Gladys Catherine Casper
I was born in the province of Saskatchewan Canada on March 7, 1818 on The Casper Farm. The first memory I recall is traveling in our horse and buggy as we bounced over the rough road, visiting our friends and neighbors on Sundays. We hitched up our horse and off we went, Mom and Dad in the front, my brother, my two sisters and me in the back. It was a great adventure and great fun. At the end of the day, we headed home, up the long, beautiful road with maple trees creating an arch to our simple farmhouse. The farm was beautiful and Dutch, our faithful collie greeted us with a happy wag.
We left Canada when I was seven. Dad lost the farm due to a dry spell, which ruined all the crops. Dad’s sisters lived in Detroit, MI and convinced him to load us on the train and head to their house. And so we did. At the border, we were stopped for identification and Mom did not have a birth certificate. We weren’t sure they were going to let us in but eventually they did. After that she never felt confident leaving the states as she worried she might not get back in.
We lived with Aunt Mabel in Detroit for a few months until Dad got work painting and interior decorating. Then he built us a small garage house. A few years later, he saved enough money to build us a nice brick home where we lived until the depression. Then, once again, Dad lost the house. Sometimes I wondered how he could keep going without losing his faith, but somehow he did. From then on, we rented houses.
Mom was a great cook and took care of the house and the kids while Dad worked. They had some good friends named the Savages. When they visited us we had great fun playing and arguing over which of us got to sleep on the floor.
Dad died suddenly when he was 69 from a cerebral hemorrhage. My brother Bill, Aunt Helen and I bought a house together to provide for my Mom. Somehow, we all pulled together and managed to enjoy our lives until once again death knocked on our door. My brother Bill was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease and died a few months later at the young age of 29.
I worked at Twin Pines which later became Sealtest Creamery. I enjoyed the fun and camaraderie of the work place. It was there I met my future and only husband, Harold. I married him 38 years later when I was 51 years old. My first marriage! Needless to say, we never had any kids but we had fun! The best times of my life were with Harold. He sang Barber Shop Quartet and traveled around the world competing. When he sang my heart soared.
Today I am 84 years old and live alone in Northville, Michigan. My husband passed away 7 years after we married. I have a sister I am close to, two nieces, who are like my own daughters, and their children to fill my life. Sometimes I wonder how much longer I will be around, but then I remember that none of my life was written by me, and neither will the ending.
Published U.S. Legacies January 2003
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