Week 13 of #52Ancestors... "Light a Candle"
I had NO CLUE who to write about this week. I googled the word "candle". One thing that came up is that it "symbolizes the warmth of friendship and love." So this week I am writing about a family friend, who was always like an extra grandmotherly type to me.
Frieda Mae Neber was born in Williamson County, IL, in February 1916. Her parents were William and Nora (Bevil) Neber. She was married three times, and had six known children (some from each marriage). She mostly lived in Williamson County all of her life... with some time in Chicago and Sioux Falls, SD (according to records). The 1950 census says she was a sales clerk in a jewelry store. I know that she also worked as a waitress for a while.
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| a young Frieda |
I met her when I was a baby, in 1976. She went to our church, and was a member of my Grandma's Sunday School class. My parents hired her to babysit me during the day, while they were at work. In today's world, she'd likely be called a "nanny", but we always just referred to her as our babysitter.
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| Frieda Reimer, 1976-1977 at my Grandma's house during a Sunday School class get-together |
She'd keep the house cleaned up, bring the mail in, sometimes she'd cook a meatloaf and have it ready for my mom to warm up when she got home. Frieda took me to Sonic and we'd get tater tots... then drive to the park and eat there. We'd play and sometimes feed the ducks and geese that were always there at the pond. We went for walks around the neighborhood (I lived in a rural area)... in earlier years, she'd push me up and down the road in the stroller.
She watched her soap operas every day, and inevitably I'd find her asleep on the couch... but she always insisted she was just "resting her eyes." She taught me how to play Yahtzee, Kings Korner and Solitaire. When my brother came along, and I was in school... I'd fake being sick some days just so I could stay home and hang out with Frieda. A few times, I was allowed to spend the night with her in town. She lived in the town high rise apartment building... and from her 4th floor windows, we could see the water tower that was down the road from my own house. She always sang songs (some were silly, some I just thought were silly at the time) while we'd swing in the backyard.
She sent me postcards when she'd go on a vacation, and always brought some little trinket back for me. Once she went to visit a daughter who lived in Washington state... and brought me back a little bottle of Mount St. Helens volcano ash. I'm sure I could mention all sorts of other things about her... she was kind, loving, and quite possibly is still my favorite person today. I even named one of my current cats after her!
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| Frieda the Cat, born 2018 |
Human-Frieda passed away in July 1999, but will ALWAYS be remembered.
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| Herrin City Cemetery |
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