Legacy

These 3 women are sisters. Going left to right is my maternal Grandmother Isabel (Bea), her baby sister Sue (Susie) and her other sister Lola (Elly). Missing are their eldest sister Jean who passed away in 1981 from Breast Cancer and their brother Henry who passed away in 2001.

These sisters have lived long good lives. My own Grandma is the oldest living sibling at 88. They have embodied dedication to their family, raising 10 kids among them. They grew up in the small town of Waipahu, Hawaii where their father worked for the Oahu Sugar company. Their parents immigrated to Hawaii from Cadiz, Spain in 1912. They lived through the attack on Pearl Harbor. My Grandma Bea was living on Hickam Air Field across the street from her sister Elly on the morning of the attack. Hickam was adjacent to Pearl Harbor and she could see the Japanese planes flying low to the ground overhead and could hear the bullets and see the explosions. She ran over to Elly's during the attack and they got under the table. They saw the burning ships and all the sailors in the water in their underwear because it was Sunday morning and most had been asleep prior to the attack. After the war, there were no jobs working for the federal government because all the soldiers came home. So to stay employed my Grandmother and Grandfather, John, left their family and the small island which was all they knew and came to California. My Papa John had to come early so my Grandma had to make the trip with Elly and her husband Joe with 4 small little girls. My Auntie Sue lost her first husband when she was pregnant with her son. She later remarried and had two more children but I've been told she was in formal mourning for 5 years and did not remarry for 8 years. These women have survived being poor, immigrating to a new country (Hawaii wasn't a state back then), raising children, deaths of parents, siblings, spouses and countless friends and family members. They worked when they had to in order to make ends meet. They have kept spotless houses and when I say spotless - I mean it. You could eat off their garage floors with no plate and be just fine. They are generous, kind, thoughtful and funny. They love visiting and laughing with their cousins and family. I am so thankful for the love of family they instilled in me. Who grows up knowing their 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th cousins? And seeing them regularly? It's because of them that I grew up with a noisy, loud, laughing, colorful extended family made up of all types of people from all different backgrounds and nationalities. They taught me that women are the heart of a family and if you want your family to be close, you better work at it, cook really well, make parties and call everyone together once in awhile.

Thanks ladies. You are a huge part of who I am and I owe you more than you will ever know. God Bless.