Hon Family photos from the 1960s

Here's an assortment of family photos from the 1960s. The biggest event in our immediate family was my parents' marriage. Rosalia Jane Hon wed widower George F. Matyn on May 18, 1963. I (Marian) was born a year later and Alice three years later. In 1967 they bought a home at 604 Michigan Avenue in Grayling so Dad could fish in Lake Margarethe, a lake he had visited and fished often throughout his life due to maternal relatives living and working in the area. He loved to fish! We moved there permanently in the summer of 1969, from East Detroit, right before I began kindergarten. They lived there and were a huge part of the community and St. Mary's Catholic Church until they passed to their eternal rewards, Mom on March 7, 2016 and Dad on Feb. 28, 2017. Al died at age 28 from diabetes complications. We were blessed with more good times than bad and lots of wonderful friends. The positive is the part I chose to focus on. They both had many photos and lots of history from both sides of the family. They were proud of their heritage, family, friends, and what they worked hard to get together, and freely helped others. What a great legacy!

George and Rosalia Matyn, May 18, 1963

Mom and Grandma Hon

The Paul Hons, Dec. 1963: in back Jim, David, Ron, middle: MaryPat, Tom, Barb,

in front: Ann Marie, Aunty Evie, Susie, Uncle Paul

June 1963 in Fostoria, Ohio, visiting with the Ed Hons: Grandma Hon, Dad, Mom, Steven, Aunty Altamae, Greg,  Uncle Ed

Aug. 1966- I'm not sure where: back row: Uncle Carl, Aunty Phyllis holding Eddie, Dad Uncle Ed,  Tom, Jim, in front Susie in front of AnnMarie, and Barb, unusually there are no names on this photo

Uncle Cliff, Tom Hipp, Aunty Frances holding me, Dad holding Al must be in Grayling because of the pines

Easter March 1967, in East Detroit, Mom, Al who has received Sassafrass "Sassy" her lifelong beloved stuffed rabbit, me (aren't we cuties?) We probably are just in from Easter Mass.

This is also spring 1967 but in Grayling on the west front side of 604. Dad is holding Al and wearing a tie carrying newspaper and his Mass missal, so we have just left church and picked up the paper while on our way home. Mom carried this photo, with many others, always in her wallet. Something clearly has my attention, I wonder what? Maybe Grandma Hon. Check out those socks. Sadly, I've never been a fashionista.

Aug. 1968 in Grayling in front of the garage and where the storage shed is now:

Aunty Irene, me, Ann Hon, Aunty Frances, Uncle Carl and Mom standing, sitting are Dad with Al, Grandma Hon

And suddenly the world went from black and white to color! Wow!!!

Feb. 1968, Al is 2 and I am 4, in our jammies in the East Detroit kitchen. I do not remember it at all.

You know we are in Detroit because of the Vernors bottle.

I want to blog once more on the Hons from the 1970s of major events, mostly weddings and gatherings. Then I will take a break for a bit, sort boxes of photos, and switch to the Matyns. I hope you've enjoyed this family photo tour.

1950s family photos, Aunty Phyllis, Hipps, Uncle Ed and family, Sr. Gregory

Here are some 1950s Hon family photographs. We see Aunty Phyllis in most of them because she graduated and joined the convent in the 1950s, so it was her time to be the center of attention. Grandpa Carl F. Hon died in 1950. Again these photographs were loose in Mom's photograph album or in the back or in her wallet. I've put them in chronological order.

Mom, Aunty Frances, Aunty Phyllis, Grandma Hon and friend Violet Bennett, June 1952- Aunty Phyllis graduated from high school in St. Clair Shores, MI. How sharp and pretty the ladies look. Gloves, hat, heels, flowers. Very elegant.

Aunty Phyllis and Grandma, same day

friends Earl and Mary McMullen, Aunty Phyllis, Mom, Grandma, Uncle Carl, Jan. 1953. What would the occasion have been? A holy day of obligation or did someone get married?

Aunty Phyllis entered the Adrian Dominican convent in Adrian, MI, on June 27, 1953 and took final vows on Dec. 30, 1958 as Sr. Rosalia Marie.   Here in July 1953 visiting at the convent are Uncle Ed, his son Greg, Aunty Phyllis (dressed as a postulant), Uncle Carl, Grandma Hon, and Aunty Altamae wearing gloves

Same place, same day, Mom, Aunty Phyllis, Grandma Hon behind, Aunty Altaemae and Greg Hon

Same day, same place Grandma Hon, Aunty Phyllis looking very happy and very young, and another unidentified postulant

"About 1954 Park St.", a grainy photo of Michael Hipp, Uncle Cliff, Mom, Donnie in front, baby Wayne's head behind, Aunty Frances Hipp, Uncle Carl in Grand Rapids

Grandma Hon, Aunty Phyllis in white habit, Mom, at the Adrian Dominican Mother House, Jan. 31, 1953 [I think the date is wrong and it is later, 1954]. Grandma in a rabbit fur jacket.  I remember Mom wearing the coat she has on: it was blue wool with white/black fluff, I'm not sure if it was really fur. Aunty has now advanced to the white habit.

Uncle Carl and Aunty Phyllis in full black and white habit, Jan. 1955. From the couch I'm guessing this is the apartment Uncle Carl, Mom and Grandma Hon shared. This is the long, antique, pink couch I grew up with. I remember similar madagascars on it.

Grandma Hon and Aunty Phyllis in the same apartment by the same couch, Jan. 1955

portrait, 1955

Sr. Gregory [Gertrude] Mannheim looking very tiny, she must have been under 5' tall, and her older sister Grandma Hon, who is a head taller, Aug. 1958
I do not know where they are.  Maybe it's the apartment building Grandma, Uncle Carl, and Mom lived in in St. Clair Shores.

Sr. Gregory, Aunty Phyllis, and Sr. Gregory's companion in the shade in summer. I think of how hot they must have been and how many rashes they must have had on their necks. Bless them. I'm sure they, in the words of my Mom, "Offered it [their suffering] up to Jesus." I heard that phrase often growing it up. Probably the same day in Aug. 1958

Sr. Gregory and Mom, probably the same day, Aug. 1958

To learn more about Sr. Gregory or Aunty Phyllis see my prior posts about them.

More 1940s Hon family photographs

Here is an assortment of family photographs from the 1940s in the back of the album and Mom's wallet. I've put them in chronological order.

Mom and Aunt Evie, spring 1942

same day same family car, Mom and Uncle Paul, 3rd St. Duluth, Spring 1942

Uncle Paul, Oct. 5, 1942, his wedding day. Mom has a note about him being the better half, according to Aunty Evie.

Aunt Evie and Uncle Paul in uniform, "taken in Florida, 1943"

Mom being goofy in a store photo booth photo, 1945. She looks so happy, healthy, and pretty.

Very hard to see in this poor quality photograph, but it is a friend and Uncle Carl (on the right), in uniform, in Korea, 1946

James Francis Hon, 1947

Uncle Paul's family in 1947, Ron, baby James,  and Aunty Evie

A Hon family lineup without Uncle Ed in it. Maybe he took the photo. From the left:

Uncle Paul, Uncle Carl, Mom, Aunty Phyllis, Aunty Frances (behind Grarndpa's shoulder), Grandpa and Grandma Hon. Mom listed their ages, her's was 24, so that dates the photograph to 1948.

"'We Three Dolls' Mother and I sharing a pair of gloves, April 1949"=Grandma Hon, Aunty Phyllis and Mom all dressed up very smartly, probably for Easter Sunday.

Aunty Phyllis, 1949. The dress is described on the back of the photograph as "a formal worn to two recent school concerts, white organdy and green check gingham." That would have been pretty with her red hair and porcelain redhead complexion. I wonder if she sewed it herself. She was quite the seamstress. Whenever she came to visit us, she and Mom would adjust patterns and sew together.

This is the last photo from Uncle Cliff, Mom and Aunty Frances' 1948 trip to Chicago. Sorry I missed including it with the last blog entry. Mom noted "Waiting in the sun for the bus back to the loop. Quite a ride about 25 minutes. So tired we're silly." You can see them joking around and Aunty Frances is laughing. You can just hear her cracking up. I love it!

1948 really hot trip to Chicago: Mom, Aunty Frances and Uncle Cliff

In 1948 Mom, Aunty Frances and Uncle Cliff visited the Railroad Exposition in  Chicago and the Chicago Zoo. It was in the 90s every day they were there. I'm not sure how many days they were there but at least two. I do not know why they went there at that time. Perhaps there was a trip Uncle Cliff won through work or there was some special discount train ride. Grandma and Grandpa Hon probably babysat the Hipp boys during this trip so Aunty Frances and Uncle Cliff could go. Here are some images. Just remember it is in the 90s and the ladies are wearing dresses not shorts because they are out in public on a festive holiday. I wonder what colors aunty's dress was, where they stayed and if they brought home little souvenirs for the Hipp boys.

Uncle Cliff and Aunty Fran with a cool drink right before leaving the zoo.

Fran and Cliff by a corral where they saw some roping and other cowboy activities

Cliff and Fran waiting to catch a bus

Mom and Cliff "resting our tired feet on park steps facing Lake Mich., Chicago, 1948"

Fran and Cliff by Buckingham Fountain on Lake MI

Better view of the same "wonderful fountain", Chicago in background

Cliff and Mom by the same Chicago Lakeshore fountain [Buckingham Fountain]

Cliff and Fran under umbrella by shore. Mom notes at length, "First toured the park then a bus ride here. Watched the Tommy Bartlett show in the morning. Great Northern [Railroad] gave us buttons with number. You tried to find someone wearing the same number. Fran and Cliff came within one number. No luck for me." What happened if you matched? Did you win something?

Who was Tommy Bartlett? He was a showman who developed water ski shows where there are lots of women in pyramid formation standing on the shoulders of men on water skiis doing tricks I matching swimsuits. According to their website he began  taking the show out of Chicago in 1952,  but he must have had a troupe performing in Chicago in 1948. Bartlett is now dead but the show lives on. 

Fran and Mom "resting temp in the 90s every day we were there, Chicago, Aug. '48"

"Just spied this bench - oh our dogs were tired and it was so hot 98 degrees should have brought a lunch basket, Chicago"

Mom and Fran "resting under the most welcome beach umbrella, Chicago '48" Pier and bay in background.

"At the Railroad Exposition in Chicago. Aug. '48. Indian Home and Indians (see arrow)

"No elephant in sight oh so hot! Chicago, Aug. '48"

"No monkeys in sight. Such a sight they were tho! Chicago Zoo '48