Dad was born in England and came to the United States just a couple years later with his parents: Charles Smith and Eliza Bunn Smith. It was a short stay as Eliza did not like the "Colonies" and went back to England, taking Dad with her. A short time after that, she gave Dad
to his Paternal Grand Mother Ellen Frost Horton Smith to raise. I have since learned this was a way to get an annulment from a marriage in England. Anyway, Dad was with Ellen Smith until she brought him to to stay with his father who had remarried. He married a widow by the
name of Carrena Maybell Bowman McIntyre. She had no children, and was not a very good Step-Mother. Dad had, or at least what I assumed to be a great relationship with his Maternal Grand Parents: John Bunn and Maria Chatting Bunn. Ellen took him to visit them before he left to come to the USA. She however would not go into the house with him, but sat in her buggy until he had his time in the house. It wasn't until 2005 I found out that the Bunn family was quite large and Dad had an Aunt that was born the same year that he was. No wonder he enjoyed his visits. Being raised with adults all the time, the change with so many children must have been a delight for one so young.
When Dad came to live in the USA, that was in the State of Ohio. His Dad worked in the potteries in East Liverpool or Wellsville. Dad went to work at an early age and had little chance for education. He had a great mind, and was an avid reader. This is how he learned all he knew - self educated. He was a natural born machanic and earned his living and gleaned all the training he could at an early age. He went on to become a Class A Machanic and eventually a skilled Model
Maker in the Airplane and Rocket industries. He was what you would call a 100 pound weakling. When the First World War started, he signed up for the Draft, but also tried a number of times to enlist in the Navy. He was too light weight. The last time he went, he ate three pounds of bananas to get his weight up, but still fell short the required limit. He wasn't "four F" he was just "skinny". I never knew my Dad to weigh much. He was a lean machine. When he had all that trouble getting into the service he got the "Charles Atlas" course, and beefed up his muscles, but he still was not overly heavy. He had a nice build, and kept up his exercise program, or I supposed he did, as he looked great even in his 50's. I don't ever remember my Dad spanking any of us. He was quick to lift us of the ground with the inside of his foot however. We got the
message. It didn't hurt, but it sure got our attention. He would not tolerate any sass or back talk to Mom. That was an absolute No No at our house. I never questioned that my parents loved each other. They were not kissey, huggey or anything like that. It was just that when
Dad came home everynight, Mom was always at the stove working on dinner. Dad would slap her on the fanny and greet her then go to the kitchen sink and wash his hands. I don't know why he didn't use the bath room sink, I guess it was just habit. They didn't have bathrooms
when he was growing up. Dad had a special way of washing his hands. I don't think I could ever
explain it, you had to see it. The three of us kids would hang on the drain board and watch him. It was quite a show to us kids. I never quite grasp how he did it, but I sure loved to watch him systematically scrub his hand in that very maticulous way. Dad had lovely hands for a man. They were fairly large, and very square. He had very distinct finger nails that had lovely moons. Ron has the nearest I can think of in the family. My son Pauls hands are quite a bit like Dads, without the Moons on the nails.
Dad was an avid gardener. I guess that was something that he did when he was a kid growing up. I don't think that there was much money in the family when Dad was young. I know he told of his Step-mother taking money from him to buy things for her neices and nephews. She was
not a very loving women. She lived until I was 9 years old, and not at all like any Grand Mother that I would have wanted. She was always telling me things would kill me. Like one Sunday I remember begging for a piece of raw potato when Mom was peeling them for dinner. We had
always done that at home. Carrie told me it would kill me if I ate raw potato. I never asked for anything when she was around after that. My Dad was the most generous man. He would give Mom half of any over time pay he got. It was hers to do with as she wished. Mom always had money. She was as tight fisted as anyone I have ever known. Dad was good to Moms Mother. I didn't learn until after Dads death in 1955 that Grand Ma Hall never liked Dad. I don't know why she wouldn't as he was the best guy. He did for her all her life, and was very respectful. I guess she may have felt he wasn't good enough for Mom. After all she was the Baby of the Hall family. What ever, it has all worked itself out by now I am sure. I know she didn't have much use for foreigners. That may have been it too, Dad being English ? I believe I had one of the finest Dads in the world. He was fair, he was funny, he was smart and he was loving. He always told us that we were raised with all the information we needed to be successful, what we did with it was up to us, but he would never bail us out of jail. If we were dumb enough to get into trouble we had better be smart enough to get out of it. I have always cherished his counsel. I lost my best friend the day he was killed in an automobile accident. It was late at night when the accident happened - the next day as I dealt with my deep sorrow over his loss, a thought came to me - "but the sun came up didn't it?" That it did, and it has done so everyday since. Life goes on, and we do too. I am greatful that the outpouring of love and sympathy shown when he passed was so outstanding. It was a testimony to me that a lot of other people thought My Dad was as Special as I knew him to be.
written this 10th day of January 2009
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