Undated
1930 - more or less
1930
John was a barber by profession. However, he had some training, and perhaps experience, as a Shakespearean actor. I believe acting was his first love.
Wedding: September 1941
Back in 1942 men usually did not do dishes. Margaret, however, was pregnant. Unfortunately,
they lost the baby, Barbara, about a month after my dad took this picture.
The Missing Finger
The first time that I remember meeting Uncle John, I was a preschooler. What struck me immediately was that John was missing part of a finger. The dialog, as I remember it, went like this:
- To my mom, “What happened to his finger?”
- My mother: “Ask him.”
- Me: “Will he mind?”
- My mother: “He will like it.”
- Since Mom knew everything, I did ask him. He replied, “I caught it in some machinery.”
- I asked: “Did it hurt?”
- John: “Yes.”
- Me: “Did you cry?”
- John: “Yes.”
I retreated. The idea that a grown-up could actually cry was overwhelming and needed processing.
1947 - John, Jim, and Margaret - photo taken in Maywood, IL.
1955 - John, Joe, Jim, and Margaret - photo taken in Maywood, IL.
1955 - John with Joe and Jim
Undated