Sisters

The Life and Times of Betty & Margie Findahl

My Aunt Betty Marilyn Findahl is shown here at Commerce Lake, MI probably in the year 1925.

I have an earlier photograph of her with my Grandmother Martha which I used in "The Extended Family" section of this blog.  You can find it here:  http://tinyurl.com/4lg9fkf

There are, I believe, related photographs to the one above which can be found here:  http://tinyurl.com/3a8f3rr & http://tinyurl.com/2ekthb6

The first one is of Betty's parents Gordon & Martha and the second is Martha with members of the Wendler family.

mid 1920s - Betty at home. 

Mom thinks the person taking the photograph may be either Grandma's younger brother Walter or probably friend Cecil Little. The story is, however, that over the years there would either be a family member (including Grandpa's younger brother Virgil) or friend coming to Detroit from their home towns that would stay at the Findahl home until they got on their feet and had a place of their own to live. Ah, for the memory when Detroit was a 'boom-town'!


There is, I believe, a companion photo to this with family friend Cecil Little and Betty found here:  http://tinyurl.com/23urx4y

My mother Marjorie Lois Findahl was the second child born to the Findahl family in 1928. 

This photo caption my grandmother put on the photo reads: Marjorie's first ride. 

Mom is in between Grandma Martha and Aunt Betty

The Summer of 1930 - Mother Margie

Mom believes this is in Galesburg, IL at her Uncle Harry's home sitting in Cousin Kenny's wagon.

Summer 1930 - Betty and Margie at home in Detroit, MI

Autumn 1930 - Betty, Grandma Martha, Margie at home

Early 1930s - Margie & Betty

Spring 1931 - Betty, Martha & Margie

Early 1930s - Betty & Margie

Early 1930s - Margie & Betty

Summer 1932 - Betty, Grandma Jessie Thornberg Findahl, Margie outside the Findahl home, Galesburg, IL in the flower garden.

Mom recalls when visiting: "Grandma would be out there first thing in the morning and then come inside to start our breakfast."

Mid 1930s - Betty & Marge at home out front.

(ca. 1934) Margie, Dad Gordon holding his nephew Bobby, Betty, Grandparents Nels & Jessie Findahl.

Little Robert Findahl would never know his father Virgil who died June 27, 1933 at the very young age of 30. This is taken outside Uncle Virgil and Aunt Marcella's home on the East side of Detroit.

(There are a couple of precious photos we recently re-located of which Aunt Betty had copies made. On one in particular, she supplied some priceless information of birth and death dates of the family.  You can find that information at the beginning of this blog under the title "The Original Findahl Family".)

1935 - Margie, Cousin Eileen (Helen Findahl & Willard Windom's daughter) & Betty at the Grandparent's home, Galesburg, IL.

(The date was written very faintly in white(!) on the back of this photo.)

mid 1930's - Betty, Mother Martha & Margie

Mid 1930s - Betty & Margie

Late 1930s - Betty & Margie at Lake Storey near Galesburg, IL with Cousin Eileen (daughter of Helen & Willard Windom) and Cousin Kenny (son of Harry & Mabel Findahl).

I personally really enjoy this photo. As with most of the 'water shots' it looks almost 3D when blown up to fill my computer screen.

The Findahl Family at Grandma and Grandpa Findahl's, Galesburg, IL
Companion photos are found here:  http://tinyurl.com/382ej43 & http://tinyurl.com/2ebbn8g
Both photos were used in the Aunt Helen B. Windom section of this blog.

1937 - Margie & Betty. Memories are getting fuzzy but Mom thinks this is "Sparky", a dog the Findahls had for a while but had to eventually give up. 

"Sparky", however, turned out to be a well trained animal in the care of friends and Mom still got to take care of it when that family was out of town.

I like this photo for its mood. It's especially unusual of my Grandmother to be candidly captured on film. Yet she must have not been too displeased by it because she took the time to write on the back: Mama, Marjorie & Beverly at Little's - 1939 (There aren't that many photos with such detail noted by her.) 

Beverly was the middle child between older brother Dwight and little brother Billy at the home of Cecil & Ruth Little, friends of the Findahls.

Summer 1938 at Belle Isle - Shown are Phyllis & Joanne Nystrom with Margie & Betty. The Nystroms were friends of Grandpa's from Galesburg, IL visiting in Michigan.


Other photos from the Nystrom visit can be found here:  
http://tinyurl.com/34sf7mk, 
http://tinyurl.com/2asqmud, 
http://tinyurl.com/287v2ls, 
http://tinyurl.com/2vcpcc5, 
http://tinyurl.com/27neboc, 
http://tinyurl.com/28ej9ct

1938 - The Findahl Family: Martha, Marjorie, Gordon & Betty

1938 - Phyllis & Joanne Nystrom; Margie & Betty Findahl

1939 - Detroit, MI

Summer 1940 - Grandpa had two girls and no boys, so Mom would 'fill-in' as his little buddy sometimes going on fishing trips with him.

Mom is still proud to tell me she had no problem putting the worm on the hook by herself!

Late 1930s - Betty & Margie

Betty and Margie. I am not certain what inland lake they are at in this photograph.

December 1938

September 1938 - Sisters with their Grandparents visiting in Detroit.

Easter 1939

Summer 1940

At the Grandparents house in IL

Betty and Marge with neighbor friends, Shirley Ganness and Dorothy Neal.

Dorothy, who later married Robert Palmer, is shown here outside her new house that was built right next door to their old house in the neighborhood.

Betty & Marge (mid 1940s)

My Grandma Martha with Betty and Margie in Jackson, MI at a farm Grandpa liked to go hunting on owned by the Stoneburners.

(Grandpa knew Mr. Stoneburner because his sister-in-law Marcella married him after his brother Virgil's death.)

August 1944 - Dorothy Neal, Betty & Marge, Dorothy Bollman (who's daughter married Tom Watson the golfer) out front of the Findahl home in Detroit.

Betty & Margie

Great photo of my Aunt Betty! (Not certain of location, however.)

Mom with the Illinois corn.

Grandma looks up at Betty as she waves good-bye for now with Mom next to her in East Tawas, MI. 

July 1943 - Betty, Beulah Findahl (Dale Findahl's wife), Cousin Eileen, Marge

July 1943 - Betty, Bob Johnson (brother of my Uncle Paul) & Marge

July 1943 - Betty & Marge with their Cousin Donald Ash in the middle who was active in the Army during World War II.

Donald is the son of Clarence & Emma Ash. Emma is my Grandmother's sister. Donald is our source of the bulk of information we have on my Grandmother's side of the family, the Nichols-Kulick Family. This photo was taken at his family's home in Dearborn, MI

Easter - April 25th, 1943 - Paul Johnson (my Uncle) was stationed overseas during World War II in England shown here with my Grandma Martha, Mother Marge & Grandpa Gordon Findahl at the Findahl home in Detroit, MI

mid 1940s - Betty & Paul Johnson in front of his family's home in Galesburg, IL

Betty & Margie with Mom & Dad Findahl, Lake Huron, MI

Paul, Betty, Martha & Marge

Betty, Paul Johnson & Marge

I don't have an exact date for this but I think we can place it at about 1943 (or later). It is from most likely a Fort Wayne newspaper and it describes some of the work my Aunt Betty was involved in.

About Fort Wayne: A primary induction center for Michigan troops entering battle in every U.S. conflict from the Civil War to Viet Nam. Among other duties over the course of it’s 125 year use as an Army base, it served as an infantry training station, housed the Chaplin school for a few years, and was the primary procurement location for the vehicles and weapons manufactured in Detroit during both World Wars. Also during WW II the Fort housed prisoners of war from Italy.

My main objective is to say something about the early work life of both Sisters. I don't have maybe the best picture of my Aunt Betty to describe these years, but I do have a good descriptive article.

This is transcribed from the article:

Betty Findahl

When it comes to keeping a secret, Sherlock Holmes had nothing on Betty Findahl, secretary to Major George W. Shannon, Post Intelligence Officer. Through her hands probably pass more secret documents and information, than any other Fort Wayne employee's. Necessity demands that a person in such a capacity be most trustworthy. And Betty is just that.

A graduate of McKenzie and a former Wayne University student, Betty came to Fort Wayne in June 1942. All during that time she has worked with Major Shannon, and thinks that he is one grand person.

At McKenzie, Betty was particularly active and well liked, being elected as treasurer of her graduationg class. Her favorite hobbies are dancing, skating, swimming, bowling--not to mention letter-writing (to her eight cousins divided up between the Army, Navy and Marines, and to her special friend who is overseas).

A practitioner of what the Army preaches, Betty has a special lock on her lips when it comes to discussing her work. She's an A-1 helper for Uncle Sam but what she does is his and not the Axis' business. She loves her job, but when she leaves Ft. Wayne's century old gate nightly, this Miss Sherlock Holmes leaves her secrets behind her!

Late 1940s - My mother too was not immune from work related to World War II. Shown here with the ladies from her office at Ford Motor Company, Marge started her job initially for The War Termination effort taking on documents transferred to their location at the Highland Park Tractor Division from the Willow Run Plant in Ypsilanti, MI.

After completion of this project, Mom was transferred to the Accounts Payable Department.

Shown here at the Roma Cafe in Downtown Detroit is Mom with her co-workers having dinner. It's difficult to remember all of their names but some things still are clear.

From Left to Right: My mother Marge, (?), Helen Sullivan, not certain of this lady's first name but the biggest impression Mom has is that her brother was the singer Johnny Desmond (1919-1985), (?), don't remember her name but she was Secretary to one of the bosses, Rena Watson, Ann White

Apologies to all for not having names or more information, but Mom does remember most importantly that they were all a very nice group of ladies to work with.

From my Uncle Paul and Aunt Betty's wedding, February 2, 1946. Behind them are Paul's parents, Victor and Mabel, with Paul's sister Muriel in-between them, his brother Bob, Betty's sister Marge, and her parents Martha & Gordon Findahl.

Being so soon after World War II, Mom remembers it as not being so easy to prepare for a wedding. Supplies were still not plentiful.

Marge, Pastor Madsen, Betty & Paul and his brother Bob at Hope Lutheran Church in Detroit, MI

My Uncle Paul & Aunt Betty at their wedding, February 2nd, 1946

Feb. 2, 1946 - Uncle Paul & Aunt Betty

Jan. 7, 1950 - Mom, next on the way to the altar.

Early 1950s - The Sisters and their husbands

My Dad Robert, Mom Marge & Uncle Paul holding Cousin Joanne & Aunt Betty












Originally published January 12- March 10, 2010 on my Facebook account