A Blast from the Past

Sometimes old news can be new.

Recently, Judi posted a pictures of the six Northen siblings at the reception after Mom’s funeral. Whenever I look at Dave in that picture, it reminds me of one of the very few of my Grandpa Wilkins that I have of him at a younger age.  In that picture he is standing with his oldest daughter, my Aunt Lucille, who is a young adult and his mother.  This means the picture must have been from  about  1940.  I cropped the two pictures and pasted them together and put them out on Facebook with the following comment:   “Judi and Ed, I've always thought this picture of Dave in the photo Judi posted the other day looked a lot like a younger picture of Grandpa Wilkins, but see what you think.”

Ed's and Judi’s comments were as follows:

Ed Northen    I have never looked at the two photos together but yes they do resemble one another.

Judi Frensley   I think they do too! I think he has the same body frame too. It's hard for me to remember Grandpa Wilkins not in a wheel chair.

Though I was glad that I saw these comments that support my perception, what really interested me was the conversation that came next.

Cloice Janson Dave looks just like your Dad....good old Jim he was always so good to me... Even when I recked his car, in to a gas Pump at Dave's Mobile station....anyone remember THAT????

 Judi Frensley Well of course we remember that. I was in the car with you. This story has been told many times in this family.

Cloice Janson Yeah, that was embarrassing, the day after I got my license .... We didn't even get in trouble... WELL guess I did by David but your mom and Dad were so good about it.
Yep I thought my driving career was very short and over. Thank God your dad saved me… Many many memories with you guys.

For the younger generation of Northen’s who may not know,  Cloice was Dave’s first wife and one of Judi’s best friends as a teenager.  This exchange struck me on a number of levels.  First of all, I was out of the family loop by that time and had never heard the story. Second,  I thought it was hysterical.  I was laughing out loud at Judi’s comment about being in the car.

More than anything, however, what it does is reinforce my own warm images of Dad and Mom. I know that people outside of the family who hear about our upbringing simply don’t get why we all have such loyalty to Dad, but this is exactly why.  Dad and Mom would do anything to try to help out their children’s friends and Cloice was by no means the only one.  A number of them ended up living at our house – even becoming part of the family.  Mom also said that what was most important to her was that her kids group up to be good people, and when it came to how they treated others, they led by example.

What I love about Cloice’s comment is that her image of Dad is fresh from a time warp.  She and Dave separated early in their lives, so her image of Dad is that of the person he was many years ago and it is the core image of Dad that I still carry with me.  What Cloice said here, only as a kind of passing joke, to me is a real tribute to them.  If people think as well of us when we’re gone, then I think we will be satisfied – at least I know I will.