Family Secrets

There seemed to be alot of secrets in the Balk family.  The biggest secret on the Phillips side.  I had an aunt who after attending school at Alva Normal School and obtaining her teacher`s certificate was back at home at about age 23 teaching in a one room school.  Mother was only 3 so couldn`t remember but an older brother, age 11 who was probably in her class, related she came home sick from school one day and went upstairs.  Grandma Phillips went up to check on her and came running down the stairs yelling "Lillie had a baby!"  No one suspected!  She married the father 9 days later and had 4 more children.  The last was a mentally retarded girl.  The first child , a girl named Irene, died at about age 8 after eating an apple treated with insecticide.  Her funeral was the top of the line including several limos with all family members assigned to a certain numbered limo.  My cousins told me recently that little girl was never quite right but Mother never told me that but then she maybe didn`t realize it being only about 11 at her death.  She did say the family always doted on her.  I think the whole family lived with Mother`s family out on the farm for a number of years.  I know Irene`s crib was still out at the farm when Jeff and Lori had children because I think she used it for some of  them.  I seemed to remember a written tale of Lillie and family and her 2 or 3 children moved to Freedom at a later time.

We`ll blame the wild side on the husband`s side of the family.  His great neice, a girl about my age, repeated the act by concealing her pregnancy until the 9th month.  I remember her cheerleading skirt was huge for a formerly thin girl.  She went to the City to marry the boy and had the baby before the 3 day waiting period on the marriage license was up.

A couple of thoughts-was it a shotgun wedding?  I can`t imagine Grandpa Phillips doing that.  He was a very kind man.  Also this happened in September did she lose her job?  Who knows! 

My Balk Aunts

Daddy had 5 sisters Mary Evelyn Stokes, Margaret Ann Rogers, Loretta Agnes Weber, Dorothy Louise Maggert, and Ramonda Rose Laughlin.  He always said he had 5 bosses that tried to help rear him.

Evelyn married a man names Otis Caughts(not sure of the spelling Daddy pronounced it Cox) who served in WWI at age 14.  He seemed to be in some sort of illegal dealings.  Mysteriously worked at night and came home with blisters from walking-all over his feet.  He served time in Leavenworth but not sure if it were in the Federal Prison or the Military Prison.  When he came home he changed his name to Homer Stokes and seemed to straighten up.  I believe at the time they were married with a son so they would have had to change their names also.  Evelyn and son Delbert lived with Grandma Balk during his incarceration.  She retired from Tinker Air Force Base.

Margaret was the kindest aunt.  She had kids close to our age so I spent time in her home in Enid.  She was patient with husband Frank that seemed to suffer from a very mild form of post traumatic stress syndrome from WWII.  They owned and operated a service station.  She celebrated her 95th birthday February 28,2008.  They reared 2 great kids.  She tirelessly help care for Grandma Balk in her last years so she wouldn`t have to go to a nursing home.  She is a bit stubborn-will not sell her house in Enid but divides her time in Oklahoma City with daughter and Forney, Texas where son lives.  Mother tried to get her to move into assisted living with her.  Her reply it`s great for Juanita but not me.

Loretta lived near Sharon in her adult life.  She was engaged in her early adulthood.  Her engagement was broken and my 1st Communion veil was made from her 1st veil.  She moved to Woodward to be housekeeper for the priests.  They fixed her up with a bachelor parishoner, Herman Weber, several years her senior.  Daddy gave her away because Grandpa was not living.  She felt she wouldn`t have many children starting at age 30 but she had 8.  Many achieved college graduation with Medical Dr, Nursing, CPA degrees to their credit.  I was always amazed at the amount of food she had to prepare for a meal.  Herman did all the grocery shopping and bought cases of things.  They lived on a pig farm near Sharon and built onto the original smallish house with a bedroom large enough for 6 beds, 6 dressers, and 6 closets to accommodate 6 daughters.  Herman at one time cut his arm off above the elbow in a farm accident.  Loretta didn`t drive because of narcolepsy(caused from a childhood accident) so she had to get someone to drive him to the hospital.  This was probably in the early 1960`s.  They were able to reattach the arm with little or no loss of use.  I remember the family as a whole being quiet,reserved.  Politics and the glories of the Mooreland Hospital were the only things she was vocal about.  She was Republican, Daddy Democrat.  She used the Mooreland Hospital and the folks did not.

Dorothy, dear Dorothy, she was a bit younger than Daddy, worked for a bank, was engaged for 16 years to Ray Maggert. Ray was the other family member Mother didn`t like.  They finally married when Grandma couldn`t cook and do laundry for him.  She didn`t drive either because of a fender bender when she was learning to drive.  Her brothers made fun of her and she never got behind the wheel again.  They never had children, raised dogs instead.  He died a few years ago and she lives in an Enid Nursing Home.  She is the one who told me Great Grandpa Peter Balk was deported during WWI.

Ramonda was and still is a pretty lady with dark eyes and hair.  She married a man named WENDELL DAVIS young and moved to Florida.  She came home on a bus with a 6 week old son named Richard.  They lived with Grandma and she went to work.  A bit later she married Jack Laughlin who adopted Richard.  They never told him he was adopted and when he found out as a young adult he took off and they didn`t always know where he was.  I guess he has sporadic contact with them now.  She had 2 more sons.  She worked as a manager for Braums for years.  The funniest thing that happened in recent years was while she was caring for Jack in Enid during his final illness something snapped, she left and the Highway Patrol found her in a ditch up near Kansas City out of gas and somewhat dazed.  She continues to live in Enid after Jack`s death.

This is nearly the end of my stories.  I have one to relate that is probably the most amazing tale.  Mother never knew the truth on it.  I found out from a cousin only recently.  That one is to come next time.