Eckert Family Tree

My Aunt Lori was born on this date in 1926 - my Dad's younger sister and the only daughter of Alfred and Edna Beland Eckert.

Lori grew up during the hardships of the Great Depression and I am sure that her childhood memories, like most of that generation was not filled with pretty clothes, and family vacations and toys and treats from the local grocery.  I remember my Dad telling me about 'walking' the railroad tracks in hopes of finding some stray coal so they could heat the house - I would be willing to bet that my Aunt Lori walked along carrying her own bucket trying to find a 'nugget' or two.

The picture above must be from around 1934, My Dad, Uncle Al and Aunt Lori are all in this school picture - not sure if that was a good thing for the school or a bad thing....lol   If my Dad was anything like me he was probably up to 'no good' most of the time....

In 1946 my Mom and Dad were married; it was probably there that my Mom's brother Harry, just back from the Pacific courtesy of the United States Marine Corp and World War II, met my Dad's sister Lori - the rest as they say is history.  On June 5 1948 Harry and Lorraine were married at St Anthony's Church in Milwaukee.

Harry and Lori remained in the Milwaukee area for the remainder of their lives - they had four children.  Due to the fact that we were obviously closely related we spent a lot of time together - and when our parents did get together they never seemed to care that us kids, as the grown ups  talked well into the night and us kids found places to crash until we stumbled or were carried out to the car for the ride home - in retrospect I wouldn't trade those days for nothing !!!

Aunt Lori died in 1992 - she was 66.  I cannot believe it has been that long.  She was way too young to be gone so early - but alas this seems to be a malady of many Eckert's