Wednesday, June 20, 2012

In My Mind, I Love Them All

1918 - This is my Mom, Minerva Yuncker, and her kin in New Jersey. My Grandpa (who died before I was born) was 20 years younger than my Gramma Minnie. Minerva was the first baby in the family and here she is on the Davis farm buggy with her Mom, Dad and his sisters and brother-in-law. Minerva got to be the family 'Princess' for 4 years, then along came Florence!

1949-Patterson, N.J.- This is me, Oma Dor when I was an itty bitty. I am with my Nanny Case, Margret Brown-Case, my paternal grandmother. Oh, she sure knew how to do Christmas and I thank my lucky stars for her and the magic she made for us. She had 13 (I think) grandkids and many of us gathered there for the holidays. The tree was the biggest I'd ever seen, and presents piled up so high. Each kid got at least 2 or 3 gifts so you can imagine. I loved my cousins, my Aunts and Uncles, and best of all, my Nanny.

1959-Donnie Gary Case, my baby brother on Pinelawn Ave.with his new Joe Palooka punching bag. He loved it, and also dinosaurs, and if I do recall, my Mom got his a lot of flashlights! He is 6 years younger than me.

1944 (?) Florence Yuncker and James Smith, my Aunt Florence and Uncle Jim.  

1900-ish -My great Aunt Mary and her husband. She was my grandfathers sister on my Mom's side. They had a farm in N.J.
They look like a nice couple. I'd love to have met them.

1920- Minerva Yuncker, my Mom, when she was still an only child. 4 years later, Florence was born, and 4 years after that, Elinor. My Mom and her 2 sisters have always been quite the trio.

1944 I think. Florence and Jim's wedding day with my maternal grandma, Wilhelmina C Yuncker. We knew her as Minnie. What an adorable person she was. She passed away right before my first child was born in 1971. I still think of her every single day. I guess she was my all-time favorite relative.

1950-ish - Aunt Florence and her Mom, my Nanny Yuncker, once again. Two lovely Leo ladies I know and love.
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1949-Uncle Bill, my fathers youngest brother lived with my Nanny Case in Patterson, N.J. He had the best sense of humor and always had us laughing. My father was the oldest boy, and he had siblings, Jaye, Margaret, Earl, Ruth and Billy. My grandfather, George Earl Case, died when my Dad was 16.


1950 - Big brother, Georgie Allen Case. He is two years older than I am, born on Sept. 21. We both got cowboy outfits that Christmas.



1955-Oaklawn Ave. Farmingville. Me (then Doris), Donnie and Georgie in front of our tiny house. I had fun there, my best friends, Kathy and Patty Quinlan lived close by and we had a good neighborhood full of kids. We picked blueberrys and blackberries along the extention wire path (and ticks!) We made a 3-story tree house but only my brother and his pal Michael Quinlan were allowed on the top floor. We'd sneak up there when they were gone.

1949 - Georgie and Doris/me Case. My Dad did such a beautiful job decorating the tree. I think it is '49 and I'm about 15 mos. old. Check out the 'taps' on brother Georgie's shoes. Remember those? I loved them when I got them. I thought I was a tap dancer.

1945 - My two Nanny's, Minnie and Margaret with their new little granddaughters, Judy Smith, and Linda Currell. 

1950- Washington D.C. My Dad George, looking buff, with me, Georgie and my Dad's Mom, Margret Case. on a vacation to Washington, D.C. I still remember that huge, huge Abe Lincoln sitting there, and that is about it. Looking at my Dad's t-shirt sleeves, those were probably his cigarets.

1949- My Nanny Yuncker with her sister, Millie and Millie's husband, Lou. It seems Georgie and I weren't too happy. What a shame. They were nice and brought us a big box of lollipops. I don't remember but my Mom was quite impressed with the lollies so told us several times when we were growing up.

1938 (?) Edgar Davis-Yuncker. My maternal Grandfather was born a Davis, but his Dad died and his Mom remarried Mr.Yuncker, who adopted Edgar. When Edgars Mom got sick, Mr.Yuncker put him in an orphanage where months later he was told his Mom had passed away. Poor little Edgar. I wish we had met. I hope we see you in Heaven.
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There are so many lovely faces in my cache of Family Photos going back to the Civil War. Amongst the family of faces, some met, but many only from stories from various members, Mom, Dad, Grandmas, Aunts and Uncles. Only a very few of my older family members are still here on Earth and not near enough or clear-minded enough to recall who, what, when. It is another reason I want to get as much family whose who here that I can.


In high school, I was part of a sorority and it was my job to keep the scrapbook. I was 'Dorian the Historian' and I loved it. My Mom, Minerva, now 93, paved the way. She kept such records, birth announcements, newspaper clippings, and best of all, my letters to her.
It was like finding a diary I didn't know I had.


I'm constantly trying to put a timeline filing system to my many pictures, but I just get caught up in the faces each and every time! It is okay, though, because, like the Beatles once sang...'In my mind, I love them all.'

Friday, June 15, 2012

My Amsterdam Star ~ Adam

In 1971, when my son Mykel was less than a year old, our family moved to Amsterdam, Holland. That was quite a colorful adventure I'll speak of again.

After being there for about a year, we saw a wonderful Santana concert at the Concert Hall in Amsterdam, I can't recall the name. It was small but so gorgeous...(concert-ga-bow was how they  pronunced it). Besides being one of the best concerts I've ever seen (such energy!)...I saw angels flying around the head of Santana, really! It was just a quick flash, but wo! Nice. Strange and wonderous things happened in Holland. 

Shortly after, I discovered I was with child...(LOL and nothing to do with the angels).   I loved A'dam, as it, Amsterdam, is nicknamed, and its symbol is a star, but I wanted to have my child born in U.S.A. So, we moved back to Flushing, L.I. outside of N.Y.C. and on Aug. 24, 1973 gave birth to my son, Adam Star Ruvola. 

Here he is with his Dad and brother. It is Adam's first day home from Flushing General Hospital in NY Aug 24 1973. 

Adam is about 7 or 8 months here right before he moved from Flushing, Queens to Malone, NY. Here he is playing with one of his favorites, Lincoln Logs.

What a sunshiny baby! Here is Adam on the front lawn of his new home on Fayette Rd in Lake Titus, NY. Brother Mykel looks on.

It was the a fun time at the island by Ballard Mill Park in Malone NY. Here Adam is with two cuties, Tara Visconti, and his step-sister, Gillian Fergerson-Sprague. Brother Mykel has a good hold on his little brother. 1976

Momma Dor and Adam Star take a spin at The North Pole. 1977
These are just a few photos of my Starshine.
I can see both of his own little boys in his face in these early days. I am sure proud of my Star and his whole family!