Velma & Bill (Continued)
Velma adored her children and after having three girls, she had a set of twin boys. Then in 1957 the Army wanted to ship Bill overseas expecting him to leave his family behind. Bill couldn’t do it and with just eight years until retirement, Bill left the Army and took a job with GE in Syracuse, NY.
Bill and Velma, however, hated that area of New York as it was always cold, even in the summertime. But it was here that Bill learned Synthetic Aperture Radar, as GE was building it. This led to his later inventions.
Bill worked hard to provide for his family and they were never without.
As Bill and Velma moved around the country, they viewed it as an exciting adventure. Most of their vacations were spent during the 2 weeks moving from one state to another going to a new job. However, with more children, it became more and more difficult to move. They always did a lot of research into the area before buying or renting a home, to ensure the finest private or public schools and neighborhoods for their family.
No matter where they lived though, Velma always made a beautiful home for her husband and children. Her decorating ability was so tasteful, and she worked so hard to ensure cleanliness and neatness even while caring for her seven children. The children were always clean and dressed beautifully whenever they went to school or church. Sunday mornings the family occupied almost an entire pew.
Velma and Bill ensured their children received Godly education. They attended Catholic School for most of their lives, but even when they attended public schools Bill and Velma ensured they received Catechism once a week.
Dinner times were always with the entire family sitting around the table, sharing their day’s events. Velma was always busy with caring for the babies, while the older children, especially Cheryl, were watching over the others. There was always plenty to eat and family dinners were always lots of fun, although not without one or two kids getting a smack on the rear for misbehaving.
Bill and Velma on rare occasions left their children with a sitter. They only hired a nanny/maid once during the time when the twins were little. Velma was not just an amazing mother, but grandmother and great-grandmother. She sacrificed every dime for her family, rarely buying anything for herself. Bill had to force her at times to buy herself new clothes, because she didn’t want to spend the money on herself.
Velma was a great mentor for her children. She was infamous for saying old proverbs that her mother, Jane, had passed on to her in her own upbringing. See her favorites here. It was normal for her to break out in song over something said that would remind her of a show tune or a song from her favorite entertainers: Rita Hayworth, Doris Day, Billy Holiday, Barbara Streisand, Julie Andrews, Judy Garland and her favorite male performer, Frank Sinatra.
She was wise, as she was beautiful. She told a proverb for every situation. Some of her favorites were: See...Velma’s Proverbs
Velma had an uncanny ability to detect suspicious behavior of her children. Once when her son, Paul, in his teen years was sneaking out of the house late at night, Velma had sensed something was up. She had slept on the couch that night with a string across the doorway and tied to her big toe. When Paul hit the string, he was surprised by his mother. Another time she strung pots and pans across the doorway which made a racket when Paul tripped over them.
Velma also had dreams. When her dreams were very real to her, when she had a certain impression from them, she acted on them. 1) She dreamed that her mother was dying. So she packed up Chrissie and Cheryl, her two girls, and went home to New York. Just in time before her mother actually did die of cancer. Velma stayed at her bedside for two weeks until her passing. 2) She dreamed that her daughter, Chris (who was in a terrible marriage situation) was under ice and drowning. Velma, in her dream, was clawing trying to break through to her. So when Velma awoke, she drove to Marathon, Florida to find Chris anemic with her three children living in poverty. She packed them up and brought them home with her. 3) She dreamed that her son, Greg, was in a huge storm at sea. (Greg had taken his father’s boat to sail to Cuba). Later Velma found out that in fact, Greg was in the outskirts of the storm that sunk “The Pride of Baltimore” a huge masted ship. Greg thought he was going to die and tied himself to the boat. When Velma had a dream….people listened.
Bill and Velma were married 53 years before she succumbed to cancer. During her long illness of five years, Bill was by her bedside, rarely leaving her hospital bed. They were quite the team. They laughed together and loved each other for those many years. Bill was quite lost without Velma and their home stayed just as Velma left it for many years until hurricane Katrina destroyed it in 2005. Bill then, with nothing left, moved to Denver, Colorado to live with his daughter, Mary, until being settled in a senior apartment complex. Bill enjoyed his seven healthy children, his 15 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. Bill passed on February 11, 2013.
Bill and Velma, however, hated that area of New York as it was always cold, even in the summertime. But it was here that Bill learned Synthetic Aperture Radar, as GE was building it. This led to his later inventions.
Bill worked hard to provide for his family and they were never without.
As Bill and Velma moved around the country, they viewed it as an exciting adventure. Most of their vacations were spent during the 2 weeks moving from one state to another going to a new job. However, with more children, it became more and more difficult to move. They always did a lot of research into the area before buying or renting a home, to ensure the finest private or public schools and neighborhoods for their family.
No matter where they lived though, Velma always made a beautiful home for her husband and children. Her decorating ability was so tasteful, and she worked so hard to ensure cleanliness and neatness even while caring for her seven children. The children were always clean and dressed beautifully whenever they went to school or church. Sunday mornings the family occupied almost an entire pew.
Velma and Bill ensured their children received Godly education. They attended Catholic School for most of their lives, but even when they attended public schools Bill and Velma ensured they received Catechism once a week.
Dinner times were always with the entire family sitting around the table, sharing their day’s events. Velma was always busy with caring for the babies, while the older children, especially Cheryl, were watching over the others. There was always plenty to eat and family dinners were always lots of fun, although not without one or two kids getting a smack on the rear for misbehaving.
Bill and Velma on rare occasions left their children with a sitter. They only hired a nanny/maid once during the time when the twins were little. Velma was not just an amazing mother, but grandmother and great-grandmother. She sacrificed every dime for her family, rarely buying anything for herself. Bill had to force her at times to buy herself new clothes, because she didn’t want to spend the money on herself.
Velma was a great mentor for her children. She was infamous for saying old proverbs that her mother, Jane, had passed on to her in her own upbringing. See her favorites here. It was normal for her to break out in song over something said that would remind her of a show tune or a song from her favorite entertainers: Rita Hayworth, Doris Day, Billy Holiday, Barbara Streisand, Julie Andrews, Judy Garland and her favorite male performer, Frank Sinatra.
She was wise, as she was beautiful. She told a proverb for every situation. Some of her favorites were: See...Velma’s Proverbs
Velma had an uncanny ability to detect suspicious behavior of her children. Once when her son, Paul, in his teen years was sneaking out of the house late at night, Velma had sensed something was up. She had slept on the couch that night with a string across the doorway and tied to her big toe. When Paul hit the string, he was surprised by his mother. Another time she strung pots and pans across the doorway which made a racket when Paul tripped over them.
Velma also had dreams. When her dreams were very real to her, when she had a certain impression from them, she acted on them. 1) She dreamed that her mother was dying. So she packed up Chrissie and Cheryl, her two girls, and went home to New York. Just in time before her mother actually did die of cancer. Velma stayed at her bedside for two weeks until her passing. 2) She dreamed that her daughter, Chris (who was in a terrible marriage situation) was under ice and drowning. Velma, in her dream, was clawing trying to break through to her. So when Velma awoke, she drove to Marathon, Florida to find Chris anemic with her three children living in poverty. She packed them up and brought them home with her. 3) She dreamed that her son, Greg, was in a huge storm at sea. (Greg had taken his father’s boat to sail to Cuba). Later Velma found out that in fact, Greg was in the outskirts of the storm that sunk “The Pride of Baltimore” a huge masted ship. Greg thought he was going to die and tied himself to the boat. When Velma had a dream….people listened.
Bill and Velma were married 53 years before she succumbed to cancer. During her long illness of five years, Bill was by her bedside, rarely leaving her hospital bed. They were quite the team. They laughed together and loved each other for those many years. Bill was quite lost without Velma and their home stayed just as Velma left it for many years until hurricane Katrina destroyed it in 2005. Bill then, with nothing left, moved to Denver, Colorado to live with his daughter, Mary, until being settled in a senior apartment complex. Bill enjoyed his seven healthy children, his 15 grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. Bill passed on February 11, 2013.