In Loving Memory of Mom and Dad Traditional Cache

Mom was born in Rotherham, Yorkshire, England on July 13, 1922.  Her father, Ernest Dowson, was the youngest enlistee for Britain in World War I.  He lied about his age and joined when he was 12 years old.  Before WW II mom worked in a brewery but when war broke out she was a postwoman and then built warplanes at the Bristol Aircraft Company.  Dad was born in 1918 in Pen Argyl, PA.  In high school his senior year his football team went undefeated and unscored upon!  He was short (5’ 5”) tall but fast.  He ran the 100-yard dash in 9.9 seconds.  My best was 10.2 seconds.  After graduating East Stroudsburg College in 1942 he enlisted in the US army.  He was a tech sergeant and trained in the Mohave Desert for the Africa campaign but was sent to England in 1943 to wait for the Normandy landings.  He met mom in a pub and they were married in 1944.  A few months before D-day dad was isolated in the military camp and all mail was censored.  Mom & dad made up a signal code to let her know when he was going to Normandy.  He wrote the title of a popular song in those days, “I’ll be seeing you” in a letter to mom.  Dad came through the war uninjured but came down with TB and was sent home to Colorado for treatment.  In the meantime, I was born in February 1945 and mom & I were shipped to the USA by an army transport in 1946.  Dad lost a kidney to TB and began his teaching career at Bangor, PA Middle School in 1945 to 1953.  He taught briefly at Pen Argyl Middle School but moved to NJ in 1954 to teach at Summit Middle School.  In 1967 my family moved back to Bangor, PA as dad finished his career in 1983 as assistant superintendent for the Pen Argyl Board of Education.  Dad passed away in April, 2001.  Mom was a gifted artist and volunteered to teach art at a senior citizen center for 25 years.  She was president of the “Friends of the Library” in Bangor and a member of the Paint Box Art Club.  She delivered Meals on Wheels and made candy at Callie Candy Kitchen in Bangor.  Mom passed away in 2014.  My parents were kind, loving & caring.  Our family never had much money but my 4 sisters & I were well fed & clothed.  Both of you will be missed.