Above - Stone Soul Picnic, band of my youth - Ginger was their number 1 fan.
Aww, I'm sad. I heard last night that one of the grand dames of Atlantic passed away last weekend. Ginger Deardorff is my friend Christie Jo's mom. Christie is the baby of the family - at age 51. Her three older brothers are John, Mark and Scott.
I spent quite a bit of time at the Deardorff household whilst growing up. Ginger was a working mother - one of the few of that era. I was a little scared of her when I was young. Hell, I was a little scared of her last time I saw her at a concert during our 2006 class reunion. She was someone I respected and wanted her to like me! I hope she didn't know that I was at the beer party that time the cushion got a cigarette hole back around 1975. It didn't take her long to spot the hole, despite the old "flip the cushion over" trick!
Ginger was lively and funny. She loved a party. Sometimes I felt like I was the old woman and she was young. She was sharp and witty and didn't have much time for people who couldn't keep up their end of the conversation. She didn't hesitate to tell Chris when a boy she brought home wasn't up to snuff! (Those brothers were pretty selective for their baby sis too.) And Robyn reminded me what a great laugh Ginger had.
Ginge was also a pretty stern task master. I remember Chris had cleaning duties that I helped her with before we could go play. By help I mean I chatted with her while she vacuumed. Chris never made a big deal out of it - her mom worked and that stuff needed to be done. When we were in high school, a Rotary Exchange kid came to town from Australia. He didn't seem to meld very well with a couple families he lived with. So Ginger said - I'm used to boys - send him to our house. And that was the start of a lifelong relationship between Chris Clarke and the Deardorffs. Just last summer Chris was in the country and of course took time to see his "Mom away from Home", Ginger.
Ginger's husband Joe passed away in 1988. He was the straight man to Ginger's lively personality. Oh did he have a way with sarcasm. I think a bit of that rubbed off on me from hanging out at their house. If you want to know what he sounded like - just hang out with John or Scott - they both remind me of him.
The Deardorff house was most always rocking, because the whole family was musical (see one of my early blogs about my favorite music). In fact John and Mark had their own band, or series of bands. I remember them as first Stone Soul Picnic which evolved to just Picnic. They would practice in garages and in the basement. They played at the big dances at the 4H building in Atlantic and all around southwest Iowa back when live band made the rounds. Later, brother Scott was also allowed to join the band. I've been lucky enough to hear them several times when they got together for reunions and Ginger's 80th birthday party.
It's so hard to believe Ginger is gone. She lived in her own home to the end, I believe. She kept it spotless. And now the John, Mark, Scott and Chris will have the immense task of breaking down their family home. My sisters and I did it in 2007 after our dad died. It was one of the hardest jobs I ever faced. But we did it together. And the Deardorffs will get through that too. And they will cherish all the good times they had.
Me, I'm picturing Ginger and Joe dancing together someplace to a lively beat.
Aww, I'm sad. I heard last night that one of the grand dames of Atlantic passed away last weekend. Ginger Deardorff is my friend Christie Jo's mom. Christie is the baby of the family - at age 51. Her three older brothers are John, Mark and Scott.
I spent quite a bit of time at the Deardorff household whilst growing up. Ginger was a working mother - one of the few of that era. I was a little scared of her when I was young. Hell, I was a little scared of her last time I saw her at a concert during our 2006 class reunion. She was someone I respected and wanted her to like me! I hope she didn't know that I was at the beer party that time the cushion got a cigarette hole back around 1975. It didn't take her long to spot the hole, despite the old "flip the cushion over" trick!
Ginger was lively and funny. She loved a party. Sometimes I felt like I was the old woman and she was young. She was sharp and witty and didn't have much time for people who couldn't keep up their end of the conversation. She didn't hesitate to tell Chris when a boy she brought home wasn't up to snuff! (Those brothers were pretty selective for their baby sis too.) And Robyn reminded me what a great laugh Ginger had.
Ginge was also a pretty stern task master. I remember Chris had cleaning duties that I helped her with before we could go play. By help I mean I chatted with her while she vacuumed. Chris never made a big deal out of it - her mom worked and that stuff needed to be done. When we were in high school, a Rotary Exchange kid came to town from Australia. He didn't seem to meld very well with a couple families he lived with. So Ginger said - I'm used to boys - send him to our house. And that was the start of a lifelong relationship between Chris Clarke and the Deardorffs. Just last summer Chris was in the country and of course took time to see his "Mom away from Home", Ginger.
Ginger's husband Joe passed away in 1988. He was the straight man to Ginger's lively personality. Oh did he have a way with sarcasm. I think a bit of that rubbed off on me from hanging out at their house. If you want to know what he sounded like - just hang out with John or Scott - they both remind me of him.
The Deardorff house was most always rocking, because the whole family was musical (see one of my early blogs about my favorite music). In fact John and Mark had their own band, or series of bands. I remember them as first Stone Soul Picnic which evolved to just Picnic. They would practice in garages and in the basement. They played at the big dances at the 4H building in Atlantic and all around southwest Iowa back when live band made the rounds. Later, brother Scott was also allowed to join the band. I've been lucky enough to hear them several times when they got together for reunions and Ginger's 80th birthday party.
It's so hard to believe Ginger is gone. She lived in her own home to the end, I believe. She kept it spotless. And now the John, Mark, Scott and Chris will have the immense task of breaking down their family home. My sisters and I did it in 2007 after our dad died. It was one of the hardest jobs I ever faced. But we did it together. And the Deardorffs will get through that too. And they will cherish all the good times they had.
Me, I'm picturing Ginger and Joe dancing together someplace to a lively beat.
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