Letter from Charlie Lalumnondier

Above is my dad's cousin Martha McKay Lalumondier with her husband Charlie. This is at my grandparent's place on Flad. Martha accompanied my mother to Portland, Oregon early in 1945 by train so Mom could see Dad before he shipped overseas. Mother promised her that if she got pregnant and she had a girl the girl would be named after her. Well, I didn't get the name "Martha", but I did get her middle name "Ann" added to Dad's name: "LeAnn".
Again "Mart" is Martha McKay and "Arkie" is my mother Louise Wicker Long (her nick name because she came from Arkansas). The photo below was taken when dad was home which Charles mentions, but I'm not sure when. One of the interesting parts about this is that he warns Dad to stay out of the "P.T.'s" made famous by John F. Kennedy. P.T's were patrol boats armed with torpedos---they had to get close to the enemy and then fire. They had a great risk of being blown up before that happened.
He, too, mentions Bob and Gladys expecting. Charlie would be the uncle of the baby. He also mentions Charlie Maupin who was Dad and Martha's cousin. Below is another photo of Martha with one of my mother's friends Rosemary behind her.

Letter from Bob McKay

Although I don't have a photo of Bob McKay (that's his brother Junior), the woman on the right is his wife Gladys Wilson McKay. To the left is Martha McKay, Maxine Huskey Maupin and my mother Louise Wicker Long (Arky) Double click on the pages below if they are too small to read.
Bob was one of the few of dad's Maupin cousins in the Army. His wife, Gladys, was pregnant with their first child Michelle and was living with my mother in an apartment.
The second page urges Mom to go to Chicago where Dad was stationed. He thought it would be "just like being on a second honeymoon."
The third page tells about how much he's looking forward to fatherhood. I don't really know who Alice is in the letter.
The last page says that "Aunt Viv" (my grandmother) wasn't feeling well and "I truly love her and you could never find another mother-in-law like her." The article below is about Cpl.Bob McKay, his brother Cpl. Jack E. McKay and their cousin LeRoy Long.

LeRoy Joins the Navy

The story was that Dad went into the military relatively late because he worked for the railroad which was important to the war effort. But, I think this classification is for "family hardship" which in 1942 could only mean that he was married.

Letter from Junior 1944

(Vennie Wicker on porch, Hampton Adams, Norma Long Adams, Junior McKay)

Hal Floyd McKay SK 2/c was my Dad's cousin "Junior". They were about the same age. Apparently Junior had been in the Navy for some time---the letter says he "hasn't seen the states in 20 months." Since he says that's it's like spring all year round, I'm guessing he's in Hawaii since I know Dad saw quite a number of his Maupin/McKay cousins there---even waving to one as their ships passed.

Mostly the first page is talking about the women who write him and his drinking habits.The second page talks about my Aunt Maxine (pictured below) and her husband Bob Delaney. Junior says he had intended to get married when he got home but his sister "Mart" told him "what the score was." The "Charles" he mentions was Martha's husband Charles Lalumondier. I remember Mom saying that Junior had sent grass skirts and thought there were photos of her wearing one, but I can't find them.

Hampton Adams, Junior McKay, Norma Long Adams
Maxine Long Delaney, Louise Wicker Long

Grace Maupin McKay

Lorraine McKay and Grace Maupin McKay with Chris (?) 1980's California

I never knew "Aunt Grace" because she lived in California. My parents did go out to visit with her in 1987. With the renewal of their relationship, Grace and her daughter Lorraine sent these photos to Mom and Dad.

Unfortunately, there are no names on the photos. Pictured above is Lorraine with her husband, probably.
On the back of the photo above, it reads, "Jenny before Chris was born."
My mom did sit down and tell me a little about Grace in 2003:

Your sister Jane is a lot like Grace in personality. Grace lived in Grandma's house [after Henry Maupin died?]. She stayed aloof from the family---the other sisters were very close. [I think Mom meant Grace and Jane are in their own little worlds---not a negative "aloof".]

Grace married Harvey McKay, Uncle Hal's uncle. Harvey rejoined the Navy in WWII, and they went to California. Vivian used to say, "I wish sister Grace would come home." Grace came home when Vivian died. Why couldn't she come home when Vivian was living? Grace put Harvey first not her family. Your dad and I visited Grace in California in 1987 and saw Lorraine, too. Lorraine had one boy who was dark and another son who was adopted. Her brother Don lived in northern California.

Grace had breast cancer, Lorraine, too. All of Vivian's sisters had breast cancer. [as have two of my aunts]

To my knowledge, none of these women died of breast cancer. Grace died in San Diego California in 1991 and is buried with her husband Harvey McKay in Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery.L-R: Lorraine, LeRoy Long, Grace, Louise Long and ???

Aunt Mary Long Wassmund added:

Grace and Mama (Vivian) "roomed together" as girls. It was their job to fix their father's breakfast each morning. Grace would push Mama out of bed so she would get the breakfast started. Grace took voice lessons and had a beautiful voice. Mama took piano lessons.

Letter from Ellice 25 Oct. 1954

Cincinnati, Ohio

Between the last set of letters (Oct. 1945) and this set of letters, the Grover D. Morgan Family moved from Louisiana to live in an apartment on the property of Ellice and Harry B. Morgan. They didn't write letters to each other living next door, but by 1954, the Harry B. Morgan's had moved to Miami and the Grover D. Morgan Family had moved to Cincinnati, Ohio.
Oh, the Grover D. Morgan Family had grown to three sons---Harry, Dave and Tom!