn't fair to her to take her away from what she considered home. She, also in later years, has become close. She was at my party with a couple of her children and grandchildren! Good to see her. She has been having a lot of medical problems. After four years of marriage, Cappy and I started to have our biological children. Robert Earl, Richard Allen, William Leroy, Stephen Gerard and Thomas Clarence. Or, Bob, Dick, Bill, Steve, and Tom. I had one girl, a nine mo. stillborn girl, Dorothy Anne whe was born 11 mos. after Steve. Cappy was a good Father, patient and hard-working but if he got riled, (which was once in a blue moon!) the boys knew it!! I was always, in his eyes, his bride, and he treated me such! Flowers, or candy, or jewelry, etc. I can't remember him ever leaving me or coming home again that he he didn't take me in his arms and give me a "special" kiss and a hug!!Every baby was greeted with a bouquet of American Beauty Roses! I lost him to Emphesemia and other complications in July of 1970 after 29 yesrs of marriage. There never was and never will be anyone else for me!!!!God Bless you Honey!!!