A colorful, larger-than-life character, Dad hailed from a time and place where fighting and strength were measures of a man's worth. He was a captivating storyteller, rowdy into his old age, and a hero who foiled an armed robbery with his bare hands. After his mom died in the Flu Epidemic of 1918, his father kept his younger brother, then abandoned he and his older brother to an orphanage, where the older boy died of a disease curable today. Fostered to a farm couple who worked him like an indentured servant, Dad was viciously bullied for being an orphan, but he learned to box and conquered his foes in the boxing ring or other fair fights, becoming a local legend in the process. Although he helped his parents gain wealth with hard work, when it came to inherit the farm all copies of the will disappeared. Mother was the eldest of a large, impoverished family - poor, not by today's measures, but by depression-era standards. She assisted at her mother's home-births, including one stillborn and two boys that died their first week of life - one in her young arms. After the funeral, an insensitive aunt told her; "Don't cry, your mother can have more babies " Her father moved the family like gypsies to find work fixing cars and machinery for food, which was best since he drank away most of what he earned.

Mom was the only one of her siblings to finish high school, and she paid for teacher's school by giving mud baths at a spa. Despite teaching all eight grades in a one-room schoolhouse and receiving accolades for her work, she got fired for secretly getting married. This amazing story spans a period of ninety years with a historical, nostalgic flavor I hope you enjoy.