Not Your Usual Mother-Part I

My mom was born in 1914. When she was born there were no airplanes. She learned to drive on a Model-T Ford. Her family were immigrants from England. The migrated across the country traveling by wagon across Virginia, to Tennessee, down through Arkansas and into East Texas.

She was born Myrtle Frances Birdwell. Frances came from a family of three other sisters, and two brothers. It was a large family as they were needed to help take care of the farm. Back in the day they would travel with their wagon to the county seat in Rusk to get their feed for the animals. This was an all day trip. Today it takes 30 minutes one way by car. Then it took 6 hours by wagon. They would pack up their lunch and eat upon arrival. Then would get the feed, and supplies and get back home in time to feed the animals by dark.

They survived the Spanish influenza of the 1920's. Frances used to say, "Flu in, flu out" indicating a very quick time frame as it came and was gone so quickly. They were not so fortunate during the Great Depression of the 1930's.

Her family suffered from tuberculosis. It claimed the life of her father, one brother, and her youngest sister. She told a story of the town store who came to collect the mattress her brother was on and took it back for lack of payment while he was dying. Frances did not much care for the town she lived in. Nor did she care for the state of Texas. Often she would say, "If Texas were a horse, Rusk would be it's a@@."

She was a Democrat by nature but had her definite opinions of select politicians. Once she told of the courthouse burning down before the votes could be recounted. It was when L.B.J. ran for Governor. There never was a recount. L.B.J. won.

During WWII, the wife of President Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt came through her little town on a bus recruiting young woman to the workforce to replace the men at war. She was trained to hand out parts in airplane factory. It was at some point during this time, she married my father who was a WWII Air Force pilot.

Frances changed her name from Myrtle and would only allow her sisters to call her by the name. Even on her birth certificate she did not use her actual name. She put Rita, which I believe was a reference to Rita Hayworth whom she admired for her beauty and glamour.

My father died one year after retiring from the Air Force. Mom never remarried and earned his VA benefits all the rest of her life until she passed in 2015.

This was her history but not the real woman I knew as my mother.