Hello! My name is Ruth; my initials are R.C., so folks call me ARCY! Now if you'd like to pull up a chair, and have a cup of tea, I'll tell you about myself.

It was apple blossom time in Winchester, V A. when I married the love of my life in front of a gladioli laden altar. We started our married life in Louisville, KY and oh! the happiness we found there!! I felt like I had found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow as we sat on a park bench looking at the beautiful rainbow. (that is a memory of him I carry today, whenever I see a rainbow and he was feeding the squirrels--oh Lawdy, I loved that man) Little did I know that the war clouds hovering over Europe would take my pot of gold away! My young husband enlisted in the Air Force after the day of infamy, Dec. 7,1941. We were only married 9 months. When he became an aviation cadet, I joined him in Santa Ana, CA. and travelled with him until he went overseas as the first pilot of a B-17. He picked up his crew in Tampa, FL. On, July 19,1944, his plane was shot down by Goering's Blue Noses and he was listed MIA. I received the telegram on my 24th birthday. On my 25th birthday, I received a letter stating that my young 27 yr. old husband was listed Killed in action.

When Pearl Harbor was bombed and I knew my loved one was going to fight for his country, I learned to cherish every memory of the good times we had to together, to treasure every smile and kiss. Some of the places I had to live in were very sparse, to put it mildly, but it was heaven on earth because we were together. So I learned then the lesson that has sustained me through life. "To accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative."

My parents urged me to remarry and have a baby. Thankfully, I did and again thought I had a pot of gold! The joy of having two precious little boys, a year part, flooded my soul. I thought. at last. I had what my Grandma had. I went to the little church my father-in-law had helped build before his sudden death. It was there that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I found the joy and peace that my Grandma had. However, that didn't last and I wound up taking my sons to Florida to be near my parents, while I worked and supported my boys. During my 24 years in Fl. I lost my parents, 6 weeks apart and 5 years later, my 2O year old, first born. Refusal to talk about deaths of my loved ones became the norm for me. I keep them alive by talking about their lives but I don't talk about the sufferings of their deaths.

My youngest son, married and gave me a grandson who in turn married and gave me 4 great grandchildren. I feel truly blessed. My son wanted me to move to Minnesota to be near him and finally I did. But my grandson now lives in FL.!!

Above is my Minnesota Apartment where I live! It's Evergreen Apartments, site of the Senior Center and the Senior Dining Program. It also contains 61 apartments.

[ Entry Page ] [ Table Of Contents ] [ About Me ] [ Poem for Friends ] [ My Birthday Page ]
[ Grandma's House ] [ Make Do ] [ Organizations/Groups ] [ Gifts Page ] [ My Awards ] [ My Pot of Gold]
[ Awards I've Received ] Webrings ] [ Dedication to Wings of Peace ] [ Secret Sister Page ] [ Me & My Furby's! ]

A special thank you to Cheryl who made the candle about for my late husband. Also to Michelle, who made the memorials for my husband and son.