In 2009 both of our mothers passed away... just a few days apart.
As in living their deaths couldn't have been more opposite.
They experienced the best of times and the worst of times.
Both were born on an April day in the 1920's.
Both were born in a home and not a hospital.
Both lost husbands when their children were young and their husband's families continued to stay in touch.
They both lived in Denver for many years.
Each had three children..and each had a child marry the other one's child.
Each lost a child.
In the end they were both buried in Colorado...days apart.
Eleanor Rice was born at home on April 17, 1924 in Provo, Utah and was a healthy 7 lbs 8 oz.
Gertrude Irene (Trudi) Davis was born April 4, 1926 in her grandparent's home in Edith, Texas and weighed only 5 lbs. small enough to fit in the palm of her grandmother's hand.
Eleanor was the oldest of three children: a sister Maxine and a brother Donald.
Trudi had 5 full brothers and sisters and 4 half sisters and brothers: Frank, Barbara, Frances, Sarah and Derwood Davis and Bessie,V ela, Sam and Helen Plumlee.
Eleanor's parents were both LDS and were born and raised in Utah.
Trudi's parents were god fearing people from rural communities in Texas.
Eleanor's father was a college graduate and a civil engineer for the federal government.
Trudi's father was once a real cowboy but later a welder and steam fitter.
Her step father was a cotton farmer.
Before thy were 20 years old Eleanor had lived in 5 towns and Trudi had lived in 7.
Eleanor remembered her grandmother always giving her big hugs and telling her how much she had grown.
Trudi remembered that her grandmother always scared her.
Both were good girls.
Eleanor was punished only seldom with a little willow branch.
Trudi was whipped, locked out of the house or put in the corner a lot by her step father.
She admitted that she was told not to limb the windmill, swim in the horse tank or ride the mule
but did. she got punished...even when she hadn't done something wrong.
Both grew up in the depression and it affected both their lives
Eleanor's father was always able to provide for his family. the children made their own fun and were very creative making scrapbooks, paper dolls, sandals, enjoyed building snowmen and sledding... even through hard times there were fun times.
Trudi's father struggled to provide for his family and there were no frills for the children... no sleds, no valentines, no paper. Dirt and sticks became their play things. There were just hard times.
Both were sick a lot as girls and had to catch up.
In Junior High Eleanor had a lot of friends and was popular.
Trudi had no friends but her brothers and sisters and was always teased at school for being poor.
Eleanor and her friends would learn to dance together, skate, play cards, and have parties. They went to movie matinees for 10 cents , attend football games or hung out together.
Trudi was never invited to birthday parties, never went skating...rarely went to a movie. Her favorite was The Wizard of Oz...Dorothy was about her age, 12, and was so brave.
Eleanor's favorite movie was Gone With the Wind... ironically about a brave young women from the south on a plantation.
They both had housekeeping chores but Trudi had the hard work of the farm...bringing in wood, gathering eggs and feeding chickens... milking cows...worked the cotton fields in the spring to plant and then pick in the fall. That was the chore she liked least...picking cotton.
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