April 1, 2013 - D. Daugherty's Family Story, Finale

This is the last of David Russel Daugherty's family story.  I have a longer manuscript from him that I'll eventually incorporate in my blogsite.  Again, year of writing unknown (maybe 1988)...time period of memories, 1940's.  My words...italics and bold.

" Dad (Fred I. Daugherty) had a ruddy complexion with a high forehead and boney face.  He had the features of an American Indian.  George thought that our grandmother DeLong was part Indian but I don't think that was true.  We should find out for sure. Dad cussed a lot, never went to church and was, until he got sick, a hard worker.

 I think we absorbed a lot of good values from Dad.  He never spent money on himself, he never said anything bad about the other guy and he didn't do much complaining.  He let us be who we wanted to be.  I would always sit on his lap and he would sing to me "Kimo-Kimo".  He never hit me but I never gave him a reason to.  He seemed to be well respected and people would go out of their way to talk to him.  That is the way in South Dakota, people would go out of their way to talk to you.  We did alot of things together in South Dakota and in Colorado.  He took us to the Garden of the Gods and Cheyenne Mountain and was always around.

 Mom and Dad taught us to take care of ourselves but sometimes we were too independent because we don't always keep close family ties.  We grew up in a difficult area and a difficult time.  There were no jobs to keep us in the same area so we ended up scattered to the four winds.  People from the east do not understand the urbanization of America as we experienced in the Dakotas.

I was with Dad when he went into a comma an hour or so before he died (July, 1955).  He told me to take care of Mom.  I guess I didn't do a very good job although Mom did not want to be taken care of, at least not at the time.

Irene Carrington Daugherty and son, David

 

Mom (Irene Carrington Daugherty) was always working as a cook or salad lady.  She cooked for the YWCA, Colorado College dormatory system, a Colorado College fraternity, the Broadmore Golf Club (summer) and the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind.  Mom always pushed going to church, going to college and no drinking.  She helped me through college before I was married.  She,
on one hand was quite independent and made all her own decisions while on the other hand was always lonely for her children and grandchildren.  All the kids found it hard to live with her for any length of time which seems to be a natural phenomena with most families.  We grow up and expect our parents to realize we make our own decisions and run into conflict when they give advice or try to make decisions.  There has to be some middle of the road where we can put up with lots of advice and still make our own decisions without feeling guilty.  Maybe that was one of her faults in her communication.  It seemed as though she wanted us to feel guilty about whatever it was that we were having a conflict about.  I look back over Mom's life and challenge anyone to walk in her shoes.  She is still very independent at 91."

Gram was born in 1897 and died in 1993, so if she were 91 at the time of David's writing, this story may have been written about 1988. 

Connected with this story is a very loose family tree drawing.  David has ggrandmother, Catherine DeLong Daugherty's father as Louis DeLong.  I'm not sure where this name came from.  I don't have a Louis in my files not even as a middle name.  Catherine's father was Peter. 

Again, my thanks to Uncle David for taking the time to jot down his memories...especially those describing the people that were important to him.  And thanks to cousin Gwyn for thinking of me when sending a packet of information, of which this story was one of them...a written story I had never seen before.