In June of 1962, my cousin Barbie passed away at the age of 14, from cancer. It was very tough to see her get thinner and thinner. She had to make many trips to Rochester. It was very tough on my Aunt and Uncle. Barbie had complained about her knee hurting for quite a while and everyone thought it was a sport injury. She always played a lot of sports. It turned out to be cancer. I remember how red and swollen that knee was after she'd come back from having radiation treatments. It was so sad to see her sitting in that chair in the living room. Eventually the cancer traveled and was into other parts of her body. They had wanted to amputate her leg but it was too late. She passed on June 11, 1962. It was so hard to go to the funeral parlors and see her like that. I cried and cried. Barbie was my sister, Christine's age, and she was over to our house a lot and we were at their house a lot. Sometimes trading kids to stay over night.
After she passed, her sister Gloria was going through Barbie's stuff and there was a diary that Barbie had really never wrote in except for a few pages. It was like new so Gloria asked me if I wanted it. I said yes and so I started to write a few lines in that diary when I remembered to. At first I kept writing in it but eventually I would forget for weeks at a time.
Here's a few excerpts from 1962.
10/3/62
The dentist called. I can't get my teeth out. The Welfare won't pay hospital bill. Got to find another dentist that will take a few out at a time.
10/4/62
Went to the Children's Hospital to see the doctor but he wasn't there. He had an emergency.
10/5/62
Dad came home without his cast. I went to the clinic to see the doctor. Got to go to the hospital and get my brace off in two months from today.
10/6/62
Ricky fell out of a tree and landed on a fence. He had fifteen stitches in his leg. I went shopping with Ma. Otherwise I didn't do much today.
10/7/62
Went to Sunday School. Did the offering with Carlyn Neale. Sarah came with the kids. John and Dad went out. John came for Sarah but Dad didn't come back with him. It's 8:00 P.M. and he's not home yet.
10/8/62
Went to school. Got an 85 on my English test! Did nothing special. Just the same old thing. Heard Dad and Ma arguing last night. Mom can sure swear!
10/12/62
No school today! Columbus day. Mom and Dad went out and Aunt Dorothy stayed out with them. They got home at 4:30 A.M.!! Aunt Dorothy stayed at Aunt Ruth's house for the night. She had a stiff neck the next day because she slept on a chair. Ha!
10/13/62
Ma said Gloria was at Boyle's, dancing with Cathy Haggerty. Aunt Dorothy bawled Arnold out because she thought it was so awful because Gloria was there. But she was with Cathy's parents. Aunt Dorothy took the little kids for a ride today.
10/14/62
I didn't go to Sunday School. Yesterday I had fallen down on the rocks at Mackin's and scraped my leg all up. Ouch!
Ma and Dad went out again. Dad had a Shuffleboard meeting. They got home around 9 P.M. That's pretty early!
10/16/62
Dolores gave me her lunch money to hold for her so she wouldn't spend it on candy. Regular day at school. I was the only one in my math class that knew all the answers on our homework paper. Ain't I smart?!!
10/19/62
Babysat for Aunt Ruth last night. Had to watch David while she and Mrs. King and Lorrie King and Jane went to see a movie in Utica. Aunt Ruth gave me a dollar and took me to school in the morning but I was late by a few minutes. We had an assembly today at school. A wrestler was there. He had strong muscles!
10/21/62 (Sunday)
Mom and Dad went to see Grandma, with Mary and Arnold. Suzy, Ron and Mike stayed here. They got home about 9:00. Ma and dad went back out till 3 in the morning.
Sarah had come with her kids too and stayed till 4. We had water balloon fights..Ha!
10/22/62 Monday
Went to the dentist and got six teeth pulled. It didn't hurt though. I'm finally getting them out.
Went to Jane Smith's (My cousin)house for a while and then went home. My mouth was bleeding till at 4:00! And I got them out at 11:30 A.M.
10/23/62
Went to school and didn't want Dolores to see my mouth, but she did, and she laughed. I talk funny when I say words with s's.
10/27/62
Went to the dentist and had six more teeth pulled from the top. I get scared more each time I go. Ha! Ha!
10/28/62
Went to Sunday School. Carlyn came over today. ( Carlyn was a friend who lived over in town. She'd walk over to North Ilion a lot because she liked one of the boys who lived over there.)( Her brother would come over sometimes and her sister also)
We had fun. We went up on Mackin's hill. The boys were chasing Jeanne down the hill and she fell head first. She couldn't remember anything until she got almost home!
10/29/62 Monday
Went to school but got out early to go to the dentist. I got six more teeth pulled from the bottom and a wisdom tooth. Boy! When the numbness went away it hurt real bad.
10/30/62
Didn't go to school because my mouth hurt and it is all swelled up where he cut out the wisdom tooth. It still hurts a lot.
10/31/62
Didn't go to school again. My mouth is still swelled up and it hurts so bad. I cleaned up the house and did all the dishes. Mom went to the Backman's for a Stanley Party.
11/1/62 Thursday
It's my birthday today and I'm sixteen years old! I didn't go to school again. My mouth is all black and blue. I baked my cake and we had ice cream too. Ma gave me $5.00 and Aunt Dorothy gave me $2.00
Carlyn came over. Ma and dad went out.
11/2/62 Friday
Went to the show and seen "Kid Gallahad" with Elvis and "The Magic Sword". They were both pretty good pictures. I didn't go to school today. My mouth is going down a bit now.
My Saturday appointment to the dentist has been cancelled till next Saturday.
11/5/62 Monday No school today!
The boys were reading this diary! I'm mad. I'm selling chances. It's a card that you punch holes out. I've got ten sold so far. I hope I can sell all of them in 15 days to get a prize. (Not sure if I ever did)
11/6/62
Went to school and everyone laughed when they saw I didn't have hardly any teeth in my mouth. I hate going to school without my teeth. We had a science test and I got 82. That's pretty good for me!
11/9/62
Gold and Brown day today. Carlyn came over tonight. She caught up with Jeanne and I while we were doing Steve's paper route. Carlyn and Vivian are out in the field with Jim Moore and Ron Bunce. It's 10:30 P.M. Vivian is kissing Ron and Carlyn is kissing Jim. Ha!
11/10/62 Sat.
Went to the dentist to get the last of my teeth pulled and wisdom tooth cut out. This one didn't bother me like the last one did. I had to make another appointment to get the last two wisdom teeth cut out from the top.
Herkimer beat Ilion today in football.
11/11/62 Sunday
Went to Sunday School today. later, I went up to the boy's fort with Vivian. She always wants me to go with her. She's looking for Ronnie. They were all just sitting there. None of them were smoking. I guess they are sick of smoking. Dick Neale got sick on a cigar. This is the first time I ever been in their fort.
11/12/62 Monday
No school today!!
We went up on the hill and were by the fort for a while. The boys were up on Mackin's hill chasing cows. Vivian stayed up there. I came home with the little kids.
11/15/62
Steve got beat up by Dick Madison today for snitching on him for stealing. Ma got so mad she went right over to the Madison's house in town and told the mother about the fort and their smoking and the girls and everything! Yikes!
I cut my hair today. It looks better short, than long.
11/16/62
Met Carlyn going to the fort with four other girls. Ma and Dad went out. Me and Steve snuck up on Moore's Hill. Freddie Griffin saw us and ran up the hill. Boy! That was close! We told Freddie's father that he was up to the fort and not at the movies like he said. If they had ever caught us, they would have beat us up. Fred would have anyway. He's mean.
11/22/62
We had a fight with Fred Griffin, with snowballs, which ended up in a real fight.
11/23/62
Fighting with Fred again. He fights like a girl and he pounds you on the head and kicks you in the face and boy, is he a dirty fighter! Mom is real grouchy today.
11/24/62 Sat.
Dad and Arnold went hunting. Arnold fell and when he got home he went to the hospital and he had a bad sprain. They put a cast on his leg. Dad sent his crutches over with Mike for his father to use. ( Arnold is dad's brother)
11/25/62 Sunday
Sarah came down. Jeanne and I and Chris went sliding up to Mackin's and Christine got into a fight with Holly Felski. Neither of them won. We were sliding and I fell off the sled and hurt my hand and leg.
11/27/62
Dad had his operation today. Ma didn't go see him.
11/28/62
Regular day at school. Dad is still in the hospital. I'm glad he's not home. Mom was not home because she went to see dad. I walked uptown just for the fun of it.
11/29/62 Thursday
Me, Jeanne and Chris went to recreation at the church. I went to Bamford's Store for about half an hour then went back to the church and kept score for the girls that were playing basketball.
12/1/62 Sat.
Got to go to the dentist today to get my stitches out. I'm going on the bus. All the kids are getting ready to go see Santa and then they are going to a free movie.
12/2/62 Sunday
It's a beautiful day! It was in the 70's and it's December! Dad came home from the hospital today. Aunt Ruth took Mom up to get him
12/8/62
Went to a dance with Vivian and Jeanne. No boys asked us to dance though. We had fun and I danced with Vivian. When we were leaving, three boys were walking behind us. but Mr. Griffin came at just that moment so we didn't get to talk to them. Too bad.
12/14/62 Friday
Went to my Sunday School teacher's house (Dean Cox) and made decorations for the Christmas pageant Sunday.
12/16/62 Sunday
Put all the decorations up in the church. Went to the pageant at 6:30 P.M. and after it was over we had milk and cookies.
12/21/62
We got out of school for Christmas vacation today. We had a party. I got perfume.
12/25/62 Tuesday Christmas Day
It's Christmas! Jeanne and I got a clock radio! I also got knee socks, a ring, bra, blouse, perfume and slippers. We like our radio very much!
12/26/62
Me and Jeanne went over to Aunt Mary's. A tractor trailer smashed our mailbox and steps. It also smashed Burdick's mailbox.
12/27/62
Went to the dentist to get impressions taken for my teeth.
12/31/62
Babysat for Verna in Frankfort. It's New Year's Eve.
I never wrote in this diary again till June of 1963. Guess I got busy with other things and just forgot.
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