Eileen and Larry Somers

This was a story I (Jeanne) heard only recently! My newest daughter-in-law has seven aunts and two uncles on her mother's side. I knew that her aunt Anna Mae Vagle was a worship leader at St. Joan of Arc Church (I remember her from the 1970s when I attended SJA with my parents), but I did not realize that Aunt Mary also went there. I saw Mary at a bridal shower for Mari and she told me about how she always called our dad "Chauncey" when she saw him at St. Joan of Arc Church. It was because of the movie Being There (blurb below from Hennepin County Library website) and the main character. "Chance is a secluded gardener who has spent all his life in the Washington D.C. house of an old man. When the man dies, Chance is put out on the street with no knowledge of the world except what he has learned from television. After a run-in with a limousine, he ends up a guest of Eve and her husband Ben. Ben is an influential, but sickly businessman. Now called Chauncey Gard...

"Collating and correcting school papers around the dining room table" - Since Eileen was a third grade teacher and actively involved in the local DFL, we were often put to work to help her with her many projects. We stuffed envelopes, assembled things (like lawn signs), and helped to correct the many spelling tests, math tests, workbooks, etc. Whatever she needed us to help with, we did. Everyone chipped in to get the job done! "Reading books to us as we snuggled on the sofa" - Jeanne doesn't really remember mom reading books . . . I think this must have been more for the three older kids. Dad read to Jeanne quite a bit. But we all grew up with a love of books! "Cuddling in the rocking/swinging chairs when sick" - Again, this is a Louise memory. I remember mom making a "bed" on the sofa with sheets and babying me. That's why I liked it when I got sick - she gave me special attention! I know Louise enjoyed swinging in the hammoc...

Louise wanted me to write about this, but didn't provide her memories or perspective. Here's mine: We (Tom, Ann, Louise, Jeanne, and Eileen) would play a chasing game around the kitchen, living room, dining room circle (and around the dining room table as an extra loop). We would holler, laugh, and run. Someone (of us kids) would grab one or both of mom's slippers (generic image provided, since her actual slippers are long gone) and toss it / them into the freezer. After some more running around, hollering, and laughing, one of the kids would get the slipper(s) out and put them on the floor. "Here they are, mom! I found your slippers!" When she put her feet into freezing cold slippers, the hollering and shouting ramped up even more. We had so much fun playing this game!