LeMaster Aunts & Uncles

My paternal LeMaster aunts & uncles (dad's brothers and sisters) gathered together on New Year's Day and my mom shared the following photographs with me.  All taken at Ruth & Doug's in Sheridan, Indiana.

L-R Victor LeMaster, Paul LeMaster, Idola Coats, Juanita Steigerwalt, Ruth Davies, Ord LeMaster

Victor LeMaster

Ord & Gloria (Wright) LeMaster

Paul & Betty (Lanning) LeMaster

Don & Idola (LeMaster) Coats

Harold & Juanita (LeMaster) Steigerwalt

Engagement: LeMaster and Coats

Source: Earlham Post, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana, January 15, 1952, page 2

Picking up the lead baloons [sic] we move to the engagement department.  Wow, I haven't had so many engagements to write about since they announced that married men would be draft exempt.  (Don't get excited men, they made that announcement two years ago.  It doesn't work anymore.)  Having strewn orange petals around my typewriter, I shall proceed.  Harry Rudy became engaged to Mary Stevens shortly before our Christmas parole.  Others who have announced their engagements since are, Aimee Wildman and Langdon Kisbree, Ginny Whipple and Hugh Cronister (50% of Cronister and Mathews, We Can Do Anything Incorp." and they usually did), Eldon Kronewitter and Ruth Cox, Idola LeMaster and Pvt. Donald Coats, and George Adams and Mary Winslow.  May there be much happiness ahead for all of you, and may you all raise your children on Pogo comic books.

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I located this snippet from the Earlham College Post in their digital archives, mentioning the engagement of my aunt, Idola LeMaster and Pvt. Donald Coats.  Idola was a student at Earlham, Don was a Korean War veteran.  I'm happy to report that they are both still happily married.

Wordless Wednesday: Don Coats & Idola LeMaster

Don Coats & Idola LeMaster

Wordless Wednesday – a great way to share your old family photos! Create a post with the main focus being a photograph or image. Some posters also include attribute information as to the source of the image (date, location, owner, etc.). Wordless Wednesday is one of the longest running “memes” in the blogosphere and is an ongoing series at GeneaBloggers.

Christmas 1982 - Redux

Found these photos from Christmas 1982 taken at my Grandma LeMASTER's house in Portland, Indiana.  The photos were taken by my brother with a Polaroid camera (remember those?).

Grandma Ruth Pauline (Haley) LeMaster (1911-1990)

Great aunt Carrie (Haley) Thornburg (1905-2003) and dad Ord W. LeMaster

Uncle Paul W. LeMaster

Uncle Victor L. LeMaster

Cousin Nancy LeMaster

Cousin Donna Coats

On Christmas day, after opening presents at our house, we would pack up and make the drive to Portland to spend time with my grandma and all of the relatives there.  The house would be packed, and the food was great!

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday: December 1969

These photographs were in an album owned by my father, and they show members of the extended family in December 1969.  Someone must have had a G.I. Joe Christmas that year, and everyone seems to be getting into the act.

The photo above is of my cousin, Jim Coats, giving the 'victory' sign.  I believe that all of these photographs were taken at Grandma LeMaster's house in Portland, Indiana.  

My cousin, Donna Coats, Jim's sister, was into the act, although not as involved as the others.  This chair must have been the popular spot for photos that year.

 

Cousin Rick Steigerwalt looks decked out and ready for for war, with a smile on his face.  I wonder what is in the package beside him?

Rick's brother, Mark Steigerwalt, is ready to launch a grenade onto the unsuspecting Christmas revelers.

 

Not sure if uncle Vic LeMaster is surrendering or on a suicide mission, but Sgt. York he isn't.

Looking back 40 years at these photographs, I find it interesting the toys that must have been popular, at least in my family, at the time.  This was during the height of the Vietnam War, and I wonder today how many kids will have military items under their tree this year.