(Janet, Mom, Me and Linda)
I will just start at the beginning telling what I know, what I think I remember and go from there.
My dad, James Cylouis Layton, was born in Arkansas on December 13, 1914 (12-13-14). He was the oldest of six children. His mother died when he was a child, I am not sure what his age was. He father remarried and he also had step siblings. He told us that he had to quit school in the 6th grade to help take care of the family. I don't know what the circumstances were but I believe they were very poor. He was a handsome man with black curly hair. I think of him as a ladies man and a drinker. He was in WWII in the Army. I don't know how or where he meant my mother but I do know that they married late in their lives. The were married in 1948, he was in his mid 30's and mother was in her early 30's. That must have seemed unusual back in that time.
My mother, Delores Francis Keck, was born in Decatur, IL and was one of seven children. She was born in to a very Catholic family setting. My dad was also Catholic, but they came from the morning hard drinking Catholic side. My mom seemed have lots of friends and I have seen many pictures of her laughing and having a good time. I have been told she was a very artistic person, I don't know what her art was but I am sure she was described as creative. I hear that all the time about myself. I like being compared to her. I think I got my dad's ability to make friends and talk to anyone. I am the party planner in the family and so was he. Unfortunately, I also got his attraction to liquor for a period in my life. It came me the confidence that I lacked in my sober state.
After my parents married, they bought a little home in Decatur on Riverside St. The homes were all cookie cutter house, brick, two bedroom , and one bath bungalows. They were built for the servicemen after the war was over. My dad was employed by A E Staley as a civil engineer. I don't know if he was actually a civil engineer because he had no formal education. My mother was a secretary for a company in Decatur until their first child was born. Janet Kay, was born October 30, 1948, just nine months after their wedding. Mom became a stay at home from that point on in her life. Their second daughter, Linda Ann was born June 12, 1950. In 1953, I was born, yet another daughter, Kathleen Ann, on May 5th. I sometimes wonder if that was a disappointment to Dad. Did he ever want a son? Did he ever want children let alone three? Some questions will always remain unanswered because my parents are both deceased.
Our childhood seemed normal enough but was probably dysfunctional even then. Dad went to work everyday and mom stayed home with us. She made all of our clothes, mostly dresses because that what little girls wore back in the day. I remember trying on flannel pajama's and loving the feel of the material next my skin. Although I was very little I have loving thoughts of my mother. I am not sure exactly when she was diagnosed with breast cancer but she was sick for most of my life. My mother's family didn't like my father very much, I am not sure why but I would assume it had to do with his drinking. I have heard rumors that he was rough with her sometimes but I don't know that for a fact. They believed that he had hit her in her breast causing the lump that turned into cancer. Now as an adult I know that in no way could that cause cancer, but I am sure they had their reasons for these thoughts. If she had been my sister maybe I would have felt the same way.
Mom spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital. She eventually was home with me in the daytime while my sisters were at school. I can remember the visiting nurses would come to the house to change her bandages. It was a mystery to me what they would do when they went in the bedroom. I would sit in a big chair in the living room and sing songs to myself so I wasn't afraid. After the nurse would leave I would crawl into to bed with mom and lay with her. I remember the smells of the ointments they use to dress her wounds. It was a comfort to me to lay with her. I still remember her wearing dresses around the house, never pants. She would wear white socks with sandals too. How funny to remember such silly things. The last year of her life she spend in St Mary's hospital. We were too young to visit her in the hospital. The hospital was next door to St James Catholic Church, so on Sundays we would stand outside on the sidewalk so she could see us. When she could she would stand at the window and wave to us. It was like looking at an angel watching over us.
She died when I was 5, Linda was 8, and Janet was 10 years old. I still remember the night she died. Dad came home and took Janet out on the porch to tell her. I stood watching from the living room window, I saw her cry, I knew something was wrong. She came in the living room and she told Linda and me. We all cried and cried. My dad cried too. Her funeral was at J J Moran funeral home. She was on the 2nd floor, I remember someone lifted me up to kiss her goodbye. I screamed, I was afraid, I was a little girl. She was wearing a pink dress with little rhinestones around the neck. I suppose she was beautiful. She was my mom and I didn't understand.
The months that followed were chaotic. Dad had three little girls to raise and it must have been overwhelming to him. It is no wonder why he turned to alcohol to help him cope. He hired many housekeeper/babysitters to watch us while he worked. Many didn't last long because he had a tendency to stop for a drink after work and would forget his responsibilities awaiting him at home. The women had their own families to go home to so we had quite a turnover for awhile. My sisters were in school so they didn't need childcare during the day. I was only 5, so I went to Kindergarten only part of the day. My teacher was Mrs Young, she spent most of her day holding me on her lap while trying to teach the other kids. She always had lipstick on her teeth. It probably was too much for her. Soon I was headed to Centraila IL to live with my Aunt Clara and Uncle Bill. I didn't know them very well and I was scared to stay when my sisters drove off with my dad. I cried all the time, I wanted my mom and I wanted my sisters back. It was too hard for me to go to Kindergarten so I didn't attend school while I lived there. I am not sure what happened but soon I was on my way to live with my Aunt Effie and Uncle Ockie, in
Ste. Genevieve MO. I loved them and I did much better at their home. I attended Catholic School for the rest of my Kindergarten year. I was the May queen that year, Aunt Effie made me a beautiful blue satin dress to wear. I walked down the aisle of the church carrying a crown for the Blessed Virgin Mary. I felt like a bride, it was a wonderful memory for a very sad time in my life. I was a light in their life because they were unable to have children. My happiness was to be short lived though. They wanted to adopt me but my dad wouldn't hear of it.
The summer after mom died Dad remarried. His new wife, my step-mother, was Juanita. She had three children that were teenagers. Dad and Juanita came to Ste. Genevieve to take me back to Decatur to start my new life. I still remember how broken hearted I was to leave my happy home. I watched out the back window as we drove away from their home crying the whole way.
