St. Joseph's Hospital, Atlanta, GA
Friday, January 21, 2005:
Comments by Dorothy Baldwin Stecher to Doug and Jeanne Baldwin:
"I was born in old St. Joseph Hospital (April 20, 1919), did you know that? Mother and Daddy were living with Grandmother and Grandpa Smith on Courtland Street, and the hospital was just up the street, so when I began to be born, they took Mother up there. (This was) My birthday, Sunday, Easter Sunday. Little Kelsie, only 2, was left at home with relatives and he was all excited. They had given him lots of candy for an Easter present, and he ran around and around and around Mom's oval table, until he made himself sick.
During this time, Daddy was working all day at his job and building the house on Lawton Street at night, so that's why we lived with the grandparents.
. . . When Daddy got sick and was in the hospital, very occasionally Mother would take all us children to see him. While she looked after the children in the waiting room, Kelsie and I went to see Daddy in the ward. (There was no such thing as a private room then.)
His hospital window looked out over Peachtree Street, and he told us of looking out and seeing the Memorial Day parade that day. It was April 26, 1934 - Confederate Memorial Day. He was dying, but we didn't know it. He looked at Kelsie and said "Take care of the chickens." And he looked at me and said "Take care of your mother." And I always did. I never forgot that. Right after that, he died. We ran and told Mother in the waiting room that Daddy was dead. She leaned over from the waist, just like somebody had punched her in the stomach. She couldn't believe he was gone.
He didn't believe in insurance, so there was none for Mother. She did have the rent from the next-door house which was $27 per month, I remember. And she had the rents from the apartment building. But she had to sell that for us to live.
About 1979 or so, Ed (Stecher) talked to me about marriage. I told him "I can't marry you or any other man, because I've got to take care of Mom." He said, "Well, I can help you take care of her." So we married July 7, 1980, and that's what happened. Until her death on October 24, 1984, he helped a great deal with her, and of course she helped too. We were very happy. Too bad he got sick so soon, we only had seven years together.
Now, I know I'm pretty sick. And if something goes wrong with this operation, and it might, remember that I've lived a good long life, and if I die, it's just part of life."
Friday, January 21, 2005:
Comments by Dorothy Baldwin Stecher to Doug and Jeanne Baldwin:
"I was born in old St. Joseph Hospital (April 20, 1919), did you know that? Mother and Daddy were living with Grandmother and Grandpa Smith on Courtland Street, and the hospital was just up the street, so when I began to be born, they took Mother up there. (This was) My birthday, Sunday, Easter Sunday. Little Kelsie, only 2, was left at home with relatives and he was all excited. They had given him lots of candy for an Easter present, and he ran around and around and around Mom's oval table, until he made himself sick.
During this time, Daddy was working all day at his job and building the house on Lawton Street at night, so that's why we lived with the grandparents.
. . . When Daddy got sick and was in the hospital, very occasionally Mother would take all us children to see him. While she looked after the children in the waiting room, Kelsie and I went to see Daddy in the ward. (There was no such thing as a private room then.)
His hospital window looked out over Peachtree Street, and he told us of looking out and seeing the Memorial Day parade that day. It was April 26, 1934 - Confederate Memorial Day. He was dying, but we didn't know it. He looked at Kelsie and said "Take care of the chickens." And he looked at me and said "Take care of your mother." And I always did. I never forgot that. Right after that, he died. We ran and told Mother in the waiting room that Daddy was dead. She leaned over from the waist, just like somebody had punched her in the stomach. She couldn't believe he was gone.
He didn't believe in insurance, so there was none for Mother. She did have the rent from the next-door house which was $27 per month, I remember. And she had the rents from the apartment building. But she had to sell that for us to live.
About 1979 or so, Ed (Stecher) talked to me about marriage. I told him "I can't marry you or any other man, because I've got to take care of Mom." He said, "Well, I can help you take care of her." So we married July 7, 1980, and that's what happened. Until her death on October 24, 1984, he helped a great deal with her, and of course she helped too. We were very happy. Too bad he got sick so soon, we only had seven years together.
Now, I know I'm pretty sick. And if something goes wrong with this operation, and it might, remember that I've lived a good long life, and if I die, it's just part of life."
St. Joseph's Hospital, Atlanta, GA
Friday, January 21, 2005:
Comments by Dorothy Baldwin Stecher to Doug and Jeanne Baldwin:
"I was born in old St. Joseph Hospital (April 20, 1919), did you know that? Mother and Daddy were living with Grandmother and Grandpa Smith on Courtland Street, and the hospital was just up the street, so when I began to be born, they took Mother up there. (This was) My birthday, Sunday, Easter Sunday. Little Kelsie, only 2, was left at home with relatives and he was all excited. They had given him lots of candy for an Easter present, and he ran around and around and around Mom's oval table, until he made himself sick.
During this time, Daddy was working all day at his job and building the house on Lawton Street at night, so that's why we lived with the grandparents.
. . . When Daddy got sick and was in the hospital, very occasionally Mother would take all us children to see him. While she looked after the children in the waiting room, Kelsie and I went to see Daddy in the ward. (There was no such thing as a private room then.)
His hospital window looked out over Peachtree Street, and he told us of looking out and seeing the Memorial Day parade that day. It was April 26, 1934 - Confederate Memorial Day. He was dying, but we didn't know it. He looked at Kelsie and said "Take care of the chickens." And he looked at me and said "Take care of your mother." And I always did. I never forgot that. Right after that, he died. We ran and told Mother in the waiting room that Daddy was dead. She leaned over from the waist, just like somebody had punched her in the stomach. She couldn't believe he was gone.
He didn't believe in insurance, so there was none for Mother. She did have the rent from the next-door house which was $27 per month, I remember. And she had the rents from the apartment building. But she had to sell that for us to live.
About 1979 or so, Ed (Stecher) talked to me about marriage. I told him "I can't marry you or any other man, because I've got to take care of Mom." He said, "Well, I can help you take care of her." So we married July 7, 1980, and that's what happened. Until her death on October 24, 1984, he helped a great deal with her, and of course she helped too. We were very happy. Too bad he got sick so soon, we only had seven years together.
Now, I know I'm pretty sick. And if something goes wrong with this operation, and it might, remember that I've lived a good long life, and if I die, it's just part of life."
Friday, January 21, 2005:
Comments by Dorothy Baldwin Stecher to Doug and Jeanne Baldwin:
"I was born in old St. Joseph Hospital (April 20, 1919), did you know that? Mother and Daddy were living with Grandmother and Grandpa Smith on Courtland Street, and the hospital was just up the street, so when I began to be born, they took Mother up there. (This was) My birthday, Sunday, Easter Sunday. Little Kelsie, only 2, was left at home with relatives and he was all excited. They had given him lots of candy for an Easter present, and he ran around and around and around Mom's oval table, until he made himself sick.
During this time, Daddy was working all day at his job and building the house on Lawton Street at night, so that's why we lived with the grandparents.
. . . When Daddy got sick and was in the hospital, very occasionally Mother would take all us children to see him. While she looked after the children in the waiting room, Kelsie and I went to see Daddy in the ward. (There was no such thing as a private room then.)
His hospital window looked out over Peachtree Street, and he told us of looking out and seeing the Memorial Day parade that day. It was April 26, 1934 - Confederate Memorial Day. He was dying, but we didn't know it. He looked at Kelsie and said "Take care of the chickens." And he looked at me and said "Take care of your mother." And I always did. I never forgot that. Right after that, he died. We ran and told Mother in the waiting room that Daddy was dead. She leaned over from the waist, just like somebody had punched her in the stomach. She couldn't believe he was gone.
He didn't believe in insurance, so there was none for Mother. She did have the rent from the next-door house which was $27 per month, I remember. And she had the rents from the apartment building. But she had to sell that for us to live.
About 1979 or so, Ed (Stecher) talked to me about marriage. I told him "I can't marry you or any other man, because I've got to take care of Mom." He said, "Well, I can help you take care of her." So we married July 7, 1980, and that's what happened. Until her death on October 24, 1984, he helped a great deal with her, and of course she helped too. We were very happy. Too bad he got sick so soon, we only had seven years together.
Now, I know I'm pretty sick. And if something goes wrong with this operation, and it might, remember that I've lived a good long life, and if I die, it's just part of life."
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
