A Day Worth Celebrating

     Today mark's a very special day. Today is my Grandma Anna Louise Fuchs's birthday. If she would still be alive, she would be 99 today. Unfortunately, her life was taken too soon. She died in 1980 from Mesothelioma at the age of 60. She left many with broken hearts. Sadly, I would not be born until 1982, two years after she died. I never got the chance to meet her. Talk with her. Hug her. Listen to her laugh. Taste her cooking. Everything that all her children and grand children miss about her and more. But I don't want this post to focus on her death. I want to focus on the life she led. So Happy Birthday Grandma; this post is dedicated to you.

     Anna Louise Ellsworth Strawhun was born May 9, 1920 to Robert Franklin Strawhun and Louisa Katherine Sophia Krumsick. She was the youngest born out of her three siblings: Roberta, Wilburt, and Alberta. They all grew up in Kirkwood, Missouri and attended Pitman School. Her and her siblings were very active in many things. They played sports, loved dancing, and were very active outdoors. My Papa talked about how great of a ball player she was.
     She married my Papa, George Henry Fuchs, on December 26, 1941 in Kirkwood, Missouri before he shipped off to war. She had known my Papa since they were kids. I was blessed recently to learn how they fell in love. My Papa had recorded a video answering questions about his life, and he mentioned how he and Grandma became a couple.

     "How I got to seeing her again, I was with a big construction company and we was building some stuff over in Illinois and everything and I came back to St. Louis. We stopped at Marty Heidels(sp) place there on Lindbergh and the overpass there. I went in there and I was sitting down there on one end and here her and her sister and another girl come in and sit up on the other end. I said, 'Hi hi.' So her sister bought me a beer and I went up and talk to them. I looked at my wife, she was passed 20, 21 then but before when I seen her she was just a little girl. I was nine years older than her. I said, 'Where yous going?' They said 'We're going to Fenton Dance Hall.' So I said, 'How bout me goin along?' I had a new car so I went down to the dance hall and went dancing with my gal there. Just went taking her out and just like that, I said, 'Let's get married' So she said ok." - Transcribed from the video

     He also talked about in the video how she was a great dancer. Many memories have been shared about her in my lifetime. My mom has great memories with her when they would go to the Lake (Bull Shoals Lake, Arkansas). Mom said they would work hard getting food ready for the trip. You see, we are talking about a time when you made everything from scratch. So it took quite a bit of preparation. Mom loved her dearly. Dad likes to quote her at meal time saying things like, "Wonder what the poor folks are eatin!", or "The one that eats the fastest, gets the mostest." Then after dinner he would say what she would say, "Ok, so what do you want for breakfast?" She would say this right after dinner when no one was even thinking of food. Haha! But like I said, this was during a time when everything was made from scratch, so they had to prepare ahead of time.
     Meals were always a great time to bring our family together. Grandma always made sure everyone got food and was satisfied. They didn't have a lot of money, but she did her best. She always did her best. She made sure her kids were safe and warm. And she did a great job making their Barn feel like a home. Yes, I said Barn. They lived in a Barn. After they had to move from Times Beach around 1957, they moved into the Barn over in High Ridge. It had two levels, and a ladder to go to the second level. They had running water and a coal heater. Can you imagine raising nine children in a barn? No privacy, struggling just to survive. But you know what? Every picture I have ever seen of my grandma, she has always had a huge smile on her face. While I know things were not easy, she made the best of everything. She loved her family more than anything and would do anything for them. What an amazing woman.
     I wish there was more I could add at this point, but alas, this is where I will end it. One day I hope to make sit down and talk with my Aunts and Uncles about Grandma, so I can get to know her even better. I do know, she was a very strong and amazing woman, and even though I never met her, I am proud to call her MY grandma.

Happy Birthday Grandma! 

I look forward to meeting with you one day!

My dad and my grandma

My Grandma and Papa Fuchs

My grandma and Papa Fuchs

Miss you!

I am hoping we have lots of family come through to read this. If you have any memories you would like to share, please do! Leave a comment below or post a comment on Facebook below the post. Let's keep the memories alive.