VARGA FAMILY STORIES - NUMBER I

I have recently heard from my late mother's half-brother I call Uncle Bobby - even though he is much younger than I. My mother's parents divorced when she was very young, and both remarried. My grandfather, Paul Varga, married a woman named Neva (I called her Aunt Neva as a child). They had four children and Bobby was the youngest. James Vernon was their oldest. My mother Viola, and her brother Bill were Granddaddy's first children.

My mother and dad separated and divorced when my sister and I were young. At those times, Mother would send us to live with relatives. Very few wanted to take on two small children at the same time. Granddaddy and Neva agreed two different times in my childhood. They lived at Mt. Shasta, California at the time. 

I have a few memories of those times, and I shared what I remembered with my Uncle Bobby. I told him I feel I don't know enough about my Granddaddy. Bobby answered me with many wonderful stories about him and their lives. I know my children will enjoy hearing about such a different way of life and a great-grandfather that only one of them ever met. This is Story Number One:

GENTLEMAN GRANDDADDY

"Your Granddaddy was the nicest, gentlest man I have ever known. He was polite and respectful to everyone, especially towards all women. However, he demanded respect from other men. The only time I can remember him cussing around Mother was when James Vernon came out of the bedroom into the living room on New Year’s Day, 1953 with your Granddaddy’s old 12-gauge shotgun. Mother, Dad, Evelyn, the cat and I were all lounging around the living room after eating New Year's Dinner, waiting on Mother to get our pie. She had made four different pies that morning and they were all lined up on one of the countertops in the kitchen. 

James Vernon Varga

"James Vernon stood there in the living room by the wood stove, which was burning really good because of the cold weather, and said, 'Well, I’ve got it fixed Dad!' He pumped a round into the chamber and the gun went off! What a loud BLAST!! The cat, which had been sitting on my lap, climbed up my chest, on up my face, launched itself off the top of my head to the ceiling, ran across the ceiling and came down somewhere in the kitchen, and it was GONE! Your Granddaddy said, 'Well, I’ll be God Dammed, James!!'  We all looked at Dad and it got real quiet as the living room started filling up with black soot and smoke, then we all burst out laughing, including your Granddaddy!

"James had shot a big hole through the stove pipe! The blast made a hole through the living room wall, came out the kitchen wall, sprayed all the pies with sheetrock, went through the kitchen ceiling, into the attic and out the roof! 

"Dad got up from his chair and put out the wood stove and went outside in the snow to get new stove pipe and put a tarp on the roof. Mom went into the kitchen and started cleaning up the pies and the mess. James sneaked back into his bedroom to put away his tools and the shotgun, Evelyn and I looked at each other and laughed until we cried. What a wonderful day after eating all that pie!

The highlight really was the cat!"

Uncle Bobby

I laughed quite a bit myself! Thanks a lot, Uncle Bobby.

Stay tuned for Story Number Two.

Peace and love,

Marilyn