Sumner' death

Altough not certain until I check the exact date I believe Pa died on New Year's day 1954. My mom had gone down to Trenton, NJ to visit Pa in the hospital. Pa and Gram were down visiting Vera and Leon when he was taken ill. The story I heard was that he took rolls of TUMS to settle his stomach when in fact he was having a heart attack. I understand that he also tried to get out of bed on his own because he didn't want to bother the nurse and collapsed in the process. I was staying w/ Jack and Shirley in Feeding Hills [I loved their house and the old tobacco barn and what seemed to me to be sand dunes]. At breakfast Jack broke the news that Pa had died and I will never forget that moment. I was 11 and Pa was perhaps the most important involved male figure in my life. After that I recall being outside the Byron Funeral home on State street with my mom and Faith and I was crying and refusing to go in. I finally obeyed and will never forget the sight of Pa in the casket. He was so thin having lost weight during his illness. After that I experienced many nightmares depicting Pa sitting up in the casket. To this day I regret seeing him for the last time that way. I also recall later that year going w/ Ma and Gram to Sears and Roebuck in W. Springfield where Pa had taken his bulova watch for repair. She cried and kept that watch with the loose gold expansion strap on her wrist til the day she died almost 10 years later. As I recall Marg and John gave Pa the watch and perhaps Dave has it now. I don't know, but it was very precious to Gram. I make a point to periodically visit Pa & Gram's grave when in Springfield and wonder, once I go, who else will visit? I suppose it doesn't really matter but in many ways I have never gotten over his death. If anyone deserves to be in Glory, its Pa and I fully believe that he is spending eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for it is written that to be absent from the body is to be present with Lord.

Gammie & scat

Gammie was to me always old. I don't think she ever received proper medical care and certainly has osteoporosis probably due to a lack of calcium and had a pronounced hump in her back. She was a real sweetheart and I loved her deeply. We would play the card game scat and she would let me win. As a sidenote I recall John Harrigan would knock before he even picked up his cards to see his hand. Gammie called me 'Donnie Boy" and was always concerned that I carried too many things in my pockets and they weighted me down and would stunt my growth. Maybe that's what happened to me. I think her favorite was "Billy Boy" Buster and Stella's son and I am glad that she was spared from his untimely death. Gram also had a goiter that caused her real difficulty in eating and would often leave the table chocking from the food. I also recall Pa driving her to downtown Springfield and giving her $20 to spend! My mother said that when they lived on Monroe street Gammie would go door to door in Longmeadow selling candles. Ma said that Gram enjoyed seeing how the rich lived and of course Gram's family in Northampton was very well to do but somehow lost much of their $. Her dad, John Sackett, is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery not that far from Gram and Grampa Harris. John had no marker and the family had one erected in the 80s. Grandma Gray is also buried nearby. She also was a dear gentle lady that would often babysit Faith and I.

Scat rules at: http://www.pagat.com/draw/scat.html

Gammie and Pa at Lead Mine

My father always spoke reverently about Grampa Harris (who he called Pa). It seemed as though Grampa filled in some major gaps in my father's life when he was growing up. It sounds like Grampa spread his love and attention around back then. I have very vague memories of him. I guess I was 5 years old when he passed on. I suppose that the bulk of my "memories" might actually consist of pictures that I have seen of him with Dad (and a string of hunting quarry in the background). I don't recall conversations with Pa, or interacting with him in any meaningful way. I have a much more vivid recollection of Gram (I called her "Gammie"). I recall that she loved licorice, and I can directly attribute my own craving for it to her (and her stash). It's funny, though, that I don't remember her saying that much. I can still hear echoes of her vocalizing "OOOooooohhhhh, OOOooooohhh" when she was trying to get our attention. (It will come as no surprise to know that automatic spell checker doesn't recognize Gommie, nor does it recognize OOOoooohhhh). She kept a commanding view of the lake and of all of us who happened by.

Retirement of Sumner

According to a Springfield Armory Ordnance Department memo dated 23 March 1950, Grampa Harris retired 31 March 1950 after 21 years of service at the Armory. It indicates that he was employed by the Armory on two occassions, first as a Gage Maker from 9 October 1919 to 30 June 1921, and again as a Toomaker from 27 November 1933 to his retirement. The memo was signed by M.K. Barroll, Jr., Colonel, Ord Dept, Commanding.

I know Grampa was instrumental in helping my mom get a job at the Armory. Also John Harrigan worked at the Armory, I believe at the Watershops location. I had always felt that Pa had retired young, because at that time I was 7, but he was close to 70 and only lived less than 4 years after retiring. What did Pa do for work from 1921 to 1933? Questions are always coming up that I wished I had asked my mom about.

The FADA TV

When Pa became the proud owner of a FADA TV he would take it from our Lester Street E. Longmeadow home where he and Grandma lived to the lead mine camp. Of couse I went with the TV and Pa for the summer and Gammie would often stay behind in a more confortable setting with running water and indoor plumbing. Often it was just Pa and me at camp. The hoziontal hold on the tv was always going on the fritz and on many occassions Mr. Miner would come over from his cottage to repair it. On one occassion Pa was out fishing and I had the controls all messed up on the TV and was afaird Pa would get mad when he came back so I went to bed upstairs. Actually I can never recall Pa being mad at me or spanking me but he would get a little upset w/ Gammie when she came in the camp wet from the lake. Gammie would say "its clean water Sumner" and that was it!

The Sumner and Lillian Harris Family

The purpose of this blog is to connect members of the Sumner Arthur[1880-1954] and Lillian Janes Sackett[1881-1963] Harris family members and friends so that we can share rememberances. Sumner and Lillian had five children including Earl, Marjorie, William [Buster], Vera, and Ethel [Kinsie]. The death of Ethel on October 13, 2007, marks the passing of all five siblings.