After my Uncle Dan (Daniel Beck Guion) passed away in 1997, I realized that first-hand accounts of this particular "Slice of Life" would only continue to diminish over time. I needed to record the memories of my Aunt Biss and her brothers and share them with the family. This culminated in the idea of a Blog so that I could share these memories with anyone who would be interested in the personal histories of some members of The Greatest Generation.
Over a period of several years, whenever possible, I recorded the memories of my Dad and his siblings.
These are the memories of Elizabeth Westlin (Guion) Zabel, Grandma and Grandpa's fourth child and only daughter.
Elizabeth Westlin Guion and Smokey
Dan and Lad used to be competitive with the girls; they always seemed to like the same girls. There would be an upheaval because she would pick one or the other. It might have been Adele O'Brien that they both liked. She was another pretty girl. Jimmy, her brother, was in my class and Adele was older. I think both Lad and Dan took a shine to her. I think it was the most serious difference of opinion; apparently they both liked her, so neither of them married her.
We never had an allowance, and I can remember, in high school, we would bring sandwiches to school. All the other kids, with their allowances, would get ice cream and stuff. My mouth would be watering and I'd wish I could get one of those ice cream sandwiches. Once in a while, Barbie Plumb would treat me and boy, that was great. That ice cream sandwich – when they put them in the freezer now, the cracker gets all soggy. I don't like them that way. I like the fresh ones with the crisp cookie and then the ice cream.
I wouldn't repeat anything about my teenage years.
"The Gang" on the Summer Porch of the Trumbull House
L to R, front row: Edna Traphagen, Tessie Mikita, Edna Beebe, Jane Claud-Mantle, Richard (Dick) Christie, Dan Guion, Dave Guion
L to R, back row: unknown female, Lois Henegan, Helen Smith, Bill Slausen, Arnold Gibson, Barbara Plumb, Lad Guion, Ethel Bushy, Pete Linsley, Doris Christie.
There were a whole bunch of us who were friends and hung around together. There was Ethel Bushy, Doris Christie, Jane Mantle, Barbie Plumb and Jean Hughes. Some of the guys we hung around with were Zeke (Raymond Zabel, Elizabeth's future husband), Zeke's brother Irv, Fred Karn and his brothers Earl and Al, and Rudy Mahulka. At this time, Zeke lived up on Daniels Farm Road and I guess they were playing with guns. Anyway, Rudy shot the gun and the bullet hit a rock and ricocheted and hit his sister. I guess the bullet was lodged too close to her heart; anyway, they couldn't operate on it. I think it was about five years later when she died from the gunshot wound. Indirectly, the gunshot wound was the cause of her death. She was another pretty girl.
Some of the other people we hung around with were Art Christie and George Brellsford. When Zeke's family moved down onto Park Street, it was George Brellsford's family that bought their house. Then George moved away and I never heard from him again. But there was Art Christie, Dick Christie went more with Ced, he was the younger brother, then there was Floyd Smith who was an acquaintance.
Tomorrow, the final selection of the Memories of Elizabeth Westlin (Guion) Zabel.
Judy Guion
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