Family & Childhood

I am the youngest of 7 kids. My siblings, in order by birth year are: Larry (1958), Jackie (1960), Sherry (1962), Marilyn (1963), Janine (1965), Kenny (1968), and me (Kim, 1970). As you can see, my parents were very busy!

My mom is Rose, but family has always called her by her middle name "Marie" while co-workers and friends know her as "Rose". I find that strange but whatever!

My dad is Jim (James), but family has always called him "Jack" while co-workers and friends know him as "Jim". I also find that strange but again...whatever!

Until I was 3 years old we had a home on the Meramec River in Arnold, just south of St. Louis. I don't remember much about that house, other than it was on stilts because of being located, literally, on the river's edge. We have a lot of photos and home videos of the outside of the house, particularly when it was flooded. It is pretty funny to watch the videos of the older kids jumping off the porch into the water...until you take a step back and realize it is nasty, muddy flood water with who knows what kind of disease and organisms. Now I cringe when I watch those videos and/or see the photos. Oh well, I'm sure it was lots of fun at the time and nobody ever accused my parents of winning the Parents of the Year award!

We finally were flooded out of the river house in 1973 during one of the big floods. I do remember going back to the house after we moved away, I guess my folks owned the property for a few more years. I never went into the house and eventually the house was torn down. I remember seeing a small built in pool area with a slide so if that was in working order when we lived there, I'm sure the older kids had a good time. But, more often than not, I would guess most of the swimming was done in the river. Some of the videos show kids making a slide ramp out of the muddy river bank, sort of like a muddy slip-n-slide; those videos always make me chuckle!

After leaving the river house due to the final flood, I recall we lived temporarily in a small house in Pevely, south of St. Louis. It was a small house, probably just 2 bedrooms for the 7 kids + my mom & dad. My only memories of this place is riding the big wheel around the neighborhood streets and some haloween decorations that included a plastic nubby thing in the shape of casper the ghost that hung on the front door. I think my folks found the house with the help of the Red Cross.

After our time in the small temporary house we moved to a permanent house in Festus, yet another town south of St. Louis. My first memory of this house was driving there in the station wagon with my mom driving. I don't remember if any of the other kids were in the car, but I recall standing in the back seat area leaning up towards the front. Like, resting my arms & head on the back of the front bench seat. I don't know why that memory stands out, but as I got older I just chuckled at the memory of no seat belts. How all 7 kids survived back then without the seat belts, I will never know!