Father's Day

Cece, Jane, Kay, Warren, Barbara

1983

Just the other day---well maybe it was 27 years ago---we videotaped an interview with Uncle Warren and Aunt Kay. We asked them about our parents Cele and Ben, whom we have a hard time remembering.

Warren had a wonderful afternoon telling us about the years right after the War. He spoke of his two older brothers-in-law Biff and Ben with great affection. Warren was 24 in 1945, Ben 35 and Biff 32.

1943

Because he'd been injured he was one of the first soldiers to come home in 1945. He was required to wear his uniform everywhere he went and he and Biff and Ben went to a lot of bars. Everyone would buy Warren drinks as thanks for his service. I imagine Ben and Biff got many free drinks too.

1942

Tom Berry on the left, two unkown women, then Cele and Ben.

Warren and Kay didn't have the money to get an apartment so Warren apparently spent many nights on the couch at Ben and Cele's. Occasionally Ben and Cele would go out of town so Warren and Kay could have their apartment (The kids WERE married, you know.)

Ben also loaned them their car---a Nash, Warren emphasized. A nice car.

Although he had a variety of memories about the good times, Warren loved to talk about how much they drank. The drinking tended to wear on Cele. He was, after all, sleeping on her couch and driving her car, and she was pregnant. I'll spare you the details, which involved Cele, a bucket and a rag and her car and her couch.

Listening to him talk recreated another time and place, when you could drink and drive, and drink...and drink.

So raise a glass of Rheingold for those guys on Father's Day. They did have fun.

July, 1953

Pat B, Ben, Lora, Vera, Biff, Peggy and Patty N