This picture was taken in 1945, shortly after Doreen and I met
in Philadelphia, where she was a USO Hostess dancing with visiting
servicemen and singing with various dance bands, during my R&R
from the Pacific. We were married in November of 1946 after my
USMC discharge and we had 52 years together during which time
we raised 3 children and "helped" to raise (spoil ?)
11 grandchildren.
The early years, although happy ones, were also pretty rough as
Doreen "kept the home fires burning" while I held a
full-time job and attended Drexel Evening College for 9 years
in order to get the B.S. Degree that I had never thought possible.
I couldn't have done it without her help and encouragement. She
was a true Marine Wife even though we were not married during
my time in our Corps. The success of our children and grandchildren,
scholastically and in the work force, is due in large part to
her efforts.
We all still miss her very much, having lost her in February,
1998 to a bout of pneumonia, complicated by high blood pressure,
circulatory problems and diabetes. For many years prior to her
death, she was a volunteer at a local retirement home where she
helped to teach classes in Pastel Painting and conducted sing-alongs
for the residents several times a week. These people (particularly
those in the Health Care Center of the facility) became a "second
family" to Doreen, and they shared her loss with the members
of her natural family.
