Silver Heartbeats: "Before 1959," Friends, Family, & Neighbors (September 2025)
When I scan a box of slides, what I do is I will scan the entire box and based on what is inside, I divide them into categories that I can work with and share as a themed set. For example, this second box labeled “Before 1959” that I am working on retouching (they’re all scanned) I was able to divide into four categories: Tony & Irma (already published), Friends & Neighbors (this post), The Outdoors, and The Holidays. Separating these into smaller groups or “batches” makes it easier for me to edit and share them.
If you didn’t know Grandma Pat, one thing to know about her is that she was a social butterfly, she lit up the room and she was warm, welcoming, and neighborly with everyone she met for her entire life—and that is clearly shown in these photographs.
At some point in the mid-to-late 1950’s, Irma and Tony bought a new home somewhere in Milwaukee. There are slides labeled “Rainbow from new home” and “Christmas at new home” but they are not dated, but by looking at slides that are photographed in and around that house that do have dates, my guess is they purchased said home and moved there in either 1954 or 1955. It appears to be a larger home than the one Grandma Pat grew up in, and she lived in Milwaukee her entire adult life up until the point she married my Grandpa in 1959—and even then, they remained in the metro area.
A lot of these photographs share family moments, visits with friends, and neighbors. Some are named on slide labels, some are not, and some I have difficulty deciphering the small, cursive penmanship of my Grandma. It appears there was always something to celebrate—from first communions, to Flag Day, to graduations, to just enjoying each other’s company.
The last image in this set is a blurry image of two men, and after checking with other family members—we have determined that the gentleman in the dark shirt to the left is Grandpa John. He and Grandma Pat married in June of 1959, and were engaged for around 6 months before that, having met sometime in 1958 at a picnic. I don’t know if this picture is from the day they met, but it is the first known image of Grandpa John in Grandma Pat’s life, which is pretty cool.
Going through these images is like traveling through time and visiting the life of a loved one I’ve only heard of through stories. It just goes to show how important it is that we print our images and save them for future generations to experience, especially after we are gone.
