Everyone knows that I adore heroes. Adore them I tell you!!! Doesn’t matter if they are alphas or betas. Brunette, blonde or red-haired. English, Scottish, American, Australian or whatever. I am always willing, ready and able to spend several minutes (or if you are an enthusiast like me, maybe hours) talking about all those heroes.
But today I want to shine the light on strong women. Our heroes just couldn’t survive without strong women beside them. I know that all of us could talk for a while about our favorite heroine and the qualities she has that we love.
However, I want to share with you the story of a particular strong woman. A real woman. My grandmother.
Her name -- Dorothy Resh. And what a woman she was!
Dorothy (or Dot as she was affectionately called by many people) was born July 2, 1909. Yesterday would have been her 101st birthday. Happy Birthday Grandma!
My memories of Grandma are mostly of a white-haired older woman with crooked fingers who loved to wear costume jewelry and sing old songs. As a child I did not understand where my Grandma had come from and what she experienced in her life. But there was always a sparkle in her eyes.
As I said before, Grandma was born in 1909. But she didn’t pronounce it as “o nine”. Nope, Grandma always said “aught nine”. Why? I have no idea. That was just Grandma. She was born on a farm in a rural area of Ohio. Dorothy was the youngest of nine children. She attended a one-room school house. When she advanced to high school, she drove a horse and buggy to school. Education was very important to Grandma. She graduated from high school in 1926 and was the only sibling to do so. Some of my favorite memories are of lying in bed with my Grandmother (she always made Grandpa sleep on the couch when I spent the night) and listening to her recite so many of the poems she learned in school all those years ago. This is one that I remember the most:
Oh look at the moon
It's rising so high
O Mother, it looks like
A lamp in the sky
Last week it was smaller
And shaped like a bow
But now it is larger
And round like an O
After Dorothy graduated from high school, she didn’t settle down like most girls her age. No, not Dorothy. Instead, she took a job as a bookkeeper in the office of a local creamery dairy. Working daily and saving her money, Dorothy moved from the farm to a small town and turned into a modern woman. After she saved enough money, Grandma bought her very own car – a 1930 Chevy Coupe and it cost $636.00.
Dorothy wasn’t an “all work and no play” kind of gal. Oh no! She and her sister would attend square dances in one of the upper rooms at the creamery dairy. That is where Grandma learned to dance. And that is where she soon realized that Alfred Resh was the man for her. See Grandpa was quite a dancer (and a looker too -- that's a picture of him). He could really move, and he loved to tap dance. During their courtship, they would attend dances almost every night. Grandma said the crowds would clear the floor for the two of them and they were known as the best dancers in town. Two of her favorite songs to dance to were “Somebody Stole My Gal” and “Star Dust”. A special memory for me was when the two of them danced to “Star Dust” at my wedding!
On November 22, 1932, after dating for a couple of years, Grandma and Grandpa were married. She was 23 and he was 21. Oh yes, a younger man! LOL! At the time of their marriage, the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression. It was an awful time for our country and very hard on everyone. Grandpa did not have a job, but Grandma did. She continued to work as bookkeeper at the creamery dairy and supported both of them until Grandpa was able to find employment.
Eleven years and four children later, Grandma and Grandpa moved their family to a small town in Indiana. While Grandma missed her family and friends in Ohio, she forged ahead and made the best of it for her children. Grandpa worked in a large factory and Grandma sewed clothes for children to help out. They purchased a home in their new community and paid it off in 2 years. Two Years!!!! Wow! Grandma and Grandpa remained in that house until their passing.
Over the years, Grandma was very active. An avid pinochle card player, Dorothy loved the competition of card games. She made quilts for dozens, probably hundreds, of people – all by hand using the same old wooden quilting frame that belonged to her mother-in-law. This is why her fingers were crooked! She loved to play her little piano and sing hymns and was active in her church. Politics was a hot topic with Grandma. She volunteered with the election board for years. Dorothy even wrote newspaper articles for the local paper. When the old newspaper folded and a new one was formed, Grandma was the very first stockholder of the new paper. For 30 years she wrote her own column, called Dots and Dashes, where she shared her love of family, God, country and anything that interested her. I guess you could say she was a blogger before her time.
Grandma taught me quite a few things by the way she lived her life. Take one day at a time. Have fun along the way. Do what you can to help yourself and others. Everyone has their good points. Be diligent. Be strong.
You can say a lot of things about my Grandmother, but one thing is for sure . . . she was a very strong woman!
Someday I will have to tell you about my mother . . . see, strong women run in our family :-)
But today I want to shine the light on strong women. Our heroes just couldn’t survive without strong women beside them. I know that all of us could talk for a while about our favorite heroine and the qualities she has that we love.
However, I want to share with you the story of a particular strong woman. A real woman. My grandmother.
Her name -- Dorothy Resh. And what a woman she was!
Dorothy (or Dot as she was affectionately called by many people) was born July 2, 1909. Yesterday would have been her 101st birthday. Happy Birthday Grandma!
My memories of Grandma are mostly of a white-haired older woman with crooked fingers who loved to wear costume jewelry and sing old songs. As a child I did not understand where my Grandma had come from and what she experienced in her life. But there was always a sparkle in her eyes.As I said before, Grandma was born in 1909. But she didn’t pronounce it as “o nine”. Nope, Grandma always said “aught nine”. Why? I have no idea. That was just Grandma. She was born on a farm in a rural area of Ohio. Dorothy was the youngest of nine children. She attended a one-room school house. When she advanced to high school, she drove a horse and buggy to school. Education was very important to Grandma. She graduated from high school in 1926 and was the only sibling to do so. Some of my favorite memories are of lying in bed with my Grandmother (she always made Grandpa sleep on the couch when I spent the night) and listening to her recite so many of the poems she learned in school all those years ago. This is one that I remember the most:
Oh look at the moon
It's rising so high
O Mother, it looks like
A lamp in the sky
Last week it was smaller
And shaped like a bow
But now it is larger
And round like an O
After Dorothy graduated from high school, she didn’t settle down like most girls her age. No, not Dorothy. Instead, she took a job as a bookkeeper in the office of a local creamery dairy. Working daily and saving her money, Dorothy moved from the farm to a small town and turned into a modern woman. After she saved enough money, Grandma bought her very own car – a 1930 Chevy Coupe and it cost $636.00.
Dorothy wasn’t an “all work and no play” kind of gal. Oh no! She and her sister would attend square dances in one of the upper rooms at the creamery dairy. That is where Grandma learned to dance. And that is where she soon realized that Alfred Resh was the man for her. See Grandpa was quite a dancer (and a looker too -- that's a picture of him). He could really move, and he loved to tap dance. During their courtship, they would attend dances almost every night. Grandma said the crowds would clear the floor for the two of them and they were known as the best dancers in town. Two of her favorite songs to dance to were “Somebody Stole My Gal” and “Star Dust”. A special memory for me was when the two of them danced to “Star Dust” at my wedding!
On November 22, 1932, after dating for a couple of years, Grandma and Grandpa were married. She was 23 and he was 21. Oh yes, a younger man! LOL! At the time of their marriage, the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression. It was an awful time for our country and very hard on everyone. Grandpa did not have a job, but Grandma did. She continued to work as bookkeeper at the creamery dairy and supported both of them until Grandpa was able to find employment.Eleven years and four children later, Grandma and Grandpa moved their family to a small town in Indiana. While Grandma missed her family and friends in Ohio, she forged ahead and made the best of it for her children. Grandpa worked in a large factory and Grandma sewed clothes for children to help out. They purchased a home in their new community and paid it off in 2 years. Two Years!!!! Wow! Grandma and Grandpa remained in that house until their passing.
Over the years, Grandma was very active. An avid pinochle card player, Dorothy loved the competition of card games. She made quilts for dozens, probably hundreds, of people – all by hand using the same old wooden quilting frame that belonged to her mother-in-law. This is why her fingers were crooked! She loved to play her little piano and sing hymns and was active in her church. Politics was a hot topic with Grandma. She volunteered with the election board for years. Dorothy even wrote newspaper articles for the local paper. When the old newspaper folded and a new one was formed, Grandma was the very first stockholder of the new paper. For 30 years she wrote her own column, called Dots and Dashes, where she shared her love of family, God, country and anything that interested her. I guess you could say she was a blogger before her time.Grandma taught me quite a few things by the way she lived her life. Take one day at a time. Have fun along the way. Do what you can to help yourself and others. Everyone has their good points. Be diligent. Be strong.
You can say a lot of things about my Grandmother, but one thing is for sure . . . she was a very strong woman!
Someday I will have to tell you about my mother . . . see, strong women run in our family :-)
Are you from a long line of strong women?
Is there one particular strong woman that has influenced your life?
~ Buffie
