Family Reunions
My mother is a Thiesse originally. Every year for the past 41 years, the Thiesse's have gotten together on the 3rd Sunday of July for a family reunion. The original reunions were sponsored by my grandfather's generation - he was one of 14 children, 11 of whom had children themselves. This past December Luella Thiesse Kramer, child number 13 and the only remaining Thiesse from that generation, passed away. I don't think she ever missed a reunion and for the past many years has been the oldest attendant.
Here's a picture of Luella (in the middle) from about 1940. She was always perfectly made up, coiffed and dressed, even at the end when she was essentially blind. How did she do that?
This year, the reunion was hosted by her two living daughters, Connie Kramer Schnepf and Cindy Kramer, in Robinson Park in Sibley, Iowa. I drove to Little Rock, Iowa, where my mother lives so I could attend the reunion and help celebrate her 84th birthday. Her birthday is July 19 and always within a few days of the reunion. This year my mom was the oldest person attending. Doesn't she look great?
And look at this crop of youngsters - one is cuter than the next.
Saturday was miserable - 90 degrees and 90 % humidity - and many potential participants, including my mother, thought they would eat and run, so to speak. But Sunday was beautiful - high 70's, bearable humidity and a light breeze. Some people were actually wearing sweaters.
It will be interesting to see how long the reunion continues. One of the reasons that it kept going for those 40 + years is that a lot of the siblings lived within fairly easy driving distance of the old family farm. The generation after my mother's (my generation) is spread all over the U.S. I suppose that's fairly typical in the U.S., but sad all the same. It makes it difficult to pick a spot, find someone to organize and get people together. I'm committed to going whenever possible over the next years. The women in my family are long-lived, so I hope I have many birthdays to celebrate with my mom in the same journey.
Here's a picture of Luella (in the middle) from about 1940. She was always perfectly made up, coiffed and dressed, even at the end when she was essentially blind. How did she do that?
This year, the reunion was hosted by her two living daughters, Connie Kramer Schnepf and Cindy Kramer, in Robinson Park in Sibley, Iowa. I drove to Little Rock, Iowa, where my mother lives so I could attend the reunion and help celebrate her 84th birthday. Her birthday is July 19 and always within a few days of the reunion. This year my mom was the oldest person attending. Doesn't she look great?
And look at this crop of youngsters - one is cuter than the next.
Saturday was miserable - 90 degrees and 90 % humidity - and many potential participants, including my mother, thought they would eat and run, so to speak. But Sunday was beautiful - high 70's, bearable humidity and a light breeze. Some people were actually wearing sweaters.
It will be interesting to see how long the reunion continues. One of the reasons that it kept going for those 40 + years is that a lot of the siblings lived within fairly easy driving distance of the old family farm. The generation after my mother's (my generation) is spread all over the U.S. I suppose that's fairly typical in the U.S., but sad all the same. It makes it difficult to pick a spot, find someone to organize and get people together. I'm committed to going whenever possible over the next years. The women in my family are long-lived, so I hope I have many birthdays to celebrate with my mom in the same journey.
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