Letter from Jo & Joe Haddox to Terrie & Ben, postmarked 12 November 2010

What the letter is

A letter postmarked 12 November 2010 from Betty Joan “Jo” (Wildermuth) Haddox and her husband J. D. “Joe” Haddox — of 502 SW 127th St., Newberry, Florida — to their niece Terrie and her husband Ben. Jo was Robert Earl Wildermuth’s youngest sister and thus Terrie’s aunt. It survives as a transcription in the Wildermuth family book.

Transcription

Dear Terrie & Ben

It was so nice to get your newsy letter. We always enjoy hearing from you. You sure are a busy gal! Good to hear you had a nice visit with Charlie in July. I’ll bet the campus at Stanford brought back some memories of your Dad’s previous enrollment there. He also mentioned how much he enjoyed the beautiful weather there.

Charlie sounds like a brilliant young man, and I’m sure you are very proud of him. What an honor to win “Best PhD. Thesis”! Wow!

Thanks so much for sending the copy of your Mom’s memorial service. Loved the picture of her. The service sounded lovely and you sure spent a lot of work and time, and it sounded like something Dot would have loved. Your flower arrangement was unique and sounds lovely. Your Mom would have been very pleased with you 3 girls remembrances. She was such a sweet lady.

I was sorry to hear you and Charlie are both pre-diabetic. Joe and I are diabetic. Joe diagnosed in his late 50’s, and I was diagnosed in my mid 60’s. Joe uses insulin injection, but I use pill form treatment. We both have the disease under control. Diet, naturally, is most important, watching your carb intake & lots of veggies. It’s not too constrictive and exercise is also important. We both monitor our glucose, daily, to keep on top of things. You’ll get along well, I feel sure. And, Charlie’s youth is in his favor, as he’s certainly not sedentary, and diet is not too restrictive.

We’re both doing reasonably well, for being 75. No more hospitalizations for the past 2 years, so we feel blessed. we try to remain as active as possible. We are quite active in our church “The Family Church,” Joe walks our dog “Punkin” twice daily, does the upkeep of the pool, grass cutting, and we share household duties. The more we “move,” the better we feel.

Weather here, has finally become seasonal. Last winter, we set a record for the coldest winter. This past summer we broke a record for the “hottest” summer. Fall, has been very dry! These records are for the “birds.” We’ll stick around, and it will change!

Take care and keep in touch. We send our love to you Aunt Jo & Uncle Joe. “Punkin” sends a slobbery kiss.

Notes

The letter braids three family threads at once. It records Chuck’s July 2010 visit to Stanford and his “Best PhD Thesis” honor — and, touchingly, ties it back to Robert Earl Wildermuth’s own Stanford enrollment (his 1948 GI-Bill BA), grandfather and great-grandson on the same campus sixty years apart. It responds to the memorial service for Terrie’s mother Dorothy “Dot” Davis Wildermuth, praising “you 3 girls remembrances” — Terrie and her sisters. And it is a candid diabetes letter between generations, echoing the same concern that runs through Peggy’s 1971 note to Charlie. Jo and Joe had no children.

Source: Wildermuth Family of Marietta, Ohio (Wildermuth & Bain, 2005–2009), Haddox section.