The best Grandfather anyone could ever ask for.
He was married young to Thelma B. Hart - 1921-2019. They married in 1939 in Ohio. They had two children. Ronald Larry Byers (Allemang) and I do not know the other. When WWII came about, or shortly before, he signed up for the Air Force. If anyone has seen the movie, "The Memphis Belle", that was what he did during the war. He was a bombardier. They flew all of their missions successfully and we able to come home. Sometime after that, he met my grandmother, Mary Maxine McCormick - 1927 -2016. She was raising two young sons and they fell in love. They were together for awhile before the divorce could go through, but they didn't tell anyone. I always wondered why we never celebrated their wedding anniversary, but now I understand. Back then it just was not something you talked about. I will say, I never saw two people that were happier or loved each other more. For almost my entire life, I did not know he was not my "blood" grandfather, as he raised her two and the two they had together, all the same. Her sons took his last name. His children that stayed with their mother, took their new step-father's last name, Allemang. The divorce from Thelma was final on April 26, 1953. My grandmother and him were officially married in Reno, Washoe County, Nevada on July 23, 1953.
Grandpa did 20 years in the Air Force and retired. They lived in the same home they bought in the 50's in Sacramento, California until he passed away and until my grandmother passed away. He spent a lot of his time with his grandchildren, watching them so they were not sent to daycare. I spent my summers there. My grandparents traveled much in their youth. They liked to travel with one of my grandmother's sister's and their husbands or go to one of the family reunions for my grandmother's side of the family, The McCormick's. They bought property up near Topaz Lake and another home down the street from where they lived. They were always there to help their children out.
They were avid yard sale/flea market aficionados. I learned before I could walk how to "haggle" for an item. I am not sure either of them would ever pay the asking price for something. Back in the 70's - 90's, you could find something for $.25 and then sell it for $50.00 or more. That is getting harder and harder to do now. After they decided what they were keeping and then what they wanted to sell, they would hold their own yard sale, at least once a year. Antique dealers knew my grandparents and would come from a long way to see what they had. They changed collections through the years. I remember their kitchen walls being full of older cuckoo clocks, then my grandmother collected the older metal horses, and so much more. One thing they taught me though was to be fair, consistent and honest. I remember a time when I disappointed my grandfather and it still bothers me to this day. They were one of the few that never changed over to credit cards, even to earn a credit rating. They used cash, even to buy their cars. They were not rich by any means, but they were frugal. They both grew up poor and knew if you were the last to the table, you might not eat much. So, they always were feeding us grandkids.
When I was about 10 years old, I started collecting stamps. I was the oldest grandchild and he thought it was interesting, so he started helping me. Then he started collecting stamps on his own. While I collected all around the world and the USA stamps, he focused on only USA. His goal was to get one of each stamp, but some of the rare stamps as well. I remember going with him to old houses with even older men and using tweezers to pick up a stamp. My grandfather would use a magnifying glass, check everything to make sure thing was exactly what he wanted. He spent quite a bit on that collection.
I loved going to the Farmer's Markets with him or down to William Land Park with bread bought from the Rainbow factory seconds store by the (now) Arden Fair Mall, so we could feed the ducks and geese at the pond. He loved doing puzzles, playing cards with us kids, renting us VHS movies and us cousins would sit on the pull-out bed, in the dark, with our bowl of ice cream.
Every Christmas, on Christmas Eve we would all be together at their home for a buffet of food, exchanging presents, visiting and more. However, the best part was grandpa disappearing and we never seemed to notice, but then Santa Claus would suddenly appear. He was the best Santa ever!
I wish I could remember everything...I just know he was one of the best parts of me and my family. He gave the best hugs. He had the best sense of humor, which at times was way out there. We all miss him very, very much.
He was married young to Thelma B. Hart - 1921-2019. They married in 1939 in Ohio. They had two children. Ronald Larry Byers (Allemang) and I do not know the other. When WWII came about, or shortly before, he signed up for the Air Force. If anyone has seen the movie, "The Memphis Belle", that was what he did during the war. He was a bombardier. They flew all of their missions successfully and we able to come home. Sometime after that, he met my grandmother, Mary Maxine McCormick - 1927 -2016. She was raising two young sons and they fell in love. They were together for awhile before the divorce could go through, but they didn't tell anyone. I always wondered why we never celebrated their wedding anniversary, but now I understand. Back then it just was not something you talked about. I will say, I never saw two people that were happier or loved each other more. For almost my entire life, I did not know he was not my "blood" grandfather, as he raised her two and the two they had together, all the same. Her sons took his last name. His children that stayed with their mother, took their new step-father's last name, Allemang. The divorce from Thelma was final on April 26, 1953. My grandmother and him were officially married in Reno, Washoe County, Nevada on July 23, 1953.
Grandpa did 20 years in the Air Force and retired. They lived in the same home they bought in the 50's in Sacramento, California until he passed away and until my grandmother passed away. He spent a lot of his time with his grandchildren, watching them so they were not sent to daycare. I spent my summers there. My grandparents traveled much in their youth. They liked to travel with one of my grandmother's sister's and their husbands or go to one of the family reunions for my grandmother's side of the family, The McCormick's. They bought property up near Topaz Lake and another home down the street from where they lived. They were always there to help their children out.
They were avid yard sale/flea market aficionados. I learned before I could walk how to "haggle" for an item. I am not sure either of them would ever pay the asking price for something. Back in the 70's - 90's, you could find something for $.25 and then sell it for $50.00 or more. That is getting harder and harder to do now. After they decided what they were keeping and then what they wanted to sell, they would hold their own yard sale, at least once a year. Antique dealers knew my grandparents and would come from a long way to see what they had. They changed collections through the years. I remember their kitchen walls being full of older cuckoo clocks, then my grandmother collected the older metal horses, and so much more. One thing they taught me though was to be fair, consistent and honest. I remember a time when I disappointed my grandfather and it still bothers me to this day. They were one of the few that never changed over to credit cards, even to earn a credit rating. They used cash, even to buy their cars. They were not rich by any means, but they were frugal. They both grew up poor and knew if you were the last to the table, you might not eat much. So, they always were feeding us grandkids.
When I was about 10 years old, I started collecting stamps. I was the oldest grandchild and he thought it was interesting, so he started helping me. Then he started collecting stamps on his own. While I collected all around the world and the USA stamps, he focused on only USA. His goal was to get one of each stamp, but some of the rare stamps as well. I remember going with him to old houses with even older men and using tweezers to pick up a stamp. My grandfather would use a magnifying glass, check everything to make sure thing was exactly what he wanted. He spent quite a bit on that collection.
I loved going to the Farmer's Markets with him or down to William Land Park with bread bought from the Rainbow factory seconds store by the (now) Arden Fair Mall, so we could feed the ducks and geese at the pond. He loved doing puzzles, playing cards with us kids, renting us VHS movies and us cousins would sit on the pull-out bed, in the dark, with our bowl of ice cream.
Every Christmas, on Christmas Eve we would all be together at their home for a buffet of food, exchanging presents, visiting and more. However, the best part was grandpa disappearing and we never seemed to notice, but then Santa Claus would suddenly appear. He was the best Santa ever!
I wish I could remember everything...I just know he was one of the best parts of me and my family. He gave the best hugs. He had the best sense of humor, which at times was way out there. We all miss him very, very much.
The best Grandfather anyone could ever ask for.
He was married young to Thelma B. Hart - 1921-2019. They married in 1939 in Ohio. They had two children. Ronald Larry Byers (Allemang) and I do not know the other. When WWII came about, or shortly before, he signed up for the Air Force. If anyone has seen the movie, "The Memphis Belle", that was what he did during the war. He was a bombardier. They flew all of their missions successfully and we able to come home. Sometime after that, he met my grandmother, Mary Maxine McCormick - 1927 -2016. She was raising two young sons and they fell in love. They were together for awhile before the divorce could go through, but they didn't tell anyone. I always wondered why we never celebrated their wedding anniversary, but now I understand. Back then it just was not something you talked about. I will say, I never saw two people that were happier or loved each other more. For almost my entire life, I did not know he was not my "blood" grandfather, as he raised her two and the two they had together, all the same. Her sons took his last name. His children that stayed with their mother, took their new step-father's last name, Allemang. The divorce from Thelma was final on April 26, 1953. My grandmother and him were officially married in Reno, Washoe County, Nevada on July 23, 1953.
Grandpa did 20 years in the Air Force and retired. They lived in the same home they bought in the 50's in Sacramento, California until he passed away and until my grandmother passed away. He spent a lot of his time with his grandchildren, watching them so they were not sent to daycare. I spent my summers there. My grandparents traveled much in their youth. They liked to travel with one of my grandmother's sister's and their husbands or go to one of the family reunions for my grandmother's side of the family, The McCormick's. They bought property up near Topaz Lake and another home down the street from where they lived. They were always there to help their children out.
They were avid yard sale/flea market aficionados. I learned before I could walk how to "haggle" for an item. I am not sure either of them would ever pay the asking price for something. Back in the 70's - 90's, you could find something for $.25 and then sell it for $50.00 or more. That is getting harder and harder to do now. After they decided what they were keeping and then what they wanted to sell, they would hold their own yard sale, at least once a year. Antique dealers knew my grandparents and would come from a long way to see what they had. They changed collections through the years. I remember their kitchen walls being full of older cuckoo clocks, then my grandmother collected the older metal horses, and so much more. One thing they taught me though was to be fair, consistent and honest. I remember a time when I disappointed my grandfather and it still bothers me to this day. They were one of the few that never changed over to credit cards, even to earn a credit rating. They used cash, even to buy their cars. They were not rich by any means, but they were frugal. They both grew up poor and knew if you were the last to the table, you might not eat much. So, they always were feeding us grandkids.
When I was about 10 years old, I started collecting stamps. I was the oldest grandchild and he thought it was interesting, so he started helping me. Then he started collecting stamps on his own. While I collected all around the world and the USA stamps, he focused on only USA. His goal was to get one of each stamp, but some of the rare stamps as well. I remember going with him to old houses with even older men and using tweezers to pick up a stamp. My grandfather would use a magnifying glass, check everything to make sure thing was exactly what he wanted. He spent quite a bit on that collection.
I loved going to the Farmer's Markets with him or down to William Land Park with bread bought from the Rainbow factory seconds store by the (now) Arden Fair Mall, so we could feed the ducks and geese at the pond. He loved doing puzzles, playing cards with us kids, renting us VHS movies and us cousins would sit on the pull-out bed, in the dark, with our bowl of ice cream.
Every Christmas, on Christmas Eve we would all be together at their home for a buffet of food, exchanging presents, visiting and more. However, the best part was grandpa disappearing and we never seemed to notice, but then Santa Claus would suddenly appear. He was the best Santa ever!
I wish I could remember everything...I just know he was one of the best parts of me and my family. He gave the best hugs. He had the best sense of humor, which at times was way out there. We all miss him very, very much.
He was married young to Thelma B. Hart - 1921-2019. They married in 1939 in Ohio. They had two children. Ronald Larry Byers (Allemang) and I do not know the other. When WWII came about, or shortly before, he signed up for the Air Force. If anyone has seen the movie, "The Memphis Belle", that was what he did during the war. He was a bombardier. They flew all of their missions successfully and we able to come home. Sometime after that, he met my grandmother, Mary Maxine McCormick - 1927 -2016. She was raising two young sons and they fell in love. They were together for awhile before the divorce could go through, but they didn't tell anyone. I always wondered why we never celebrated their wedding anniversary, but now I understand. Back then it just was not something you talked about. I will say, I never saw two people that were happier or loved each other more. For almost my entire life, I did not know he was not my "blood" grandfather, as he raised her two and the two they had together, all the same. Her sons took his last name. His children that stayed with their mother, took their new step-father's last name, Allemang. The divorce from Thelma was final on April 26, 1953. My grandmother and him were officially married in Reno, Washoe County, Nevada on July 23, 1953.
Grandpa did 20 years in the Air Force and retired. They lived in the same home they bought in the 50's in Sacramento, California until he passed away and until my grandmother passed away. He spent a lot of his time with his grandchildren, watching them so they were not sent to daycare. I spent my summers there. My grandparents traveled much in their youth. They liked to travel with one of my grandmother's sister's and their husbands or go to one of the family reunions for my grandmother's side of the family, The McCormick's. They bought property up near Topaz Lake and another home down the street from where they lived. They were always there to help their children out.
They were avid yard sale/flea market aficionados. I learned before I could walk how to "haggle" for an item. I am not sure either of them would ever pay the asking price for something. Back in the 70's - 90's, you could find something for $.25 and then sell it for $50.00 or more. That is getting harder and harder to do now. After they decided what they were keeping and then what they wanted to sell, they would hold their own yard sale, at least once a year. Antique dealers knew my grandparents and would come from a long way to see what they had. They changed collections through the years. I remember their kitchen walls being full of older cuckoo clocks, then my grandmother collected the older metal horses, and so much more. One thing they taught me though was to be fair, consistent and honest. I remember a time when I disappointed my grandfather and it still bothers me to this day. They were one of the few that never changed over to credit cards, even to earn a credit rating. They used cash, even to buy their cars. They were not rich by any means, but they were frugal. They both grew up poor and knew if you were the last to the table, you might not eat much. So, they always were feeding us grandkids.
When I was about 10 years old, I started collecting stamps. I was the oldest grandchild and he thought it was interesting, so he started helping me. Then he started collecting stamps on his own. While I collected all around the world and the USA stamps, he focused on only USA. His goal was to get one of each stamp, but some of the rare stamps as well. I remember going with him to old houses with even older men and using tweezers to pick up a stamp. My grandfather would use a magnifying glass, check everything to make sure thing was exactly what he wanted. He spent quite a bit on that collection.
I loved going to the Farmer's Markets with him or down to William Land Park with bread bought from the Rainbow factory seconds store by the (now) Arden Fair Mall, so we could feed the ducks and geese at the pond. He loved doing puzzles, playing cards with us kids, renting us VHS movies and us cousins would sit on the pull-out bed, in the dark, with our bowl of ice cream.
Every Christmas, on Christmas Eve we would all be together at their home for a buffet of food, exchanging presents, visiting and more. However, the best part was grandpa disappearing and we never seemed to notice, but then Santa Claus would suddenly appear. He was the best Santa ever!
I wish I could remember everything...I just know he was one of the best parts of me and my family. He gave the best hugs. He had the best sense of humor, which at times was way out there. We all miss him very, very much.
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