Old Friend

This lovely 95 year old lady is Maryne Giering, my second mom. When I was growing up Maryne and her husband Ray lived two doors down from my family on West WAshington STreet in Bradford. Our neighborhood was the best place ever to grow up and all the neighbors were close. Maryne and my mother were like sisters. In the morning they would send the kids off to school. (Which was a short walk from our houses) and clean a while until one of them would say, “Come over for coffee” and they would sit and chat until the kids walked home from school for lunch. Each week Donna (another friend would pick them up in her car and they would go for groceries at the A and P and get green stamps. I felt like Maryne’s house was my house too. I played with her kids Jack and Jill and loved being around their family. Our families went together every summer up to an amusement park where the dads would grill chickens and drink beer while we all went on the rides. Ray was the principal at the elementary school and eventually the family moved to Clarion where he taught at the university. He was the one who was responsible for me returning to college to finish my education after I dropped out to care for my mother who had been in a car accident. I think the world of Maryne and suggested to a gal in my Literary Club (who also was a family friend of Marnye’s and the sister of my best friend in high school) that we make the two house trip to go and visit her. I hadn’t seen her since five years ago when we attended her 90th birthday party. 

Her daughter Jill made the trip up from Tyrone and her granddaughter also came over. It was so much fun reminiscing with them all. 

This is Lisa and my friend Kathy. 

Sammy, Lisa’s mom and Maryne’s daughter in law came over too and it was nice seeing her again.  

Sam, me and Maryne. Maryne still is stylish at 95 dressed with all her jewelry and a scarf. She is just as classy as she always was and the sweetest lady. She treated us to a lovely lunch at a nearby restaurant before we had to return home. I loved this visit and it meant a lot to her too. It was a great day to walk down memory lane and remember the good old days.