my grandmom, doris

on thursday of last week we found out my grandmom waldie died. she has had ups and downs over the past few years, but she has recently been on the mend and doing fairly well. so this was quite unexpected. i'll be heading up north a few days early (i was already going up there for a vacation of sorts) so i can go to pennsylvania for the memorial service on thursday.

grandmom was born in england around 1921. i believe she had one sister, vera. her father was a jeweler but when world war ii started they couldn't sell jewelry anymore so they lost the business. grandmom signed up to help with the war effort but we're not exactly sure what she did. it makes sense that she would have served for the british royal military, but my dad said she was a waac, who served the united states military. we do know that during her service she met my grandfather who was in the air force for the royal canadian military. dad said he thinks he was a lieutenant of some sort. they married and my granddad brought her back to canada to live with his mother and father. that didn't last too long and they eventually moved to a place of their own. they ended up having 8 kids. my father is the second/third oldest. he's a twin and i'm not sure who came first. while my grandmom was raising the kids they moved back and forth from canada to the united states a few times. i know they lived on the west coast (in oregon or washington?) for a short period and the family eventually settled in virginia. though most of the family has since moved out of that area (some even moved back to canada and i've never even met them!). grandmom was an independent woman all the way to her death. before my grandfather died, grandmom was his caretaker for many years. (he died of cancer when i was in the 7th grade.) once she was freed of the responsibility of caring for my grandfather, she took up painting, bowling, dancing, and writing. she event went back to school and took some art classes in the nearby high school just for fun. gradmom, you were an amazing, independent woman and you will be missed.


William Percy Waldie and his new bride, Doris at their wedding (1930's?)


grandmom and granddad at their wedding with who we presume are their respective parents


grandmom and granddad portrait (not sure if this was before or after they married)


the waldie family. from left to right starting in the back:
Row 1: Gail (dad's twin), Diane, Garry (my dad)
Row 2: Grandad (William), Donny, Grandmom (Doris), Barbara
Row 3: Tony (on granddad's lap, Terry, Timmy (in grandmom's arms)