Chris
Biography
Carol estimates Chris was about five years old when Chris accidentally locked her outside. Chris and Carol were living with Mom. Baptized and confirmed at Calvary Lutheran Church; relationship to Carol is not explicitly stated. Lived with the narrator and Charlie in Germany. Got lost at Tivoli Gardens at age ten. Was five when his parents divorced. Carol calls him the sunshine of her life and says he has always made her and Charlie proud. Played soccer and football and learned to ski. Education also recorded as “Coolidge Junior High School; senior at Moline Senior High School in 1985; graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1989 with a Bachelor's degree in English and minors in music and sociology.” (Carol's Chapter). Learned soccer on playgrounds in Germany, joined Moline Soccer Club, and captained Moline Senior High School's first soccer team. Played guitar in a college band. Released Where Have I Been All My Life, organized an Easter Seals Benefit CD, helped young bands, and compiled Guild Family Recipes Remembered. Taken in with Carol after her divorce. Described in 1979 as the son of Carol and Charlie. Taken in with Carol after her divorce. With Carol and Charlie in Mainz when Ethel visited in 1979; the group is described as stationed there with the Army.
Timeline
January 27, 1967
Chris is born
Carol's Chapter1972
Carol and Don divorce
After seven years of marriage; Carol was thirty-three and Chris five.
Carol's Chapter1979
Ethel's cherished European holiday
Bernie sent Ethel to Germany to visit Carol's family, then joined them. They toured Germany and Denmark in a huge government-issued Mercedes.
History of the Guild Family1979
Ethel’s dream trip to Europe
Bernie sent her to visit family stationed in Mainz with the Army, joined her, and traveled with the group to Denmark in a government-issued Mercedes.
History of the Guild Familysenior year, 1985
Captain of Moline Senior High School's first soccer team
Chris played on and captained the school's first soccer team.
Carol's Chapter1989
Chris graduates from Northern Illinois University
Completed a Bachelor's degree in English with minors in music and sociology in four years.
Carol's ChapterJuly of 1997
Chris starts SMEC
Founded his record company, SMEC (Slow Moving Earth Creature).
Carol's ChapterJuly 10, 1999
Guild Family Recipes Remembered presented at the reunion
The cookbook Chris compiled, preserving Mom's recipes as remembered by the family, was presented at the Guild Family Reunion.
Carol's ChapterWinter, when Chris was about five years old
Chris accidentally locks Carol outside in winter
While living with Mom, Carol stepped outside barefoot in a thin housecoat to shake a rug. Chris accidentally locked the door. Mr. Sajben helped her back inside using the skeleton key to his own house.
Carol's Chapterdate not given
Chris's baptism and confirmation
Chris was baptized and confirmed at Calvary; dates are not stated.
Carol's ChapterThree months, when Carol, Charlie, and Chris lived in Germany
Mom's three-month visit to Germany
Mom visited for three months. Bernie visited during her stay, and the group traveled throughout Germany, Denmark, and Holland.
Carol's ChapterWhen Chris was ten
Chris gets lost at Tivoli Gardens
Chris got lost during the family's visit to Tivoli Gardens.
Carol's ChapterAfter the 1972 divorce
Carol and Chris move in with Mom
Moved in with Carol's Mom.
Carol's ChapterDuring the years in Germany
Chris attends Mainz American Community School
Chris learned German, played soccer and football, and learned to ski.
Carol's Chapterdate not given
A home in the Coolidge school district
Carol chose the district so Chris could attend the same schools she had attended. Nearby boys became his lifelong friends.
Carol's Chapter7th grade; thirteen years old
Chris's memorable field goal
While playing for the undefeated Coolidge Chiefs football team, Chris kicked what the passage calls the fourth longest field goal in Quad-City football history, twenty-three yards.
Carol's ChapterDuring college
Chris's first band performance
His first show was in front of three hundred people and deepened his enthusiasm for performing.
Carol's Chapterdate not given
Chris releases his first full-length CD
Released Where Have I Been All My Life.
Carol's ChapterAfter Carol's divorce
Ethel welcomes Carol and Chris
Ethel took them in after her children had left and Floyd had died.
History of the Guild FamilyAfter all the children had left and Floyd had died
Ethel welcomes family after divorces
Took in Carol and Chris after Carol’s divorce, then Dee and Susy after Dee’s divorce.
History of the Guild Family
Stories mentioning Chris
- Open Doors and a Winter Skeleton-Key RescueCarol recalls leaving doors unlocked in the early years, opening the front door for summer breezes, and hanging flypaper to catch the flies that entered. Later, the family used a skeleton key. One snowy winter morning, while Mom was visiting Diana in Florida, Carol stepped outside barefoot in a thin housecoat to shake a rug. Chris, whom Carol estimates was about five, slammed the door and accidentally locked it. Unable to get back inside, Carol sought help at the Sajbens. Mr. Sajben opened her door with his own skeleton key and joked that it would probably open every door on the street.
- Chris, the Sunshine of Carol's LifeCarol recalls her 1965 marriage to Donald M. Boney, Chris's birth in 1967, and the joy her son brought her. After the 1972 divorce, she and Chris moved in with her Mom. She remembers Don as a supportive father, recounts his Navy Corpsman service and decorations, and records his death after years of cancer.
- Happy Years in the Rhine River ValleyCarol remembers life in Ingelheim as the happiest time of her life. She and Charlie worked at neighboring military units, while Chris attended school, learned German, and enjoyed sports. Her memories include skiing, castles, the Fasching Parade, wine festivals, weekend markets, European vacations, and visits and touring with Mom and Bernie.
- Chris: Backyard Friendships, Soccer, and a Life in MusicCarol's determination to live in the Coolidge school district placed Chris near three boys who became lifelong friends. His enthusiasm for soccer led to memorable football kicks and the captaincy of Moline Senior High School's first soccer team. At Northern Illinois University, he turned toward guitar and a college band while earning his degree. He later released a CD, founded a record company, supported local musicians, wrote music journalism, and compiled a family recipe book presented at the 1999 reunion.
- A Lifetime of Faith at CalvaryCarol recalls riding the Sunday school bus to Calvary Lutheran Church as a young child. Her father never attended church, but her mother joined after his death and worshipped with Carol every Sunday until she died. Carol participated extensively in church life through teaching, singing, office work, groups, and council service. She was baptized and confirmed there at fifteen on May 16, 1954, married her first husband Don Boney there, and recalls Chris's baptism and confirmation there. She describes over fifty years of membership before transferring to a church in North Port, Florida, in 1995.
- Three Wonderful Months Together in EuropeMom spent three months visiting Carol, Charlie, and Chris in Germany, a highlight of her life. Bernie also visited, and the group traveled throughout Germany, Denmark, and Holland. Favorite stops included Anne Frank's house and hideaway in Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum with Rembrandt's Night Watch, Tivoli Gardens where ten-year-old Chris got lost, The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, and Hans Christian Andersen's home and the Museum in Odense, Denmark.
- Brownie’s Dancing Days and a Lifetime of MotheringDespite grief at home and being refused a college education, Ethel found happiness in friends, dancing, and work. Mary Hill introduced her to Floyd, whom she married in 1928. Together they raised seven children, while Ethel survived a serious goiter and worked several jobs. In widowhood she enjoyed crafts, cards, grandchildren, and travel, including a cherished 1979 European holiday funded by Bernie. She died during a visit to Diana in 1988, remembered for her unqualified love.
- Cards, Christmas Ornaments, and a Long-Awaited European JourneyWidowed Ethel maintained a full life of handcrafts, Christmas ornament making, evening cards and helping family members after divorces. She visited Diana in Florida annually. In 1979 Bernie fulfilled her dream of Europe with a visit to Carol, Charlie and Chris in Mainz and a family trip to Denmark. Ethel died during her 1988 Florida visit and was buried beside Floyd, with an incorrect birth year on her headstone that had never troubled her.
Referenced in
- Carol's Chapter — WALK RIGHT IN
- Carol's Chapter — CHURCH
- Carol's Chapter — OTHER THINGS I REMEMBER ABOUT MOM
- Carol's Chapter — LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
- Carol's Chapter — GERMANY
- Carol's Chapter — CHRIS
- History of the Guild Family — ETHEL KATHERINE WILLIAMS
- History of the Guild Family — ETHEL KATHERINE WILLIAMS
Family corrections
Notes sent in by the family and approved on review. They sit alongside the original record — the book's wording is never changed.
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