Doris Louise Fry

The Lord took Doris Louise (Delmagro, Parker) Fry, into his loving arms on July 27, 2021. Doris was born on August 25, 1933 in Bullpitt, Illinois. Doris attended 2 years in Business College at Mesa Junior College in Grand Junction, Colorado. She worked in Manufacturing as a line Assembler and Quality Insurance as an Inspector. She also did office work. Doris always put her family first. Her favorite thing to do was family gatherings. She loved her family and they loved her. It was very important that her family had everything they needed, and if they didn't she made sure they did. She was a beautiful lady and had a heart of gold. She always wanted to help where she could.

Doris's hobbies were Crochet, Plastic Canvas, latch hook, knitting, sewing, cooking, Artex painting on material, coloring, karaoke, and watching Days of Our Lives since it first came on the air. At one time she had 2 televisions going at the same time to catch all of her shows. On Days Of Our Lives, she kept track of all of the cast and their birth names along with the shows names. Those proceeded Doris in death are, Martin Delmagro (Father), Birdie (Richardson, Delmagro) Billingsley (Mother), George McGee (Friend), Lynn Parker Sr, (Husband), Curtis Parker Jr (Son), William Parker (Son), William Mullen (Brother), Pat Mullen (Brother), Michael Mullen (Brother), Leo Mullen (Brother), Johnny Mullen (Brother).

Those surviving Doris are her husband Donald C. Fry, a (Son) Ronald Parker (Zola), a Stepson Claude Parker(Holly), Vickie Parker (Daughter-in-law), Sandra Parker (daughter-in-law), Virginia Clark (Sister), Jerry Mullen (Brother), Hazel Mullen (Sister-in-law). Grandchildren, Jason Parker (Christina), Jermy Parker (Crystal), Justin Parker (Andrea), Tia (Parker) Drown (Josh), Dean Parker, Autumn Parker. There are many Great Grand Children and 1 Great Great Grand Child, and many nieces and nephews. One Special Life Time Friend, Pat Knopka.

MY LIFE HISTORY

This is my life history according to the way I remember it or information I have compiled.

My great grandparents were Carroll A. Buhr and Mary Ann Krows (pronounced as Crouse). They were of German descent. They were married on November 21 , 1872. He was born on March 27, 1846 and died October 14,1916. She was born October 14, 1854 and died October 1 , 1943. They had 9 children: Hattie Elizabeth May 13, 1874 to October 8, 1959; Henry Vincent December 19,187 5 to February 3, 1966; James Alexander February 3, 1877 to January 8, 1963; Stella May February 14, 1881 to August 2,1915; Ida Rosetta October 19, 1884 to February 22, 1953; Maymie Al ice November 11 , 1886 to March 26, 1957; William Henry October 15, 1888 to October 3, 1918; a baby (sex and name unknown) January 10, 1891 to February 27, 1891 ; and Nellie Florence April 20, 1892 to May 6, 1957. I remember Uncle Henry and aunts Ida, Maymei and Nellie.

Grandma Hattie wed Edmond Richardson on September 18, 1895. He was of English descent born in 1857 and died in 1922. They had 3 children: Florence A I cy August 12, 1896 to March 16,197 6 She wed Oswald Paul Richter on November 13, 1938 He was born August 6, 1888 and died November 28,1961 ( I called him Uncle Albert) ; Carrol l Andrew June 13, 1901 to January 30, 1943. He wed Eleanor Matz on November 24,192 5. They had one son, Gerald, born October 12,192 9; Birdie Eloi se August 14, 1911 to June 12, 1953.

My father, Martin Christ Delmagro and mother, Birdie Eloise Richardson were wed April 19, 1928. Mom was 16 and he was 22. I was born August 25, 1933, they were divorced in 1934. He was of Italian descent. He lived in Detroit, Michigan and we lived in Bulpitt, Illinois, which i s about 35 miles southeast of Springfield. He was supposed to pay her $3.00 a week for my support but didn't do that very often Mom cleaned houses for people for $3.00 a week. That way she could take me with her. We lived with Grandma Hattie and Aunt Florence. They both worked at the silk factory, the house didn't have indoor plumbing, and we had an outhouse out by the alley. WE had a well and carried water from there for cooking and drinking. We caught rainwater in a barrel for our bath s and washing our hair. It made our hair squeaky clean. We took our baths in a laundry tub. The house had 8 rooms, downstairs had 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and living room. The upstairs had 4 bedrooms. Grandma had a large garden and grew our vegetables. There were grape vines that went the length, of the back yard. There was a persimmon tree, a gooseberry bush, raspberries and a l ot of flowers.

Mom wed Theodore Norman Mullen April 19, 1938. HIS family lived next door to Grandma. We continued living with her for a short time, then moved into a home a block away. We didn't own a

car and we used our wagon to move with. That house was the same as grandmas with 8 rooms.

From 1938 to 1943 there were 5 children born: William Edward

August 10, 1038 to June 12, 1953; Virginia Marie February 18, 1940;

Patrick Carrol l July 15, 1941 to June 12, 1953; Michael Vincent August 12, 1942 to March 30, 1992; Leo Richard June 26, 1943 to March 6, 2014.

Things were pretty cheap back then as it was during the depression. We could go to a movie for ten cents and have popcorn too. The school I went to only had 2 rooms. The first, second and third grades were in one room and fourth, fifth and sixth grades in the other. There was large louvered door that separated the two rooms. There was a piano in the corner of one room. The door was opened so we could all sing together. If any of us misbehaved we were bent over the piano bench and given a whack with a paddle. In the bel l fry there was a huge bel l with a large rope hanging down. We all got to take turns pulling on the rope to ring the bel l for time to start classes. Everyone enjoyed that.

We had player piano in our living room and Daddy played it about every evening. We went to sleep listening to his music. He could have played professional ly but didn't want to. He didn't need music sheets to play. Mom could play too, but she had to read the music,

Great grandma Buhr was washing windows one day, had a chair pulled up in front of it. She reached up to clean the top, the chair slipped, and she fell breaking her hip. They weren't able to do anything back then, so she was bedridden until she died. She slept in the bedroom downstairs. Virginia was the only one that could touch the bed. If anyone else did she complained. Back then al l our beds had feather mattresses that you'd sink into. Each morning they had to be fluffed up when made. We didn't have refrigerators then, we had an icebox. The ice man came each week and brought blocks of ice.

In 1944, Daddy got a job in a coal mine in Dragerton, Utah. He moved out first and got a house rented. The mine was owned by Geneva Steel in Provo. They paid for our moving expenses and took so much out of his check till it was paid. We moved out there when school was out. We moved out on the train and was only able to take our clothes, linens, dishes, pots and pans and a few of our toys. It was during wartime and the train was ful l of soldiers, who were sleeping everywhere. Virginia lost one of her shoes during the night. Next morning we found it under one of the soldiers. The train was the old coal engine. We didn't see a diesel engine until we got to Utah. We had mattresses on the floor to sleep on, a table, and we sat on powder boxes that daddy got at the mine. We slowly acquired a houseful of furniture. Money was taken out of each of his checks for medical. Then if we needed a doctor, it was already paid for. There wasn't much to the town. It had a school, theatre, post office, hospital, grocery store and a clothing store. Once in a while we took a bus into Price, about 30 miles, for shopping. We had ration books for shopping. We had to use them for cigarettes, coffee, sugar and shoes. We still didn't have a car, we walked to the store and brought groceries home in our wagon. We also walked to school, I think it must have been about a mile. We only wore dresses to school. I remember walking home in the winter with the wind blowing snow. It was like sleet and hurt my legs. I would walk a ways, squat down and cover my legs with my dress, then walk on again.

Two brothers were born there; John Frances November 27,1944June -IL, 1953; Jerry Thomas November 5,194 7. They weren't expecting John to live and called in a priest. They didn't have a name picked out for him. The priest told them to name him after him and he would live. So he was named John Frances.

Daddy was killed in the mine on January 24, 1948. Mom received $9,000.00 compensation. They gave her half of it and the rest was to be paid monthly. Since it was a mining town we had to move. Mom got a ride with a neighbor that was going to Grand Junction. She found a place that had 10 acres and had 2 buildings on it. The one house had 4 rooms, kitchen, living room and 2 bedrooms. The other one had 2 bedrooms. Virginia and I shared one of the rooms, 2 of the boys shared the other one Mom had one of the bedrooms in the bigger house and the other boys shared the other one. She paid $3800.00 for the place, she got $100.00 a month from Social Security and $100.00 from the settlement.

She did whatever she could to make extra money-picked fruit, worked in the fruit stand or did dishes. The house didn't have indoor plumbing, there was an outhouse way out back. We had a well for our water, which we had to haul in. Once a month we walked to town, 3 miles, got our groceries and took a taxi home.

She was able to get the rest of the settlement in full. She bought a Ford Ferguson tractor with a plow, disc and harrow for $1,000.00 a car and a cow. Then we were able to work the back 5 acres. That's how I learned to drive, on the tractor. She contracted with Kuners to grow cucumbers. We had a large garden, chickens, duck, and a pig. And the cow for our milk.

In 1951, Mom married Jay Billingsley. Mom, Bill and Pat drowned in the Gunnison River in 1953. He kept the kids together but wasn't very good to the boys. Virginia came to live with me and the boys went to Boys Town, Nebraska. Johnny drowned there. Jerry was only 8 years old when they went and special papers were signed so he could go with his brothers. They were there until each of them graduated.

As I mentioned before, Bulpitt is about 35 miles southeast of Springfield.

It is only 4 blocks square. The main street going through town was a half block from our house. Whenever it rained, we kids played in the water running down le the hag utter. Of course, back then there was very little traffic and not too many people had cars so we were perfectly safe. At the edge of town, which was a block further, was the train track. And there were only the old steam engines. Whenever we heard a train coming, we would run to the track. The engineer a ways blew the whistle at us and made steam come rolling out of the bottom of the engine. Those were our big highlights of living in a small town.

In the summer time, we were allowed to go to school bare foot. Everyone did that. That was always fun. As far as I can remember, the main street of town had a post office, a grocery store, a clothing store and 2 bars. In the grocery store, everything was on shelves in back of the counter. You had to tell the grocer what you wanted, he got it down and set it on the counter. He had a pad that he wrote everything down on and added it up on an adding machine. It was the old kind, you punched in the amount, then pulled a handle to enter it on a roll of tape. Looking back, those were really the good old days. Too bad we can't be a little more like that today.

Back then, when we got any childhood diseases, we were quarantined. They placed big red sign on the door. The only one to go anywhere was the father. He was allowed to go to work and also do the shopping. I remember being a carrier of these diseases. One school term I brought home t e measles, chicken pox, mumps and scarlet fever.

Then while we were in Utah there was a big outbreak of polio. Once again, we were not allowed to go anywhere or play with our friends. They didn't know ow contagious it was. Our neighbor boy was crippled with it. Boy, haven't we came a long way!!!

I hope you all enjoy this, I’ve tried to everything in it I could think of. I figured once I’m gone a lot of this will not be known.

Lovingly yours,

Doris