Rose Imelda LUND

A favorite or eccentric relative: Jimmie Miller AKA Jimmie Alanzo K. Miller, Mayor of Hawthorne, CA My most famous relative: My father's sister, Aunt Sarah Edith Lund Miller because my mother died in 1923 I was 3-1/2 years old and my sister, Mary Evelyn was about 13 months old. My brother (Henry) LaRay was six. This dear aunt took all three of us and raised us as long as she could with an invalid husband. When I was nine years old, we went to live with our daddy. He was ever so good to us. However, a mother he was not! We struggled through the Great Depression pretty well. We all went to school regularly. My mother's sister, Rose McNamara, was always concerned over us, although she and her brother, James McNamara, worked and took care of their mother, who was a frail little Irish woman. We were always shown great love by our aunts. Aunt Rose always made sure we had a nice outfit for special days like Easter. We graduated from Adolph Leuzinger High School. LaRay attended between 1931 and 1934. I went to a winter class from January 1935 through February 199. Mary Evelym went from 1937 to 1940. By this time, I was making all of Mary's clothes as well as my own. Our family was so pleased with my father for getting three motherless kids through high school. Daddy was proud too- I'd say more surprised than proud. He later told me in the way of a compliment that he never had one ounce of trouble with any of us, meaning: none of us had ever gotten into trouble with the neighbors or authorities. Life in those days was much more simple-radio but no TV. We were always allowed to go to the movies most Saturday nights-ten cents admission plus five cents for candy. We were well aware of the 'Mob' gangsters from the movies. It was a little frightening when these big black cars came into our yard and stopped at Daddy's workshop. They were picking up bootleg whiskey and beer. The local police knew that half their town was bootlegging, and they woud make a half-hearted search for the 'stills' once in a while. Times were really hard then. I worked for a couple of ladies on our block cleaning house for twenty-five cents a day. Sometimes I'd get a tip! I'd use some of my money for shoes and yardage for a dress. My brother worked in downtown Los Angeles at the Broadway Department Store. By 1939, he made twenty dollars for a six-day -week. He rode the 'yellow car' (streetcar0 to town and back for seven cents each way. He wore a five-dollar black suit with white shirt (clean every day, which I washed and ironed), black shoes and socks. His tie and handkerchief always matched. He was blond with blue eyes. Really handsome. Our daddy was always a real classy dresser. His clothes were old, but they were clean and neat: polished shoes and great ties. We girls grew up to dress accordingly. I made us gabardine suits with contrasting sweaters. I made all our leisure clothes, also: matching shorts and blouses for the sumer, slacks for winter, etc. There were times when we were really young and people gave us clothes. Most of these were too large or not appropriate for little girls, but we did the best we could. My Aunt (Sarah) Edith had taught me well for by the time I was nine and went to live with my daddy, I was able to cook a few things. Then in the summer, we would spend our vacation with Auntie, and she taught me to refine my skill. Our cousin, Auntie's older son, Jimmie, always kept an eye on us. He was ever so good to both of us girls. In high school, LaRay had two great buddies, bill McKinley and Jack Masheeco. Bill married and had children and died before the other two ever marred. [Lorna's note: Not entirely true. I remember him as a kid. Several of his kids were our ages, and there were several younger ones. Bill died in a motorcycle accident. We stayed in touch with Bill's family and Jack and his family for many years after Dad (LaRay) died.] I married cliff Nelson in 1941. (He died in 1964.) Over the years, we had a son and daughter. I married again in 1964. LaRay married in 1942 and also had a son and daughter. Mary Evelyn married twice. The first, (1946-1947) ended in a divorce with no children. The second marriage to Osmon Ted Royal, resulted in three sons and one daughter. They divorced after thirty years.

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