Sweet Angel Pie

As autumn approaches it always reminds me of your Grandpa making bonfires out on the mound.
We called "the mound" where the well was & where you'd dig for worms.
Bonfires aren't allowed in Kansas City, Missouri anymore, but
back in the day, we had the biggest & the best.
Our whole yard was overgrown with brush at 5104.
As Mom & Dad would chop the brush out, it would be thrown in a big pile.
We'd have spectacular bonfires that Dad would stoke with gasoline.
He'd add more brush as the flames grew higher & higher;
and throw more and more gas on it.
It's a wonder he didn't set the whole damned neighborhood on fire.
We had lawn chairs to watch safely back a distance by the driveway.
Dad did always have the hose right there... just in case.
That was way before Jerry & Debbie Wolfe's house existed.
Somewhere on one of the old time movies, Mom took a movie of Dad & a bonfire.
I wonder if Nonnie remembers bonfires. I'll have to ask her.
Later in the evening, after the flames settled down, we'd roast hot dogs & marshmallows.
Yard Work was always fun with your Grandma & Grandpa De Shon "Ma & Pa".
~ what a great life we had ~

(more photos to follow in this series)

If you don't ever go on a Cemetery Crawl with your blood family;
how will you ever know where all our relatives are buried and
the fun or shocking stories that go along with them?
The cemetery can point you to a grave, but once family members pass,
it's too late to hear all the stories that you can later pass along to your kids.
The clock keeps ticking; don't miss your opportunity.
Maybe you don't care now; but maybe one day you will care.
Just wondering...

(see photos below)


	I saw one of these piggy banks on top of Aunt Betty's china closet. She said it was my cousin, Scott's. Grandma & Aunt Helen always bought everybody the same thing. I'm assuming all my cousins born prior to Christmas 1957 have one of these piggy banks in different colors. Nonnie bought your mom one, too.

My cousin, Annette passed away from Dementia. I have friends who suffer from Dementia & Alzheimer's.
Both are mean diseases that slowly take away a person's ability to remember.
Some are robbed of their long term memory; some, their short term memory; and some are robbed of both.
Those who remember are blessed with both good & bad memories.
My nephews were one of my greatest joys.
You were also a great joy for your Grandma & Grandpa De Shon.
We all used to have so much fun together.
Your Grandma refused cancer treatment. She said she didn't want to be throwing up and lose all her hair,
when she'd rather spend time with her husband, kids and grandkids. The true loves of her life.
Your Grandma used to say, "Remember Grant. Remember Lee. The Hell with them. Remember me."
Keep precious times alive...
R E M E M B E R

Mason De Shon Bringus, September 2002, Mary Margaret De Shon

(Click on images to enlarge)

Miss Dollikin by Uneeda Doll Company, Inc. 1960

Yep, retirement is kind of interesting. Who would have thought I'd be restoring my old dolls.
Nonnie and I both got matching dolls for Christmas 1960. I was 7 and Nonnie was 9.
Your Grandma also bought us matching light blue metal Doll Cases to keep our doll clothes & dolls in.
Your Great Grandma Heerlein, Great Aunt Helen & Great Aunt Betty made amazing dolls clothes as our Christmas gifts.
Come Christmas 2018, this doll will be 58 years old.
We lost our doll cases and many other toys when our basement at 5104 flooded.
Her shoes are currently glued on with "water soluble" glue stick.
There is an Old Time Movie of Nonnie & I getting these dolls on DVD.
Your Grandma had them posed so cute Christmas morning. A little girl's dream doll.

Adventures of Nonnie & your Me-Me
We're heading out to cruise the city and see what's new; then off to lunch. Pizza sounds good.
Wish you were here!

(click to enlarge image)

Blanche Almeda Hill-De Shon-Dowdy's Glasses from her son, Merrill Elliott De Shon


The Donkey Collection (click on images to enlarge)



Where's my battery charger? I want to ride my trike scooter! With the wind in my hair. So much fun!	The picture is kind of grainy against the white garage.

Your Me-Me being silly. Me-Me, you are so quazy. I know. What can I say?


Hearken to your Grandmother's frail voice feeling all alone; searching for her loved ones; panic, fear & desperation in her voice, feeling all alone. Calling out... afraid. Listen. Listen quietly. Remember. Watch family videos so you never forget the sound of her or Grandpa's voices. Look at old family pictures. Know who people are or were. For today, hear her voice. May her words forever burn in your mind and bring you to endless tears, as they do to me.
Your Grandmother Was Calling Out: "Me-Me! Me-Me! Where are you? I can't see you. I can't hear you. Where are you, Me-Me?"	Your Grandma was calling out for me as I sat right next to her on 5th floor of North Kansas City Hospital. Her eyes were closed from the Euthanasia medications they were pumping into her. They were systematically killing her on purpose, and with no legal authority & behind my back. All she asked for were fluids so she would feel better. She said she felt dehydrated. Your evil cruel mother, had Grandma's fluids shut off. That lying vile frizz-headed, bastard, Stoddard. Came into our house and lied right to your Grandma's face. God Damned Mother Fucker! Hell hath no furry, as what I hope is in store for Stoddard.
I stood up next to her, gripping her hand, and assured your Grandma, "Momma, I'm here. I'm right here. I haven't left you. It's ok. I'm here. Momma, it's ok. I'm here." Holding her hand with tears flooding down my face, I pleaded with her, "Momma, open your eyes. Open your eyes. I'm right here." I caressed her face and pushed her hair back from her forehead. "I'm here." Gradually, she calmed and fell silent.
May your Grandmother's words and mine forever burn in your minds. I never held you boys accountable because you were children. EVERYTHING you believe to be truth, isn't. Go back and watch the videos. That's what love is. That's what truth is. One-by-one, as you turn 21... I hold you accountable. Grow up - Get a job - Move far away from your parents & their incessant hate. Build a life with your own wives and children where the love you learned at Ma, Pa & Me-Me's can thrive. Get out from under your mother's hate filled and selfish control.


Peg Perego Ride-on Train with Tracks & Trailer

Grandma & I had gone shopping at the Babies-R-Us in Independence, Missouri to get Mason some cute clothes.
Across the street was a Toys-R-Us. We had to go in there to see what they had that we just couldn't live without.
I spied the train and called for Grandma.
She looked at me and I looked at her and we both started grinning.
She said, "We gotta have that. Masey is going to love it."
The train & tracks alone were $475 plus tax.
Grandma said, "Do you have enough money?" I said, "Yes"; and she started grinning.
I paid for it; and Toys-R-Us found a young strong stock boy who loaded it into the back of Grandma's Town Car.
When we got home Grandpa said, "Uh Oh! What have you two got there?"
We brought in the train and set it up in the living room. Grandpa started clapping.
We were all three delighted and couldn't wait for Mason to come over.
Mason was 18 months old.
Soon the tracks were left in the back bedroom when Mason went free-wheeling without them.
Check the videos for popping wheelies and M, D & L enjoying the train.
The battery needs charging, but after 20 years, the train still runs.
We used to take the front engine plate off and fill the inside cavity with toy cars.
If you take the smoke stack lid off, you can turn it upside down & it will hold a sippy cup of milk or cookies.
Later I bought the trailer and it held all kinds of toys & goodies.
An additional $49 plus tax investment in fun was made about a month later for the trailer.
It was all worth every dime.
It took me days scraping off the miscellaneous stickers that you all added over the years.
Any little angel put stickers on that train again, and I'll kill 'em. LOL
The train was originally purchased for Mason, but was never intended to leave Ma & Pa's.
Grandma & Grandpa got as much enjoyment watching their grandchildren on the train as the boys did riding it.
Engine 22 is ready to roll.

Me-Me Slide &
Me-Me Coaster Rides
Shish! No wonder my poor little back hurts. :)

Hey, na na na.
Ho, na na na.
I'm gonna be an Indian Chief.

(put a pillow on your head, dance like a warrior; and sing it)

Yes, we are tractor people! We had an acre of land at 5104 North Chelsea. Perfect for rides. No request for a lawnmower ride was ever denied. We were always safe on Grandpa's lap. Your grandpa put chains on the tires so we could ride in the snow, as he or your dad plowed snow out of our way. When Grandpa put the trailer on, it was even more fun. The shovels Grandma bought you were in the trailer with your work gloves and other toys. Nonnie & Me-Me, your mom, Mason, Dane & Luke all got to go for lawnmower rides. There was a time when your Grandma was driving the John Deere and Grandpa was riding in the trailer, sitting on the edge. Grandma went down the mound too fast and Grandpa went toppling out of the trailer backwards... feet over head. Grandma was so upset and went racing back to his aid. She felt awful & was kissing him to make sure he was ok. He didn't get hurt and it wasn't funny, but we all laugh every time the story is told.


The Boll Weevils at the De Shon House

Somebody would innocently say, "I only took $10." Someone else would say, "I needed gas and you were sleeping, but I just took $30." Someone else would say, "You bought Taco Bell today for all 8 of us." He'd start laughing. Dad would say, "The needle is pointing to empty, you guys! You scoundrels!" LOL We Love You, Dad!

It's probably why your mom is also into the planting process.	Grandma's Garden When I was little, your grandma always had a big garden in the area where Chelsea & Megan lived, out behind the garage. She had potatoes, leaf lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, green beans and other veggies. She would hang the onions to dry along the ceiling entrance into our old carport. Most were in old women's nylons. We'd wash dirt off the vegetables with the hose and bring them into the kitchen. I'd sit in the garden and eat leaf lettuce fresh out of the ground like a little rabbit. It was so good. Dad and I loved tomato sandwiches (white bread, Miracle Whip and sliced tomatoes). I ate cucumber sandwiches, as well. Mom grew up eating onion sandwiches (white bread, butter and a slice of white onion). The bread was never toasted unless we had a BLT. I don't recall Nonnie eating vegetables out of the garden.

Happy 66th Anniversary! November 11, 2016 would have been the 66th Wedding Anniversary for your grandparents, Donald Dale De Shon & Mary Margaret "Punk" Heerlein-De Shon (click on any photo to enlarge)






* The majority of their lives they lived in Kansas City, Missouri, north of the river. * Dad always called Mom, "His Bride" or "Punkie". Happy 66th Wedding Anniversary in Heaven. Love Always, your Meemo! P.S. I can see a little piece of Dane in the 2nd picture of Dad.	Ok, now here's the fun stuff... * Dad goes out and buys a new suit, after he tells Mom to keep it simple and she doesn’t buy a new dress for her wedding day. * Thanks to Dad’s brothers, Dad comes strolling in, drunk as a skunk. Dad never drinks and sure couldn’t hold his liquor. Mom was not happy with him. * Dad is smoking a cigar? There are a couple of other special times when you will see him with a cigar celebrating the birth of a baby. Otherwise… Dad never smoked. * Dad's brothers and friends poked holes in all of Dad’s condoms. Donna was born October 2 the next year. You do the math to Nonnie's birthdate. * Mom wanted a Catholic ceremony, but they ended up at the Justice of the Peace in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri since Dad was a Methodist. * They drove to downtown Kansas City, Missouri and stayed their first night at the President’s Hotel. * November 11th is the day they got married. It is also the birthday of Mom’s dad, Charles Maurice Heerlein (11/11/1893). * Dad was 21 and Mom was 19 when they were married. Note: Their children and grandchildren always came first.

Your Grandma used to crochet these hot pads for us. She used them everyday.
She made sets for her 3 daughters, too.
I've got red, blue, white, pink
and striped.
Originally, they were for our Hope Chests
for when we'd get married.
My Grandma Heerlein & her daughters
all could sew and crochet.
I still use my hot pads.
You've got to see the tea towels
my mom made. They are the best!

Here's one I bet you didn't know!

Grandpa was born on June 23, 1929 at home in St. Joseph, Missouri.
A county nurse came, who delivered him.
Agnes Lee Citte-Tarwater, a close friend of the family; was the first person to hold him.
My Grandma & Grandpa De Shon (Blanche & Elliott) named him
Donald LeRoy De Shon.
It was hand written on his original birth certificate.
The county nurse didn't like the name "LeRoy".
She suggested that they change it to Donald Dale De Shon.
Everybody liked Donald Dale and the 3 "D's", so they lined through the "LeRoy" and wrote above it "Dale".
I've seen the original birth certificate, but don't know what happened to it.
It may have been in my Grandma's stuff that Aunt Katy threw out.
Maybe your mom, Nonnie or I have it buried in old documents.
When we first found out about LeRoy, we all teased your Grandpa. He thought it was funny, too.

Hi My Loves!
A little history of Sterling Pickling Works
St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri
and some family photos.
That's Aunt Helen's writing on this picture;
Ma's sister that lived with Aunt Betty.
That's your great-great-grandfather on the left.
Maurice Jenne Heerlein "MJ"
and his son, your great grandfather,
Charles Maurice Heerlein "Charley" on the right.
They are in front of the family's Sterling Pickling Works.
They made & distributed pickles, vinegar & sauerkraut.

Click on the picture to see the rest of the images.
xxoo your Me-Me

Your grandma would instill the same positive thinking in you.
Whenever you would tell her, "Grandma, I can't";
she would tell you, "Yes, you can. You're smart.
Can't never did anything until he tried. You can't give up.
Let me help you."

Then she would help you work through whatever
it was you were having problems with.
Grandma was a problem solver.
She would teach you how to solve problems, as well.
She didn't give up and wouldn't let you, either.

The necklace around Grandma's neck, was a prayer box.
You can open a prayer box, add a quiet prayer
and the box never fills up. There is always room for more.

No one will ever love you
as much as your Me-Me does.

September 5, 2016     Grandma's Love of Plants, Flowers and the beauty of her yard...

     Grandma & her sisters, Aunt Helen, Aunt Betty & Aunt Carol all decided to go to Washington state to see their brother, Uncle Bum. It was a spur of the moment, sisters only road trip. Your Grandma could barely tolerate her brother, Uncle Bum (John) because she said he has a filthy mouth and did her mom, Grandma Heerlein wrong after Grandpa Heerlein died. So the sisters loaded up and took off driving. They had a wonderful vacation full of memories.

     Your grandma had always been one to get pretty rocks whenever we would go on vacation. This trip was no different; except on this trip, she also took a small cutting of a wild hostas.

     The thing that bothers me is that Grandma's hostas', bird's nest shrubs and other plants simply vanished while Grandpa & I were still living there. Everybody pleads ignorance. That whole fence row of plants & flowers was freaking gone and it pisses me off. I'm so sick of being lied to about this. When I consider that the yard was mowed about every 3rd day; and it wasn't noticed or mentioned that those giant plants and Grandma's flowers were gone? Please! I don't buy it. That the neighbors would come into our yard and steal them? I don't buy that, either. Although those plants meant nothing to anybody except Mom & I; nobody had the right to poison them or dig them up, throw them out or take them. NOBODY! I hope one day, someone with fess up and be honest.

     It's despicable and hurtful that anybody would dishonor my mom that way. I'm so sick of liars and thieves, I could scream.

Who took or killed all the plants, shrubs & flowers along the fence?

Look at the pictures below. Think about what was important to my mom. She had a passion for the planting process. She loved watching things grow. She was proud of how her home and yard looks. So proud in this instance that she took pictures of her plants, her flowers, her fountain, her yard... She placed her children and grandchildren in front of picturesque areas of the yard for lasting memories. She hauled a hostas cutting all the way back from Washington and hauled pretty rocks back from California, Colorado, Washington, Canada and other vacation locations.

Grandma & her sisters on vacation
to Washington state.

This is a picture of Mason.
Behind Mason against the fence is the hostas cutting that Grandma brought back from Washington state.
She has it staked so Grandpa wouldn't mow it over & so animals
wouldn't walk on it.

With lots of watering, plant food, protection from Dad and love; that little cutting that she brought back all the way from Washington state, grew into this gigantic beautiful hostas.

Along the side fence by the kitchen,
Grandma had the big hostas,
this hostas, 2 bird's nest shrubs,
and other shrubs, plants & flowers.
Plus a trellis of creeping flowers.

So where the Hell did it all go?

For as long as I can remember,
my mom would religiously water
her lawn, flowers, shrubs and plants.
As you can see, she drags the hose all
around the yard to water everywhere.
It was one of her favorite things to do.
Grab a lawn chair, sit outside,
enjoy the weather, and water.

For Mother's Day in the late 1970's,
I bought Grandma a big bird bath.
She had electricity & water going out to it.
The bowl broke years later.
This is the top fountain piece, sitting next to the house. The base was in the backyard & I had purchased a new bowl for it.

This is your mother (age 2).
The fountain is in the background.
The small tree on the right was planted
for your mom. She named it Harold.
You boys used to climb Harold
as did your mother.
P.S. Your mom is not alone in the pool.
Grandma is taking the picture & I'm standing about a foot away, just to the left.

This is your mother (age 2).
Grandma always planted pansies below her fountain. She spent lots of hours keeping the bowl clean and fresh for the birds.

This is Grandma watering her plants.
5104 North Chelsea Avenue
Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri

She had beautiful plants inside & out.
She had a wonderful green thumb.
Anything she planted grew and
flourished.

My mom had passed & somewhere
along the line others thought they had
the right to come in and fucking take over.
Alan removed the fence in the backyard.
He didn't ask.
Nobody requested that he do it, either.
He just took the fence down, gate and all.
I never knew why. It had been there
for years. It separated the backyard
and we used the north portion for the
dog's pen. Weird thing was, Alan
left the fence posts up.
Mom & Dad worked hard putting that
fence up in the first place.

Why was it taken down?

This is 1982 with Grandpa hunting Easter Eggs with your mom.

In 2007 this well collapsed.
There was a big fight over the repair.
Alan had it repaired with fill dirt & water.
It collapsed again
because it wasn't repaired correctly.
The thing that pissed me off with the
well collapse was that Alan picked up
dozens of my mother's "pretty"
rocks that she had collected from
vacations and he threw them into the hole.
They meant fucking NOTHING to him,
but they meant everything to my mom.

Why? Like those few rocks were
going to make a difference in a
well collapse?

Here's another thing that pissed me off.
We always kept fire wood along
the back fence, because we had annual
problems with the weather taking out
our electricity and because we always loved fires in our fireplace. With two seniors,
that wood pile was a life saver for me for
cooking and keeping everybody warm
during power outages.
This photo is way before Uncle Bud
built his big detached garage.
So you can see how many years
we kept fire wood.
Alan threw it all out.
He claimed it was full of termites.
So the Hell what?
He didn't ask. He just threw it all out.
Nobody asked him to do it, nor did
we want it thrown out.

Why?
Leave shit alone that isn't yours.

When I talk about my Mom & the
planting process, please notice the tiny
stick of a tree just behind me by my
elbow. That's the Burnt Oak tree
your Grandma & Grandpa planted.

You don't see the Maple Tree
over by the Cadillac because your
Grandma hadn't planted it, yet or
placed a bunch of her rocks around it
or added tulips at its base.

You don't see the front Oak Tree
because Grandma hadn't planted
it yet, either.

But look at the Burnt Oak Tree now.
This big Burnt Oak Tree has gown and it was the landing strip for your zip line.
A tiny little stick of a tree, planted & loved in 1982 grew into this strong tree.

Look by where the hitching post was.
Look how that Maple Tree grew and there are Grandma's rocks around it
that you all abandoned because of fucking ignorant greed and hate.

All of those shrubs around the front & back of the house...
All of the flowers... Grandma planted.

And you ALL ruined it. White Trash lives in Grandma & Grandpa's house.
Fucking White Trash!
You ALL threw Grandma & Grandpa & our lives out to the trash
For what? Money that you've now long since wasted.

I love Alan. I truly do and I always will. He's been a family member since October 30, 1976.
But nothing means anything to him and he never thinks to ask if something has special meaning to anybody else.
Yes, they were just rocks, rotting fire wood, flowers, shrubs, plants, fencing, pieces of a broken fountain...
But they were ours and they had meaning and memories attached to them.

In one of the old time movies, there is a clip of our vacation to Colorado.
Grandpa, Grandma, Nonnie & me.
We are standing by a stream. Mom kept asking Dad to pull over & stop so she could get some pretty rocks.
Dad got tired of hearing her ask repeatedly to stop, so he finally pulled over next to the stream and said,
"Get out and get yourself a rock."
...and we did!

The Least Worst of Three Bad Things...

     The day Grandma went out south to pick out which fountain she wanted, she took your mom with her. Dad had their car at my house in Gladstone mowing my lawn, so Grandma took my Cutlass S Super Sport after she and your mom dropped me off at work. Later in the day, Grandma called me at work and said, "I've got three bad things to tell you. Do you want the least bad first or the worst bad first?" I said, "Oh God! That doesn't sound good. Give me the least bad first." Grandma said, "I wrecked your car." I started to sweat and said, "That's the least bad? Oh my God!" I asked what happened. Grandma said that she was backing up in the parking lot at the statuary / fountain place and she backed into a pole folding my chrome bumper in half. I had insurance and it was easily replaced with a new bumper.

     I asked Grandma what the 2nd least bad thing was. She said, "Dad was at your house, mowing your lawn to surprise you. He got out the hose to hose the John Deere off when he was done. The spigot in your front yard was obviously broken and it flooded your basement. We had to rip up your carpet in the center bedroom and mop up all the water. We'll have to call somebody to haul the wet carpet off. We have fans set up so you don't get mold." I took a deep breath and sat down.

     I said, "I don't know what else could be worse." Grandma said, "The most worse is that one of your friends called to tell you that your friend, Ron Partridge had committed suicide." It was the summer of 1983. Ron lived in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. He was the laboratory manager for MAWD, Laboratory at the Professional Building at North Kansas City Hospital. I have to say, it was one Hell of a day. Whenever I see that fountain, it reminds me of the three bad things.

     Grandma told me that after she smashed up my back bumper she told your mom, "I bet they put that pole there after we went into the store." Your mom said, "No, momma. It was there all along." LOL Funny how those things stick in your memory.




August 29, 2016		Glass Clown Banks I bought these heavy glass clown banks as Christmas gifts one year. One for Mason, one for Dane and one that I took to the basement in the event of another nephew coming along one day. One of yours ended up being broken a year or so later. Your mother in one of her hateful acts returned the other bank with damned near every present I ever bought you, your dad or her not long after Grandma died. Of course, she kept the really expensive things like her mixer, his telescope, thousands of dollars worth of DeWalt tools, your freezer, etc. I still have the two clown banks. It's nice to see them every once in awhile. They bring back good memories of you opening them Christmas morning and thinking they were so cool.

August 23, 2016

Your Grandma Can Dance...

     When I was going through old boxes in the basement, I came across my tap shoes. They reminded me of years ago when my friend, Carolyn Zawada & I took lessons from Dennis & his wife, Kathy Landsman in Overland Park, Kansas. We took ballet & tap. We bought the leotards, ballet slippers and tap shoes. OMG! We were terrible! Neither of us could tap or do ballet to save our souls. But at least we had a good time trying.

     Now, bear in mind, your Grandma took tap when she was a kid. I stopped by to see your Grandma & Grandpa one night and told Grandma that I just didn’t have any rhythm when it came to tap.

     Out of nowhere the woman started doing this tap routine that took her all over our kitchen and she was smiling like there was no tomorrow. Mom was heavy set and was just starting dinner. She had a potato in one hand and a potato peeler in the other, as she moved away from the kitchen sink to dance. She got to laughing because her boobs were going up and down with each shuffle, hop, step, brush, step, step and she was singing some song from days gone by. She did a couple of slide steps in there with her arms & hands right in queue... potato & peeler still in her hands.

     I never did master tap or ballet for that matter. I still love to watch tap dancers on TV and have “Singing in the Rain” in my favorites on YouTube. As you can tell below, I love the Rockettes, too. I look like a bull in a china closet when I do try to tap dance. Mom sure had a good time reliving her youth.

     In 2014 Carolyn said, “I remember taking my tap shoes to the shoe repair shop thinking the taps on the heels were loose because I couldn't keep my balance. No, it was just clumsy me with no balance. That is the reason I was always at the back of the class holding on to the bar!”

      As Mom was dancing around the kitchen, she took my hand and said, "Come on Mar! You can do it! Shuffle - Hop - Step - Brush - Step - Step. Do it! Shuffle - Hop - Step - Brush - Step - Step. Don't say the words, just feel the rhythm." We both were laughing as we finally stopped and started peeling potatoes for dinner. After all those years, she could still dance like she was a teenager.

     Here are her old pictures showing the six different costumes they wore for recitals and dance programs. Isn't she cute? She looks like your Mom in some of the pictures. Especially the one with her tambourine. Nonnie has Grandma's tambourine and grass skirt. We are really lucky that our family loved to take pictures. I'm also glad I scanned as many of the family photos as I could to share.


Dorothy McClure Dancing School - St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri Mary Margaret Heerlein "Punk" (Hula Costume)


Dorothy McClure Dancing School - St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri Mary Margaret Heerlein "Punk" (Hula & Bathing Suit Costumes)


Dorothy McClure Dancing School - St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri Mary Margaret Heerlein "Punk" & her older sister, Elizabeth Ann Heerlein "Betty" (Tap Class) [Mary Margaret Heerlein-De Shon & Elizabeth Ann Heerlein-Stunz]

		click on any of the smaller pictures to make them bigger`
Dorothy McClure Dancing School - St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri Mary Margaret Heerlein "Punk" & her sister, Elizabeth Ann Heerlein "Betty"

Hula Costume (Grass Skirt, Lei, Wrist Leis, Hair Flowers)

Swim Suit & Straw Hat Costume

White Dress Costume (Dress & Hair Flowers)
[All Images shared with the Northwest Missouri Genealogical Society, St. Joseph, Missouri]

August 18, 2016

Penny's Puppies

Our first dog's name was Tippy. He was run over by my school bus driver when he followed me to the bus stop. I freaked out, crying and ran home. The bus driver didn't even say he was sorry. Grandma was mad because she didn't have a car to take to me school and asked me why I didn't go ahead and get on the bus. I was mad at her because she wouldn't go down to the bus stop to get Tippy immediately.


Our next dog was a young female collie we named Penny. Grandma & Grandpa had bred her and she had 6 collie puppies. We kept two... Big John, Buddy and their mother, Penny. Big John was Donna's and Buddy was mine. When Penny's puppies were born, it was fall. We kept them in the garage just off the rec room. Grandpa had them blocked in with pieces of firewood and an old screen door and Grandma put down a really heavy blanket covered in news papers to keep them warm on the cement floor. I think I look like Luke in the picture on the left.



When winter came, it was too cold in the garage for the puppies, so we moved them into the rec room. Do you recognize the room? Those bench seats are where my armoire dresser stood in what used to be my bedroom. There was an old brown heater out there that kept the puppies warm. It was were my desk was. The only way Penny could get a break from the puppies wanting to suckle, was to get up onto the bench seats. The bench seats went all the way around the room. The rec room went into the "breezeway"; then into the house. The breezeway was open and leaves used to blow in, not to mention rain, snow & bugs. Grandma & Grandpa enclosed the breezeway, removed the wall between the breezeway & the rec room, put down carpet and made the entire space livable. The breezeway is where my sofa & treadmill were. Some years, we'd have Christmas out there with the tree right in the center of the middle window.



The picture on the right is Buddy. Buddy had a heart attack when he got old and fell into the living room window well. Grandma & Grandpa weren't home, so I called Uncle Bud and he came over and lifted Buddy out of the window well. Buddy died shortly afterwards. Penny used to be terrified of storms, lightening & thunder. We never closed the gates at the driveway. When it rained, we'd have to pound the neighborhood to find Penny. Dad had them trained to never cross out into the street and to always stay in the yard. Except when it rained and Penny would flip out. Our dogs always had dog houses and Dad was adamant about ensuring they had cool fresh water all the time. They had their tags and shots. Mom & Dad bought the big metal tub to give them baths. They hated baths. Mom & Dad would always keep them combed and their fur looking nice. Penny was lying behind my Cutlass. I went out to leave and told her to get up. She didn't. I thought she did. Sadly, I backed over her. When I realized what I had done, I put it in drive to get off her and ran over her again. I was screaming for Mom & Dad and crying hysterically. Dad tried to lift Penny up to put her in the car to take her to the vet. She bit him in pain. Between Mom & Dad we got her to the hospital. Her back & spine were crushed. Dr. Sackett put her to sleep. That's not really something you ever get over. I'm sitting here crying retelling the story as though it was yesterday. If you ever watch any of the old home movies, there are lots of movies of the collies. They didn't play catch or have Frisbees, but they were really great loving dogs. I don't remember what happened to Big John, but it seems like he ran out into the street and was hit by a car. I'll have to ask Nonnie. (Nonnie wrote, "Mom and Dad gave John to the mailman. Three big dogs were too much, and he really loved the dogs. He lived on a farm. John was run over and died not long after going to live with the mailman. I remember coming home from school and being very upset because he was gone. I was even more upset when she told us where he was. But then we accepted that it was good that he had a big place to play -- until we heard he had been run over.)

August 18, 2016

Grandma's Cement Flower Pots

Mary Margaret "Punk" Heerlein
circa 1949 - at her parent's home on Leonard Road in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri
When her parent's moved, Punk (your grandma) got the cement flower pots.
She kept beautiful flowers in them until the day she died.
Look at how young & thin she was in these pictures.
The flower pots, last I heard, were at your house.
Grandma was 17 or 18 years old in these pictures.
If you notice Grandma's jewelry, she has on her senior class ring that your mom wears.
I miss her so much!

August 14, 2016

My Memory...

     For sure Axel never had the opportunity to know his grandparents on the De Shon side. Luke was pretty young when they passed, too. I would hope Mason & Dane would remember not only Grandma & Grandpa, but me, too.

     You boys were the light of our lives. Mason & Dane used to run into the house to tell us everything that was new and exciting going on in your lives. There are dozens of home movies & pictures to prove how much love there was for you at Grandma & Grandpa's.

     We had great sleepovers and you had as many clothes & toys at 5104 North Chelsea as you did at your own house.

     I fear that I'm forgetting you. I still have the special boxes I made for Mason & Dane of things I promised that I'd keep

forever. Scraps of paper. Toys. Little things. But each memory is still in the boxes. I didn't make one for Luke and Dane's isn't as full as Mason's. Probably because Mason was the 1st. I even still have the pink box. It doesn't have stacks of $100 dollar bills in it anymore, but it brings back great memories.

     Aunt Nonnie made a comment one day in 2013 about Axel. She said, "I finally have a nephew who loves me the best." My immediate response was, "It's easy when there isn't any competition." So much has been stolen from all of us. Time... Experiences... Memories... Love... Holidays... Birthdays... Possessions... Stability... Money... Togetherness... I'm sure Grandma is rolling over and over in her grave like she's on a spit upset at the dismantled state of her family.

     Relationships may periodically freeze in time. You love deeply; then you don't see someone or communicate for years. However, when you do reconnect (and we WILL reconnect); you pick right back up exactly where you left off as though no time has passed. It's pretty amazing.

     Blood relatives are like a beacon. You always go back to the beacon. I noticed your mother. As much as she hates me; when she was down in the dumps, she contacted me (twice) about Gianna. Julie hates me, but she comes running to me, to be on her side. She stated if Mom were alive, Mom would say to come home. Absolutely Grandma & Grandpa would have. I almost fell for it. I tried my hardest to save 5104; which was supposed to be yours when I died.

     It would have been there for her in good times and bad times. It was paid for. Now, the money is wasted. Our home, our beacon, Grandma & Grandpa's house is gone and white trash live there ruining it. It still to this day doesn't make any freaking sense to me.

August 11, 2016

Vacation to Branson

     In December 2001 we thought it might be fun to take a trip to Branson to see the Rockettes. I'm a big fan of the Rockettes. Grandpa didn't want to go. He was thrilled to be able to stay at home and be the master of his remote control. So we all went. We took your blue van. We did a lot of shopping and spent way too much time in Branson's notorious traffic.

     Grandma had cancer and was having trouble getting in and out of the van, so we took a little step stool to help her. Grandma was bound & determined that cancer wasn't going to keep her from enjoying her life and spending time with her family. We got two hotel rooms and just had a wonderful time!

     At the Rockettes, I sat between Mason and Dane. Chris was on Dane's right. When the Rockettes came out, Dane said, "Dad! Can we take one home with us?" Chris whispered, "One what?" Dane said, "One of those Rockettes." Dane could not take his eyes off the pretty girls. Chris and I busted out laughing. That's our little lady's man. Chris told Dane, "No. Mom won't let us have one."

August 10, 2016

The Missouri State Fair

     Your Grandpa was the best & the worst to go to the Missouri State Fair with.

     He loved the food, so we got whatever we wanted. He loved buying us souvenirs, too. Souvenirs are reminders of the memories!

     He loved the rides the most. Grandma didn't like heights or getting sick on rides that spin around, so she took movies of us.

     Grandpa would rock those damned Ferris Wheel seats. In my day, no ride had seat belts. The ferris wheel scared the shit out of me! I always felt like we were going to fall out, head first and plummet to the ground when Grandpa started rocking the seat. He thought it was great fun, laughing with delight like a little kid. He liked to lean forward and look down at the ground to see how far up we were. Looked like a good way to die, to me. :) To this day, I won't ride a Ferris Wheel. People do fall out of these rides. Remember Safety First! I'm scarred for life. LOL

     The Tilt-a-Whirl was an adventure into motion sickness and throwing up that I'd just as soon not remember. Mom refused to ride it, as she had motion sickness, too.

     Of course, Mom & Dad always bought us some goofy looking hat at the Missouri State Fair with our names embroidered on it. I remember this one green Robin Hood hat with a feather in it. Another year, Dad bought me a giant pair of sunglasses. I probably looked stupid, but I thought I was so cool. I was just a little kid having a great day at The Fair.

     Grandpa loved the Cotton Candy, Hot Dogs, Peanuts, Pop, Snow Cones, Ice Cream, Corn Dogs and Popcorn. So did Grandma. I come by my love of those goodies honestly! We had to have all the junk food we could consume. It was part of the fun of the day! You're already hot and sticky so why not have some cotton candy to be a little more gooey. The Fair, was an absolute blast! A lot of walking. A lot of food. A lot of fun!

     We always had to make our way to the building where all the prize winning pies, cakes, quilts and other things were; then we were off to look at the prize winning hogs, cattle, sheep, etc. Grandma liked how the cakes were decorated. She decorated all our cakes. It was hot as Hell in those old un-air conditioned building or tents. The big fans seemed to just circulate the sweltering hot air.

     I remember the bathrooms. They had numerous stalls with half wooden doors. The slider on the lock never matched up to actually lock the door, so Grandma would stand there and hold the door closed. She never let us go into a bathroom alone. Even back in those days, she was all into safety. There were always flies in those bathrooms, too. It was hot. There were flies. But it was so much fun!

     One of the attractions was to walk up a couple of steps, get a fishing pole and try to catch a prize. Little did I know back then that there were people below my view that attached the prizes to our hooks. They were good prizes, too. One year I got a Disney chalk statue of Dopey. Another year I got this brown Plaster of Paris dog with a little bell around his neck.

     To combat the heat, we wore cotton crop tops or blouses and shorts with either flip flops or white Keds. Back in my day, we called plain cheap rubber flip flops, "Go Aheads". It was a name brand. It was like "Go Ahead" and get them wet. Our hair was up in pony tails and life was good.

     In the old time movies that you have a copy of, there is a movie of Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Nonnie & me at the Missouri State Fair back in the late 50's or early 60's. Those were the days! I had a great childhood thanks to your Grandma & Grandpa.

August 10, 2016

What's Your Favorite Kind of Jelly?

	Your grandma's favorite jelly was Smucker's Grape Jelly. She didn't like jams because they had seeds in them. She'd stick her tongue out at you & make funny YUK faces, if you bought the wrong kind. She'd eat Welch's, but preferred Smucker's. She liked her eggs fried, but with the yolk firmly done.
	Your grandpa's favorite jelly was Smucker's Strawberry Jelly. He liked jams or jelly and didn't mind the seeds. He wasn't as picky as Grandma. He liked his eggs fried, but with the yolk runny. Grandma said Grandpa's eggs were like eating snot. (I know... thanks for sharing.) Too slimy & runny for her. She'd make a face, shake her head & stick her tongue out.

July 4, 2016

Happy 4th of July

I have such great memories of the 4th of July. It used to be a time when our family would get together. One phone call and one invitation was all it took and an event was created. Then the event took on a life of its own.

Clean the house.
Mow the lawn & clean off the lawn chairs.
Off to the store we’d go to buy stackes of hot dogs, a couple dozen chickens and all the fixings for side dishes, desserts, drinks and paper plates.
Get out the dog tub & hose it out, buy lots of ice and put pop and watermelons in to get ice cold.
Get out the ice cream maker and buy the rock salt & ice.
Get out the drink dispensers. Make sweet & unsweetened tea and lemonade.
Pick up table wear, paper cups, paper plates, napkins, plastic silverware.
Decorate in red, white & blue.
Buy fireworks, punks, matches and 4th of July theme stuff for the kids to play with.
Set up the badminton set and tetherball or croquet set.
Stoke up the grill and roast the hot dogs.
Put out the American Flag.
There would be deep pots simmering with farm fresh sweet corn on the cob. Generally provided by Uncle Lee. He also provided farm fresh thick sweet cream for the ice cream.
Mom would clean & fry chicken from 5:00 a.m. until generally over 60 family members would show up to eat, spend the day visiting, relaxing and having fun. I mean, that woman fried a boat load of her delicious chicken.
We'd eat popsicles, homemade ice cream, watermelon, brownies and make s’mores. Uncle Red salted his homemade ice cream to keep from getting brain freeze. Plus, he always demanded the heart of the watermelon.
Uncle Bus and Grandma Heerlein could suck every bit of chicken off the bones. A chicken leg would come out clean. It was kind of disgusting, actually. None-the-less, it was a memory.
You'd catch Grandma and Uncle Bus taking a nap sometime after we'd eat.
The men would do the fireworks after it got dark.
The babies were asleep, the kids were laying on blankets and everybody else was in lawn chairs.
Finally, after all the fire works were ignited, everything was put up and cleaned up; everybody kissed & left.
The sidewalk would be stained with black snakes and the smell of sulfur was still thick in the air.
Back when I was a kid, those snap balls were in different colors of tissue paper. Somewhere along the line, kids put them in their mouths, so they made them look less like candy. The newer ones were all white with a tail, sitting in saw dust.
We'd find burned sparklers all over the yard where the kids would just drop them.
If there weren’t 60+ De Shon’s or Heerlein’s or both; and it was just De Shon, Bringus & Rogers; we had new memories with the inventive fabulous creation of Mason’s Concession Stand. That was a great memory, for sure!

Ahhh. Another fun successful 4th of July. Rain or Shine!

July 4, 2016

I watched a news reporter asking people on the street what the 4th of July was all about. They only featured people who truly had no clue. It wasn't any fun for them when people interviewed actually knew. If you don't know, seriously... go look it up.

June 23, 2016

Grandpa "Pa"
He loved his family so much.

Grandpa's favorite birthday cake was
yellow with white buttercream frosting.

His favorite birthday dinner was
well done filet mignon with a big baked potato.

June 23, 1929 - January 30, 2009
87th Birthday

June 7, 2016

Savings Bonds For My Nephews

I was just thinking about the Savings Bonds I bought for three of my nephews. They had an original price of $500 each. I calculated by the time each of my nephews turned 16, they would have at minimum $6,000 to put towards a car. The two younger nephews would have more. They were very high yield bonds.

I made the gigantic mistake of giving them to Julie on behalf of the boys. I remember she called me later that day and asked, how long they had to hold on to them before they could be cashed. I had a sick feeling in my stomach and told her to not cash them because there would be a penalty if cashed early. I told her they were for the boys, so they have money for a car when they turned 16. Again, I told her not to cash them.

This had to be in 2005 when I was auditing and traveling; and paying all of Julie & Chris' living expenses after Chris hurt his back. They had my debit card, too; so they were never without money to buy whatever they wanted. There should have been no reason for the bonds to be cashed early. I can't remember exactly which series, but I was thinking they were one of the H series.

Considering my nephews don't have cars right now; I'm assuming the bonds were cashed & the money wasted by their mother. I'd love to know why the bonds weren't used for the purpose they were purchased. $1,500 is a lot of money to squander. The bonds should have been returned to me if they weren't going to be used for the purpose of the gift. That pretty much equates to stealing from your own children. I wouldn't have just handed her $1,500. Cashing the bonds in and pocketing the money regardless of the penalty; would have no meaning since it wasn't her money to begin with. Even a dollar would have been profit.

Sorry, my loves. I meant well.

For sure, lesson learned by me. I'll never give anybody a savings bond, again

June 2, 2016

To My Lukey!
I hope you have a wonderful birthday!
I sure hope you've had a happy life.
Know your Me-Me will always love you.
You were only 4 when you looked up at me
at Grandpa's funeral and smiled.
I will always remember your smile.
Grandma & Grandpa are watching over you from Heaven & loving you through eternity.
Happy Birthday, honey!

May 30, 2016

Happy Memorial Day!
Cemetery Crawl

Memorial Day is actually for our military who died in combat serving their country. Over the years, people have used it as a symbolic day for visiting cemeteries for any loved one.

For several years after I started doing genealogy; Mom, Aunt Carol, Becki Sue and I would do a Cemetery Crawl over Memorial Day weekend. Aunt Carol had tons of Peonies & Iris' alongside her driveway. We'd take buckets of water, the cut flowers and everything we needed to clean off headstones and set some flowers out on our loved one's graves. It was so much fun.

Mom & I would drive to Union Star to pick them up and off we'd go. I printed off lists of relatives at each cemetery from my FindingEldorado website, so we wouldn't miss anybody.

We always started at Mount Olivet in St. Joe, where Grandma & Grandpa Heerlein, Aunt Marie, Uncle Otto, and numerous other relatives are buried. Next we'd go to Ashland Cemetery in St. Joe. where Uncle Sam & Uncle Merrill (Dad's brothers) were buried. We'd go to Blakely where Aunt Birdie, Uncle Bus & Robin are buried.

Something funny always seemed to happen that would get us all tickled.

One year when we were at Memorial Park, the wind came up and all of my papers blew off the dashboard of the car. They went flying in the air into the open cemetery. As I'd get to one on the ground, the wind would catch it again and zing it back up into the air out of my reach or blow it 20' ahead of me. I looked like a goofball chasing after papers in all directions, only to have them blow away when I was almost upon them. It was pretty funny. Grandma was laughing so hard, she had tears in her eyes.

Another time, we were at Mount Mora. It's kind of a creepy older cemetery. Aunt Carol had her mini van that had sliding doors that opened on both sides of the van. I got out to peek inside of a tomb with a door with a window that you could look in. As I'm looking into the tomb, those assholes drove off and left me there. They circled around laughing their fool heads off. I didn't think it was very funny, but they couldn't stop laughing. When they came back for me, I'd just get to the van and they'd pull ahead of me several feet. They pulled that stunt several times before I got ticked off.

There was the time we were looking for somebody's headstone. Mom & Aunt Carol are in the van and Becki Sue & I are on foot. Mom said, "It's right by some shrubs." I replied, "Well, Hell, Mom! There are a zillion shrubs in this cemetery; as well as, rows and rows of headstones. Can you be a little more specific?" By that time, we're all dying laughing. So Mom continues, "Yeah, he's buried on a hill by some shrubs, go up that way... no wait! That's somebody else. Maybe he was under a tree or is that Uncle Joe?" Becki says, "Who's Uncle Joe?" I'd just look at Mom and raise my eyebrow. She was such a goof. I'm laughing now, just remembering how funny that day was.

We never came down to Kansas City or went to Sharp Cemetery, but always seemed to make time to go up to Mr. & Mrs. Coats' graves at Benton Church Cemetery, up north of St. Joe in Forest City, Missouri. Aunt Carol is buried up there, now.

We'd always go somewhere for lunch, too. After Mom died, we tried to do a Cemetery Crawl in 2007, but it just wasn't the same without her. That was the last time I did a Cemetery Crawl with Aunt Carol & Becki Sue.

Nonnie & I did a cemetery crawl in 2016, 2017 & 2018. It was a lot of fun. You would have enjoyed it. I had Nonnie laughing. She was great at cleaning off dirt & mud with a small spoon. I knew where people were and cleaned off bird poop. Next year, I'll remember the camera.

May 27, 2016
		Happy Birthday! It's been seven years or so since I've seen you. I still think about my Sweet Angels all the time. My memories of you have been frozen in time. We used to have so much fun! One day, we will make new memories. Please never forget Grandma & Grandpa. They loved you so much, and will always watch over you from Heaven.


MAY 18, 2016
		Here are some virtual camo cupcakes for your birthday. I hope you have a special birthday cake, enjoy your favorite dinner, get lots of presents, and have a FUN day! Grandma & Grandpa love you from Heaven. Your Me-Me loves you always, too.


	OMG! I used to play Toejam & Earl with my nephews. We'd go crazy when we got Rocket Skates! I still have it on my old Sega Genesis. They were so young. I wonder if they remember. It brings back great memories for me of when they'd stay all night; which was all the time. Life - Frozen In Time