1964 Furlough Through Grandma's Eyes

Grandma Hirschy enjoying the new grandbaby

The old parsonage with the added apartment never sat empty. Grandma Hirschy, recently widowed (8.25.63), was never alone. Her youngest son, Phil and family, lived nearby and always looked in on her. The three missionary children still serving in foreign countries were in and out whenever their furloughs brought them stateside.

    The deRossets, Ed and Joyce (oldest Hirschy daughter) and their four children, had served in Peru some twenty years. Early in 1964, the time had come to return to South America. However, only Freddie (12) went back to Peru with them. Karin and Ed were in college, and Rosie lived with Grandma throughout the remainder of her high school years.

    My parents and my four brothers made the Evans City Hirschy homestead their home base during the first half of 1964. Lynn (16) and Aldo (14) enrolled in the local high school and became involved in church youth activities.
 

    Dad and Mother began traveling and speaking in churches very early in the year. Whenever possible other family members went with them. Most often the older boys stayed back with Grandma and Rosie, so as not to miss school. Grandma commented,in her January 17 letter, "It is interesting for Rosie and me to have the boys here . . . They get their own breakfast."
  

    Occasionally Grandma kept the younger ones, Ivan (6) and baby Alan, over the weekend while Dad and Mother traveled to yet another church.

    The Hirschy sisters, Kathryn and Joyce and their families, Hoyts and deRossets, crossed paths briefly in Evans City. Furlough schedules did not often coincide.

    Mid January, my parents and Ivan drove me to Winona Lake, IN, to begin life at  Grace College. Only two days later, Ed, Joyce, and Freddie began the treacherous 800 mile winter travel southward with stops in Berea, KY, to see Eddie and Dayton, TN to see Karin at Bryan. The snow delayed them considerably, but they finally made it to Florida for their flight to Peru.

    Meanwhile, life back at the Hirschy homestead had its interesting moments. Grandma's faithful family letters record the following glimpses.

1.22.64    Dad bought a Chevy for their travels and drove with his foreign license for a while. Mother needed a winter coat. While shopping in Butler, the county seat, they purchased materials for house repairs. It hadn't taken Dad very long to notice the areas that needed improvement. On this occasion it was stair covering. "Sam has it about all done now," wrote Grandma only two days later.

    In a handwritten letter one Sunday afternoon (no date), she wrote: 

It is just 3 o'clock and Rosie is busy studying, sitting on the bed Chinese fashion. I hear Lynn playing the baritone horn over in the living room, Aldo, well he is always busy at something or other. We had dinner--chicken and pumpkin pie, etc. Everybody pitches in and dishes are done in a hurry. Last night for supper Lynn made a big pan of pizza - it was not the store kind, much better I think, only he put a lot of cream cheese in it and it started to go over the top into the oven. 

 1.30.64    I was just in the basement to take down dry clothes. Kathryn hung up wet wash. Ivan discovered a box with Rosie's doll furniture and now he has something to do. He hardly knows what to do sometimes. Alan is in his playpen. He is a darling.

 2.06.64     It was raining hard when Rosie left for Regional Band doings . . .

It is Thursday evening, already 8:30. Kathryn and the boys were sanding my steps risers and Kathryn has been putting varnish on a couple of the steps and especially the risers. I may get some of the same stair covering they put on the stairs over there. We had supper together up in their place. I already miss Rosie.

2.13.64    Sam, Kathryn, Ivan and the baby left a little after 4 this afternoon. Sam got home yesterday afternoon from Winona Lake, where he had been to a Board meeting. Rita seems to like it there and has a job to type Spanish for a man there, besides having a full schedule.

2.20.64    I am out shoveling snow for my constitutional where Lynn did not have time before school I'm glad I did shovel out enough for a car to get in, because after we were home from prayer meeting about 10, Solons got home from Roanoke, VA.

Sunday we had Phil's family here once again for dinner. Phil furnished the dessert. Saturday evening he was here and saw Aldo working on an old train, so he brought his electric train in for him to work on. Aldo loves to work on gadgets.

Sam and Kathryn went to Butler and I kept Alan. Sam passed his driver's license, only had to answer a few questions. They took Ivan to the Dr, says he has tonsilitis. 

2.27.64    Ivan is here in my room fixing things. Rosie broke her little mirror and he is putting it together with glue. He is quite a fixer.

Kathryn got her driver's license. Lynn has a permit. 

3.20.64    Rosie has a part in the all school play, playing the part of an old woman.

We expect Karin and Rita sometime tonight. 

P.S.: Rita got home O.K. by 9:15. Kathryn and the boys went and got her at the Perry Interchange where she came with someone else.

Sat. morning  - Karin got home this morning at 7 o'clock.

     During their week-long spring break, the girls enjoyed shopping, sleepovers, meals together, fun cousin-times that included Dawn (Phil's oldest).  

4.01.64    It was nice to have them both home even if it was too short a time. 

Karin was sure busy while home. She made a two-piece dress for Rosie and almost finished two dresses for herself.

    Grandma wrote about mother-daughter times as well: 

    Kathryn was over doing some hand sewing. 

    Kathryn and I went over to Zelienople to send the accordion by Greyhound to Miami and on to Peru.

    Kathryn and I were digging in the garden and I feel like my face is sunburned.

    There were shopping trips and errands. Lynn also drove Grandma to meetings in another town, and on other occasions. Mother didn't feel so easy about his driving, but Grandma seemed to think he did all right.

    I certainly felt proud of my brothers as I read of the different ways they fit in and helped.

5.03.64    Lynn cut the grass for the first time this  week. Just now he had to fix the typewriter the K, and now it went bad again.

The boys are playing table tennis, they have it out in the driveway. The framework of the one you made, Daniel [second son, missionary in Africa], got all broken and so the boys made new legs, and reinforced the framework.

5.15.64    Aldo mowed the lawn today and fixed the little electric heater that is a fan combined. He is always fixing something.

    The same could be said of Dad, whenever he was home he found work to be done: put up new spouting; tear down the engine of the V-8. And Mother also "scraped and painted the square piece by the living room window. . . " 

    Throughout her many letters Grandma recorded Dad's travels to visit supporting churches, complete with destinations, length of each stay, times of departure, and names of traveling companions. 

    The Hirschy homestead in Evans City, Pennsylvania, proved to be the perfect setting for my family's comings and goings. The main house plus the appartment, added on years before for grandpa and grandma, provided adquate housing. It was a safe place for my brothers when Dad and Mother had to be away. 

    When the college grandchildren came home for the summer or during breaks, Grandma had a full house, however the fun and felowship of the cousin reunions were well worth the work and chaos. Uncle Ed and Aunt Joyce, anticipating potential crowded conditions, had purchased a trailer so their children could have a place to call home. 

    Grandma was very seldom alone, however she did experience loneliness. She shared a few glimpses into her ongoing grief journey. 

5.03.64    Lynn and I have just been looking at some of Grandpa's sermon outlines. 

5.07.64    Dug out a pail of dandelions. Never saw so many as this year. Saturday a week ago we had our first batch for supper and Rosie had been out in the trailer, so at supper she said how lonesome it made her out there to see her Daddy's cap, and I told her I was in the same place, I could hardly keep the tears back as I fixed the dandelions for thinking how Daddy used to like them.

1.12.65    This has been rather an upsetting day as far as emotions are concerned. First off I tackled to sort Grandpa's clothes which I have ben putting off so long. I expected the Salvation Army to come and I was getting some boxes ready. As if that was not enough, the telephone rang and when I answered, the voice at the other end said, "Is Mr. Hirschy there?" I was stunned for a few seconds, then I asked who was calling and it was the telephone service. When I told him the truth, he was very apologetic.  

    Grandma lived twenty more long years, a life of service and blessing to others. In one of our last conversations, she shared the scripture that had sustained her.

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).