Tag: Edward

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Biography

Funny tidbits

One time a girl at work brought in some cheesecake cupcakes as a peace offering. It was so good I [Dorothy] got the recipe and took a batch out to the family. I told Grandpa [Florent] that it was a custard and we had been eating it. My turkey of a nephew Tom asked me what was in the cupcakes and I tried to be vague about it, but he kept pressing me for an answer, and I, stupidly, told him the cupcakes contained cream cheese. Grandpa never ate them again.

One Christmas your Grandpa [Florent] and I [Dorothy] were driving to your Mom [Lorraine] & Dad’s [Edward’s]. I had the desserts, I had placed a cherry pie on the floor in the back of the driver’s seat.

At Utica and 14 Mile a guy in a car made a left hand turn right in front of me. Don’t know why he couldn’t have waited; our 2 cars were the only ones there.

Well, we didn’t have any cherry pie for dinner because I had to slam on the breaks and the pie slid under the driver’s seat and I had cherry pie all around my feet.

My grandpa’s [Eduard’s] house had a porch with windows on two sides of the house, near the back door was a swing fastened to the porch ceiling by two chains. One day Aunt Martha & someone else were in the swing and one of the chains broke. No one was hurt. We laughed so hard about this; Aunt Martha had to wash her underpants because she wet them.

When this was happening, my dad [Florent] + Uncle Joe [Morock] were picking up a boyhood friend of my dad’s, Father Joe Duquette, a very funny man.

After we got through laughing about the swing, we decided to fasten the swing + wait for the men to return. We wanted to face where the guys would sit in it. Well, they sat in it and we giggled and giggled, waiting for it to fall. The guys asked us why we were giggling so we finally had to tell them because their weight wasn’t enough to break the chain. We were disappointed!

The only place to wash at my Grandpa’s was the kitchen sink. One time, your Grandma [Helen] told your dad [Edward] to wash his hands. He wasn’t moving so Grandma told him again. No movement. My Aunt Len [Magdaleine], who was severely retarded and couldn’t speak clearly, was also in the kitchen. She walked over to your dad, grabbed him by the ear and took him over to the sink. Your dad was sure surprised and we all had a good laugh.

Categories
Biography

Growing up

Helen Morock and Florent (Helen’s family and friends called him “Van”) Van Langenhoven were married on June 10, 1924. Cecilia Morock and Eugene Rassette were maid of honor and best man. Gene was a friend from the Upper Peninsula.

They lived with Grandma [Frances] Morock and Uncle Joe Morock (a bachelor) for a few years after their marriage at 6442 Sheridan Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. I [Dororthy] believe both Aunt Dorothy and your dad — your dad was named after both Grandpa’s: Edward Albert — were born at this address, delivered by Doctor Burgess who was our family doctor until his untimely death. One of his patients with pneumonia vomited on him and he died shortly after.

Detroit - 1930s
A map of Detroit, circa 1930. Many places mentioned are around 23-N

We then moved to an upper flat on Baldwin Avenue. It was here that your dad and I got the measels. Your dad was about 1½ years old. As young as I was I can still see the wicker buggy he would be in. He was very ill and moaned and moaned. My cousin Isabelle helped Grandma [Helen] at this time. 

We then moved some dumpy house on Duncan and I went to Trumble school for about half a year. Then Grandpa and Granma bought a house on Wisner (off Van Dyke Avenue, near Forest Lawn Cemetary). I went to Holy Name School.

Then along came the depression. Grandpa was laid off of his tool and die making job at Ford’s, probably about 1931. Since he was off work, Grandpa and Grandma decided to go see our Grandfather [Eduard] Van Langenhoven in Republic, Michigan. It was a two-day drive, some of it on gravel roads; and you had to take the ferry to get to the Upper Peninsula. I think we went with Aunt Martha, Uncle Joe, and Ruth.

Grandpa [Florent] told our neighbor that, should he get a telegram to come back to work, to let us know immediately. The telegram came, but somehow the neighbor never let us know and Grandpa lost his job at Ford’s.

I [Dorothy] graduated from St Anthony High School. Your dad [Edward] quit St Anthony’s in the 10th grade and went to Aero Mechanics School at Detroit City airport. He quit there in the 11th grade, much to the distress of Grandma [Helen] and Grandpa [Florent]. Your dad did not graduate from high school. Years later when he was laid off at Chrysler’s, he had a hard time finding a job, even delivering bread, because he didn’t have a diploma.

Grandma prayed + prayed whether she and Grandpa should buy a home, which they decided to do. They cashed in Grandpa’s Travelers Insurance policy and unknown to no one but Grandpa, Grandma and me, Aunt Cel lent the rest of the money to Grandpa and Grandma at one-half percent interest! (May she rest in peace!)

In 1952 a friend of ours (Dora Priddle) was going to quit her job selling magazines over the phone. She asked Grandpa if he would be interested in doing this from our home. He took over her job and gained many new customers. Won quite a few prizes in selling contest. (What a God-send that job was!) Grandpa did quite well financially until about 1970 and then the publishers started sending notices directly to readers so by the time the salespeople called, many had already renewed their prescription[sic].

In 1965 Grandma had surgery for a prolapsed bladder. The day after surgery her stomach swelled up terribly. Two weeks later she had exploratory surgery; they discovered cancer of the ovary.

For two years Grandma was given chemotherapy (most experimentally) She would take them every week. (Thanks to Isabelle Wood (my cousin) she got a ride to Grace Hospital’s Darling Center.) I still remember the doctor’s name, Dr. Melvin Reed. Grandma thought the world of him.

After a series of injections she would become immune to these drugs and have to start on another. 

Her tummy would swell making her look like a very pregnant woman. This fluid would have to be drained from her tummy, which was very painful (about every 4-6 months)

On Dec 15, 1966 she entered Grace Hospital where she was to have a new drug. It was a powerful one so they wanted to her to be at the hospital a few days after the injection, Grandma developed a blood clot and was in serious condition. From that point on, her condition got better but then started to deteriorate. Grandpa and I could see her slipping away a little more each day.

On Feb 20, 1967 at approximately 6:30PM, Grandma’s soul slipped away from Earth and entered Heaven.

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Biography

Stories touched by the war

Your Grandma [Helen] was an excellent baker. Her pie crusts, made with lard, were great. After WWII she purchased lard several times and it was terrible, so she started to use Spry (we preferred it instead of Crisco). It took her quite a while to get adjusted to the use of Spry in making pie crusts, but she mastered it!

During WWII our upstairs neighbor, Mrs. Young, was preparing a meal with her pressure cooker. Something went wrong and the cover blew through the kitchen ceiling and the pot dropped to the bottom of the stove; of course, making a big hole. She had to get a permit or whatever they called it, from the rationing board to get a new stove. Luckily no one was hurt.

We had ration books for meat, canned food, butter and dairy products. Each family had so many stamps per month.

Clothing (that is, decent clothing) was hard to get. We had to wear lisle stockings (saved our nylon’s for “good”). They were heavy stockings and wrinkled badly. Some dresses and blouses were made of rayon material, which was of very poor quality. Even today I cannot buy the rayon, thinking how awful it was back then!

When the war ended, we all went down to Gratiot and Sheridan and everybody was happy and kissing anyone near them.

Right after WWII, our landlord sold the home we were renting and we had to move. Housing was very difficult to find and with Grandpa not working, it was more difficult. 

During World War II your dad [Edward] wanted to join the Marines; but because of his age he had to have Grandpa’s [Florent’s] signature, which Grandpa would not do. In 1945 your dad was inducted into the US Army and served one year in the Philippines. Remember your dad telling the story of a sergeant throwing a book at your dad, saying “Keep this machine running.”

After getting out of the service Ed got a job at the factory at Chrysler’s. He wanted to get a car; much to the chagrin of Grandma [Helen], Grandpa and me [Dorothy], he bought an 8 passenger Chrysler to $850. A real gas guzzler! Sold it soon after your mom [Lorianne] and dad were married. Can remember the story of your mom having to push this monster of a car when it got stuck in the snow in Connecticut.

Categories
Biography

Visiting Republic

When your dad [Edward] and I [Dorothy] were kids and we all would go up to Republic to visit our grandpa [Eduard], Uncle Joe [Morock], Aunt Martha and Ruth would go along. Grandpa and Uncle Joe would go fishing every day and every day our big meal at near noon would be fresh sautéed fish. Delicious!

Our appetites were so ravenous when we were there, we would eat cereal and then toast bread on top of the wood burning stove. It tasted so good! I can remember one breakfast I had 5 slices of toast. Aunt Martha hollered at us and told us to get out of the kitchen that day. Saying she and Grandma [Frances?] were getting dinner ready and we were still eating breakfast.

One year Uncle Joe, Aunt Martha, Ruth + Uncle Henry, Aunt Martha and their four girls plus Grandma [Frances] Morock all went up to Republic. Of course, our main meal was fish. One day baloney sandwiches were put on a big plate and placed on the table where the kids were seated. We were told to wait until given the word to eat. When we were given the word, you never saw anything disappear so fast! 

Grandma Morock was a heavy-set woman who wore long dresses which she sewed together by hand with tiny stitching without {illegible}.

{illegible} across the road from my Grandpa’s [Eduard], there is a picture of her there. {illegible} her dress looks like a balloon.

One year Uncle Joe, Aunt Martha, and Ruth accompanied our family to Republic. There were 7 of us in a 4-door 1938 Chrysler. We kids took turns sitting on a small chair in the back. We weren’t too far from my Grandpa’s [Eduard’s] on a gravel road when a tire blew. I remember our Aunt Martha saying “hold it Joe.” The car went out of control and rolled over about 3 times, hitting a huge rock. When the rolling was done, the car was on its side. One of us was standing on Ruth and Len [Magdaleine]. Amazingly none of us were seriously hurt. Grandma [Frances? Helen?] had some skin burns from rubbing on the upholstery. We found Uncle Joe’s rimless glasses in the grass. The car was totaled. People couldn’t believe no one was seriously hurt or killed.

1938 Chrysler Imperial Touring Sedan

A car stopped and a man offered to take the women and kids to my Grandpa’s. Uncle Joe and my dad [Florent] stayed with the car. When we arrived at my Grandpa’s, the man hesitatingly gave us his business card. He sold tombstones!

I believe that was the time Uncle Joe’s insurance agent neglected to renew his auto insurance so he had no insurance.

Grandpa [Florent] and Uncle Joe had to buy a used car — a 2-door Chevrolet. Talk about being packed in that car like sardines! Needless to say, that vacation was not the best.

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Biography Meta

Hello!

Inspired by Aunt Dorothy’s writing, I’ve tried to make an area where we can share stories about our family. Some silly, some serious, some embellished, but all full of the love that is the fabric of our family.

Many of the stories I have to put up here are transcribed from Aunt Dorothy’s hand-written stories given to her nieces and nephews. When transcribing, we tried to name the people mentioned in the story by relation, but some are more challenging than others; you’ll find a few question marks where we weren’t quite sure. You’ll also see a few places where we just couldn’t make out the words written on the page. We kept as much as we could possibly read.

There are also two Edwards in these stories – one is the grandson of the other. Because it quickly gets confusing, I’ve used the Dutch spelling of the name (Eduard) for the man born in Belgium in the late 1870’s who ultimately became the grandfather and namesake of the man born in Detroit in the 1920’s. This is simply to keep these two Edward Van Langenhovens as separate individuals in writing; there was no spelling difference in reality.