Aunt Elma

Aunt Elma (Hamilton)

Aunt Elma was Aunt Lou's sister (schwester). While Aunt Lou was more serious usuallly, Aunt Elma was more fun, playing with the kids.

Aunt Elma holding Shamus

You went through 2 sets of doors to get into the Mt. Troy house. Aunt Elma played with Mom and Buffy when they were around 8 or 9 pretending that the little entryway was an elevator and she was the elevator operator of a department store. She would pretend to take the elevator up to different floors and on each floor she'd open the door and announce "Third floor - shoes, dresses and ladies blouses." She'd shut the door and open it for the fourth floor. "Fourth floor," she'd announce, "Brassieres, girdles, lingerie, panties and undergarments." Yah, sounds a little creepy to me too. 

Born on the 4th of July

Visiting Cousins---  Charlie Mudie and Granddad David Mudie were brothers.  

Mudie girls visited Charlie's 3 children a few times.

The first time I was 6 and Buffy was 7.

One year Daddy took Buffy and me to Detroit by train and we visited The Mudies. We were 10 and 11 years old. These were Charlie and Marion's 3 children. Redhead Agnes was 7 years older than me, Bud was 5 years older and he was blonde and Jack was 4 years older and was a redhead too.

“Agnes was so mature and I looked up to her. Bud was reserved and Jack was a little bit of a tease ("I like my cousins......from Windsor." in other words, not the Mudie girls.) He was a little mischievous. One time he was in trouble and his mom was chasing after him and then he slid under the bed so she couldn't get him.

"We weren't very close to them which was...

A SIGN OF THE TIMES. WE DIDN'T SPEND MONEY TRAVELING."

One time all three Mudie girls went to visit them but “it was trouble because we were fighting amongst ourselves. WE WERE OBNOXIOUS and poor Aunt Marion had to deal with these disagreeable girls. Fun times, I'm sure!

Jack and Judy Mudie

Jack Mudie just passed away recently and I found his obituary. Jack was in touch with my MOM and he corresponded with Buffy and Else too. Mom was always appreciative to all who served in the military. She was very proud of her cousin Jack serving all those years!

July 4, 1926 - June 30, 2016 Lt. Col. John (Jack) Walter Mudie, United States Air Force (Ret), passed away at his home on June 30, 2016 at 7:04am. He was born on July 4, 1926 in Detroit, Michigan to parents, Charles and Marion Mudie. In 1944, Jack attended Western Michigan University where he was a member of the varsity baseball team. From there, he spent his sophomore year in college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he studied Civil Engineering and Naval Science and was a member of the Naval ROTC. From 1946-1948, Jack attended the University of Michigan and was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity and received his Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics. Prior to entering the United States Air Force, Jack served 2 years, 4 months in the US Navy Air Corps. He joined the Air Force in 1950, serving for 23 years, 7 months until his retirement in 1973. His first year in the Air Force, he attended USAF Navigator School and was 3rd in his class of 52 graduates. In 1958, Jack graduated from Advanced Navigation/Bombing School and was assigned to the 345th Bomb Squadron, 98th Bomb Wing at Lincoln AFB in Nebraska as a navigator/bombardier on B-47, Crew R-95. In 1961, Jack was assigned to the 524th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Wing at Wurtsmith AFB in Michigan. While in the USAF from 1963-1964, Jack completed his Master's Degree in Public Administration at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. through coursework in conjunction with Air Force Command and Staff College. Jack served during the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War and was stationed throughout the United States, as well as England and Japan.Following his retirement from the Air Force, Jack managed the Worldwide Navigation Data Base for 75 airline clients' flight plans. In addition to his family and friends, Jack loved University of Michigan football, and his hometown Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings. He is survived by his wife, Judy; children Mike (Tracy) Mudie; Mary (Mark) Koltko; Anne (David) Tierney; and Beth (Ed) Hodgkiss; and 12 grandchildren: Mallory, Claire, Joseph, William, Drew, Carly, Stewart, Henry, Cecelia, Elizabeth, Cal and Jack.Jack touched the lives of many people with his smile and generosity, and maintained his trademark sense of humor all the way to the end. A rosary was said in his memory Thursday, July 7th at 7:30pm at St. Bede Church, 215 Foothill Blvd, La Caada Flintridge, CA 91011. Funeral Mass was held Friday, July 8th at 1:30pm, also at St. Bede.Burial took place at Riverside Air Force Base with Honor Detail on Tuesday, July 12. Cabot & Sons, Pasadena Directors. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/glendalenewspress/obituary.aspx?pid=180650296#sthash.38uNkZDV.dpuf

DADDY and his 6 Siblings

MUDIES—My mother (Agnes Clark Mudie Geertz) was named after her father David Mudie’s mother whom she never met. They lived in Dundee, Scotland. She thinks his name was John and his mother was named Agnes Clark Mudie.

They had 7 children. Here’s what MOM said about them. She thinks this is the right order. Only 2 of them, Charlie and David, had children.

John, Elsie, Charlie, David, Syd, Bob, Lynn

John   immigrated to U.S. and he lived with us for a few years when we lived in the Beaver Falls house (the house in the country). Uncle John was funny and he used to do this little Scottish dance called the Highland fling and he wore a kilt to do the dance. Eventually he developed “hardening of the arteries” (dementia). Mum and Daddy were taking him to some type of doctor, maybe a type of chiropractor, but they couldn’t afford to keep paying for treatment. They asked Uncle Charlie if he would help pay for treatment, but he wouldn’t help. So reluctantly, Mum and Daddy sent him back to Scotland which had socialized medicine. Mom says, “It was very sad”

Elsie  was the only sibling who never moved to the U.S. She was a teacher in Dundee who never married. She visited once or twice, bringing some plaid material with her on the ship. MUM (Sadie) made dresses for the three little Mudie sisters, Elsie Lou, Buffy and Abbie. (See FOREVER PLAID post.)

Charlie   was a comptroller, pretty high up in General Motors. Comptroller is  a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. He drove a Cadillac. Charlie married Marion and had 3 children, Agnes, Bud and Jack.

 David  William Mudie (my grandfather) married Sadie Hartfeld.

 Syd  worked in an office. He never married.

Bob   joined the army and became a United States citizen. He was a carpenter and married Elsie Lemke when he was in his 50s. No children.

Lynn   eventually ended up in CA. She was an art teacher who never married or had any children.

Make the door open!

At the Mt. Troy house someone knocked at the door. A tiny voice called out, "Sedkin, Sedkin, Machen die Tür offen," German, which translates to Little Sade, Little Sade, make the door open.
It was 8-year-old cousin, Elsie Lemke. 

No one even knew she was coming.

She had taken a train all by herself from Florida to Pittsburgh. She got off the train at the PA Railroad Station and walked up to Troy Hill and then Mt. Troy Rd. She had come to live with them. Her mother (or both her parents) had moved her to Florida, but little Elsie missed her cousins on Mt. Troy Rd. Her mother was "strange" and maybe even "didn't really want her." That was the story my mom always heard and she passed it onto us. So what does Mom say about this?

"How cute is that?"

So that's the story of how Elsie came to live on with Grandma Walder on Mt. Troy. Elizabeth Walder raised 5 girls (Flo, Sadie, Lou, Elma and Elsie)

Elsie is sitting 2nd from the right, wearing yellow dress.

            

Elsie and Bob

The picture of the passenger train was taken in 1910 so Elsie could have taken a train that looked like it.

DADDY's 1929 Buick

                                                                               

A Story told by MOM -- She gets a little teary-eyed telling the story.   In the 50's, "DADDY" drove a 1929 Buick like the one pictured. A minister told DADDY that he said a little prayer every time he saw him drive that car because he knew that Daddy, with the help of Aunt Lou, was putting his three girls through college. 

After they all graduated and had good jobs, they bought him a more modern vehicle as a gift to say "thank you." But Daddy refused to drive it. So the girls took turns driving it. 

Aunt Lou and her ridiculous PRIVACY

GOOD OLD AUNT LOU

                                          Aunt Lou and Buffy

Aunt Lou had some amusing quirks about her. She always talked about how she liked her "privacy." She would shut all the curtains, even going so far as to safety pin them shut. 

A family who had seven children lived in the house right behind hers along Mt. Troy Rd. Aunt Lou would always talk about the Nists, like they had nothing better to do but try to peek in to see what their neighbor was up to. MOM and I saw no signs that the Nists cared one iota about Aunt Lou's "private life." But no one could tell Aunt Lou that! What was she doing in that house that required so much privacy?

-------------------------------------------------------------

Was she smoking marijuana?

Where there strippers? Prostitution?

Were there drug deals going down?

---------------------------------

NO. It was just her quirky way to be paranoid that everyone was looking in on her.
    When we were driving and we would pass a farmhouse or one lone house away from the road, Aunt Lou would say,

"Well, they certainly have their privacy."

It's become tradition for those of us who knew and loved Aunt Lou to point out houses still and say,"They have their privacy, don't they?" The other day there were several birds on an electrical wire and one by himself. Jan pointed out to my mother that the bird has his privacy. And my mom LAUGHS. We miss Aunt Lou, but keep her spirit alive by quoting her all the time.

Aunt Buffy and Aunt Lou

Redistribution of the weight PROBLEM

                                                Abbie and Lloyd Geertz

Dad just wanted to solve the problem logically and discreetly.
But Mom couldn't keep quiet.

It was David and Deby's wedding in the 70s so DAD had the job of picking up all the wedding guests in his light blue van. I had helped Dad build a wooden bed for the "way back" with hinges so that it opened up (kinda like a coffin). Dad "stowed" (He LOVED THAT WORD) life jackets and tools and other junk/treasure, depending on how you looked at it. Dad always loved things that served multiple purposes so our contraption, which had a thick cushion, served as storage and a cozy bed or a seat for 3 people. 

Mom and Dad, Bobby and I all dressed up and picked up Mom's cousins Ellen and Gladys. as well as Gladys's daughter, Valerie, to go to the wedding. But soon, Dad encountered a problem. 

It was difficult to steer because we weighted down the van on the driver's side.

Ellen weighed 350 lbs and her sister Gladys weighed 300 lbs. The "way back" seat held all the portly people and the only ones to counter-balance the weight consisted of 12-year-old Bobby (in the passenger seat) and tiny Valerie.

Dad maneuvered the van and we made it to the wedding, but he surreptitiously pulled Mom aside at the service. He would NEVER want to hurt anyone's feelings, but he needed to solve this issue. 

He explained the problem to her and he wanted her to

 try to"redistribute the weight." 

Dad wanted to keep things quiet, but Mom couldn't help herself. Pretty soon everyone was laughing about Dad's problem. Ellen and Gladys both were in hysterics. His plan of wanting to solve the problem LOGICALLY and QUIETLY sadly was met with much amusement. We still laugh about the weighted down, uneven van ride. I felt bad for DAD. His intentions were so good.

Cousin Ellen Hamilton Slater and Elsie Kennet. Ellen had a very contagious hearty laugh. She just cracked up and it seemed 
you could hear it for miles! This picture doesn't even 
capture how large she was at 350 lbs. It was sad.

Amy Geertz holds little Shamus Brennan, Jan talks to 
Gladys Hamilton Leaper and Aunt Elma. (maybe taken around 1975 or 1976??)

Cuties

Mom holding Lulu in front of marimba

KENNETS - Elsie Lou holding Joshua, Marcia, Ed, Katie, Moshe and DAD, Lloyd Geertz, prob early 80s??

David Bachman with his Aunt Elsie Lou Kennet

Buffy Bachman with some grandchildren- Paddy, Shamus, Lindsay, Dana, Megan, Katie, Erin prob around 1982 or 1983

Buffy

CUTIES - Megan, Lindsay, Dana, Paddy, Katie, Shamus, Erin and John, circa 1986

Erin and Lindsay Bachman

Hillsdale Drive - Bruce, Joel and Eddie, 1960s

Bobby and Amy Geertz, prob around 1970

Deby with John David Bachman, 1986

Buffy and Abbie, 1930s

ABBIE MUDIE and kitty 1952 graduating from Pitt

6 grave sites at Concord Methodist Church

Concord Methodist Church

North Sewickley

Elizabeth Walder (Mom's grandmother) She was the mother of Flora (Flo) and Sadie Hartfeld, Louise and Elma Walder,
 also raised Elsie Lemke who was her niece. Kenny Hamilton is sitting with Grandma.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Elsie Lemke and Bob Mudie

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aunt Lou with Deby Bachman
We all thought the world of Aunt Lou. You can see that in Deby's face.

Aunt Lou despised her middle name which was Amelia.

She couldn't stand it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is Uncle Bob's military grave.

An Oakhaven Drive Christmas

Oakhaven Drive Christmas in Moon Township
DADDY (David William Mudie), Amy, Elsie Lou, Joey
and even Nikki the dog.
probably early 70s (Granddad died in 1973 so it might be 1972).

Wedding bells

Sadie and David MUDIE and Buffy

Abbie Mudie, maid of honor at Buff's wedding and Uncle Moshe is behind her.

For maid of honor at weddings the 3 girls did a "round robin." Buff  was the maid of honor for Else's wedding,

Abbie was maid of honor for Buffy's wedding and 

Else was the maid of honor for Abbie's wedding.

May I present to you, for the very first time...
Mr. And Mrs. Lloyd M. Geertz

Mom bought her wedding dress for $10.00.

They were married on August 22, 1959,

 Concord Methodist Church, Beaver Falls, PA

The Mudie Beauties

Elsie Lou Mudie Kennet

Bobby and MOM (Agnes aka Abbie Geertz)

Abbie

Elsie Lou

MOM (Agnes Clark Mudie Geertz)

Abbie and Else

Abbie

MOM, so cute in her hat

Buffy

at Mark and Karen's wedding- Dad (Lloyd Geertz) 
Buffy Bachman and Joel Kennet

Buffy and Alexander the dog

Buffy, maybe at Cape Cod in 1976???