On September 6, 1964, Orville was mustered out of the Army, one of the saddest days of his life. He started looking for a job. He wanted to stay in medical laboratory work but everything that was offered was as he put it, "scut work." I suggested he go to Illinois and look up there but he never did. He finally took a job at Brooke General and was unhappy every day he went to work. He was in the same laboratory, doing basically the same work as before, but now was just an employee and not at all in charge. His whole personality changed; he became bitter, unhappy and not satisfied with any part of his life. By now David was in San Antonio College, Doug in MacArthur High, Diane in Garner Junior High and Debbie and Dan in Elementary. We moved in to our new house in July, 1965 and loved the house. We continued to attend Dodd Field Chapel and the children were active in PYOC. Often on Sunday nights the house was filled with the kids from that group which pleased us. We had been in the house a year when Dan was diagnosed with a severe kidney problem which necessitated surgery.
Shortly before Dan had the surgery, David left for El Paso for college at what was then called Texas Western College (now UTEP). Dan recovered well but it took several weeks. In the meantime Orville continued to be unhappy in his work but took up a hobby of woodworking which he did enjoy and he made many beautiful pieces and restored many old pieces of furniture. I continued to be a wife and mother, caring for the house and children the best I knew how. Because we were not faithful in church attendance at that time, I felt we needed a local church. I took Debbie and Dan and we visited various neighborhood churches. After visiting MacArthur Park Lutheran Church, Dan came running out saying he had not signed a visitor's card, but a joiner's card. Debbie had not been impressed with any of the churches, but I had liked the Lutheran church so we started attending there, at least Dan and I did.
We had lost close contact with most of our Army friends by that time so life mostly was school and church contacts. During those years, our family had changed. Doug had also left for El Paso for college and Diane went to Jacksonville, Texas for college. Meanwhile, Dave suffered a migraine paralysis just before he was to graduate. He slowly recovered but needed several months, and another semester in college, before he could join the Army. In August 1969 Dave married Kathy Doyle and in September of the same year Diane married Larry Benge. About that time, Doug transferred to Austin to UT for his junior year. We learned afterward it was not just the University that he wanted, it was to be where Rose-Ellen May was. While he was in Austin, David and Kathy's son Jon was born and three weeks later Dave left for Vietnam. Kathy stayed in San Antonio during Dave's tour in Vietnam. We were glad to have her and Jon there with us.
As Dave's time in Vietnam was drawing to a close, Doug and Rose-Ellen were getting ready to graduate from college and to get married. Debbie, Orville and I went to New Orleans for their wedding and Dan stayed in San Antonio with Kathy and Jon. While Dan stayed with Kathy they went shopping for shoes for Dan. Strangely, the salesman thought Dan was Kathy's son--she was 24 and he was 12 at the time! After their wedding Doug and R.E. left for Missouri where he would work toward a master's degree. When David returned he and his family left for El Paso where he would be stationed. Jennifer was born on Halloween 1972 during their assignment in El Paso. Diane and Larry were still in Jacksonville. Not too long after that Larry was selected for Game Warden's school. When he finished that he was stationed in Newton and that is where they were when Zak was born. Our family was starting to expand.
It was about that time that we decided to have a Christmas carol sing along party, inviting the neighbors and friends and having the children invite their friends also. The idea was well-received by everyone we talked to, people wanted to bring food for snacks, and it ended up being a hugh crowd, from Jon at eighteen months to Col. Madere's father at ninety. It became a yearly event, and from that evolved a neighborhood sing that took place two or three times a year. It was all at our house, of course, as we were the only ones with a piano. Shortly after that started Orville bought me a lovely Thomas organ. I still preferred the piano but kept both and alternated. It was good to be so close to the neighbors and I admit that those sings are one thing I really miss now.
We continued to enjoy our home and Lee Roy and Doris came down nearly every winter to spend several weeks with us. Sometimes Lee Roy came alone, like the year my mother died. I had gone to Iowa to help get her settled in a nursing home and Lee Roy brought me back to Texas afterward. She died shortly after that but I did not go for her funeral as that had been agreed to before I went up earlier. I always regretted that. My brother Bob died less than a year after Mom and I did not get to go to a funeral for him, either, as he was cremated and buried at sea. There were no services. My sister Nina was killed in an auto accident shortly after that but I did go up for her funeral either. I learned then that I needed to attend the funerals of my family. I missed being able to say the final goodbyes.
The year Nina Mae (who we always called Nine) died, Marian and Lloyd had come down to visit us. The first night we were sitting around the dinner table when the phone rang. When I answered it was Nine and she said she was at the airport. We did not believe her at first as she was afraid to fly but she convinced us she was really there so we picked her up. That was the first time since we had become adults that Marian, Nine and I were together. Usually when we went to Iowa I would visit one, and then the other. We had such a good time. We went to movies, shopped, ate out, etc. while Lloyd and Orville did things they liked like driving through countryside, etc. It was a wonderful time. Just two weeks after that Nine was killed in an automobile accident. As I think about that it makes me realize more and more how important it is for families to get together, especially as widely scattered as my children are.
One day in 1971 while Lee Roy was visiting Orville went to work and when he came home at noon said "I gave notice today." He had worked as a Civil Servant for seven years after retiring from the Army but had never really been happy. That day he had the flu and was not feeling well anyway. His boss had come to him and asked him how long he intended to work, and he replied, "Two weeks from today will be my last day." His boss was as surprised as we were, since he had planned to send him for some training, but I really was glad as he was so unhappy. After he quit he was sort of at loose ends. He had lost contact with all his Army friends except Glenn Madere. He still had no hobbies except his woodworking which he then enjoyed even more than ever. As he never left the house, it really seemed too confining for the two of us so I went to the Broadway Bank not too far from our home and applied for parttime, on call work. They called the same afternoon and wanted me the next day and that began a 15 year career for me. I really enjoyed my work there, and worked up to where I was doing more important work; paying the taxes on the property on which we had loans, sending out year end statements, etc.
Several years after Orville retired he was diagnosed with a mild form of leukemia that could be treated with oral medication. This treatment worked for some time but in 1981 it was no longer effective and he was hospitalized for chemotherapy. Because of his other physical problems, he had many complications and by late May I had to call the children home as he was so bad. He rallied for a short time and the children had gone home when he died suddenly, on June 2, 1981. On June 6 we would have been married 38 years.
I continued to work at the bank. Meanwhile Debbie had dropped out of college and was working in San Antonio and Dan had graduated from Texas A & M and was working and living at home. I had become very close to the neighbors and we had many parties together where we played cards, sang and just had fun. Judy Perkins and I would go out together and eat very often. I also continued to be active in the Lutheran Church and had many friends from there. I also frequently had guests from up north; Barb and Brian Bennett, Denny and Laurie Eckberg among others. I continued to get along very well.
To be continued....
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