Sadness 12-03-23

This has been a sad autumn for me. Four friends have died,  And now my sister in Oregon has died.   She turned 88 on November 12th and died on November 30th.  She had four boys and a  girl and the second son called to tell me.  Ellamarie had not spoken to me in several decades, would not take my phone calls and I suppose she did not open any cards or letters I sent. I don't know why she took against me.  I moved to California when I was 18, while she was married and started her family.  Before our mother died in 1972 I went up about every other year,  but  ultimately she would take the children and go to eastern Oregon until I left!   She never came down to see me.  She lived in our childhood house in Portland and, as  far as I know never traveled.   She has been widowed for about ten years.  I am sad,  but we have  been  estranged for decades now and the connection we had growing up was broken  long ago.  She  passed  that  break on to her children who I do not know and have  random contacts with only two.  

These are the only pictures I have on the computer of us together.

Ellamarie and Del In Portland, Oregon,  August  2004

Ellamarie and Del - Portland, Oregon    About 1951?

We were both sick, but a door-to-door photographer came by and our mother thought we should  have a picture taken.  Ellamarie had  naturally curly hair which could be dampened and twisted  around a finger.  I,  on the other hand, had perfectly straight hair and wore it in pigtails.  And this is what happens when they are brushed out.   

Del and Ellamarie  - Portland, Oregon. About 1941

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