Delores Ann Guild Comstock

known as Dee, Pudge, Sputnik, Gramma Dee

also written Delores Ann, Pudge, Sputnik, Gramma Dee, Delores, Baby Delores, Delores Ann Guild Comstock backstop, Dee in the book

Biography

Third daughter and fifth child of seven; weighed a little over seven pounds at birth. Her mother chose Delores Ann despite her father's wish to name the children after his siblings. Grampa Williams called her Pudge; Bernie said this was because of her pudgy cheeks and deep dimples as a toddler. Her father called her Sputnik after the first satellite in space. Grandchildren Bryce Elizabeth and Annah Lucille call her Gramma Dee. Narrator of the chapter. Fifth child in the stated birth order. Secretly felt she was Daddy’s favorite girl. Spent hours watching him work in his shed and helping shell popcorn and pick walnut meats in the basement. Attributes her handiness, patience, and perfectionism to her upbringing. Chapter narrator. Recalled lunches with Mom at Lagomarcino’s, wearing a straight bob or banana curls, and refusing to go to school after a home perm made her hair too curly. Narrator of the chapter. Remembers plucking chickens, Sunday meals, household chores, and finding mouse droppings among hand-me-down clothes in the attic. Narrator of Dee's Chapter. Recalled having her hand and arm pulled through the laundry ringer while helping Mom; Mom quickly released its top, and she was more startled than hurt. Chapter narrator. Recalls playing Canasta with Mrs. Nicholson, family games, and watching her parents play poker. Narrator of Dee's Chapter; recalls childhood Saturday routines. Parents are referred to only as Dad and Mom. Narrator of Dee's Chapter; recalls Mom's annual spring cleaning. Narrator of the chapter; recalls Mom sewing clothing for the girls. Narrator of Dee's Chapter. Recalls eating an apple butter sandwich every day after school. Narrator of the chapter. Continued the Christmas stocking fruit tradition with her daughter and grandchildren. Her parents are referred to only as Mom, Dad, and Daddy in this passage. Occupation also recorded as “Hairdresser in her own salon” (Dee's Chapter). Narrator. Says she married and had a child and later refers to her daughter, without naming her. Collected natural materials with Carol and Mom for Mom's crafts. After Daddy died, took Mom on Tuesday outings for hair appointments, lunch, banking, and grocery shopping. Narrator. Grampa called her “Pudge” because of her dimpled, baby-fat cheeks. She remembers sitting on his lap and swinging on his leg. She was at home when he suffered a fatal heart attack. Education also recorded as “Attended junior high school; recalls receiving an oral polio vaccine there.” (Dee's Chapter). Narrator of the chapter. Recalls childhood quarantine, preventive medicines, vaccinations, tonsil removal, and painful dental care that made dental visits difficult in adulthood. Education also recorded as “Attended kindergarten at Roosevelt school; recalls clothing worn on the first day of her freshman year.” (Dee's Chapter). Narrator. Names Annah as her youngest granddaughter and Bryce as another granddaughter. Recalls a first ear operation, fear of large dogs, being bitten by Hannah’s dog, and a lifelong dislike of arguing. Pat McFarland was her best friend. Education also recorded as “Received speech lessons in first grade; attended a special school for the hearing-impaired for one school year beginning in fourth grade, then returned to regular school. Missed school during ear treatment and repeated fifth grade.” (Dee's Chapter). Born with a deformed left ear without an ear-canal opening or eardrum. Reports subsequent significant hearing loss in her right ear from the strain of hearing for both ears. Underwent reconstructive surgery at about eleven and received her first hearing aid at twelve. Daddy nicknamed her “Sputnik.” Diana helped her accept her hearing impairment. Occupation also recorded as “Sold flower seeds door to door, babysat, and worked summers at the Tasty Treat root beer stand; describes a rewarding career following beauty school.” (Dee's Chapter). Education also recorded as “Graduated from the newly built Moline High School in 1959; an average student with straight A’s in art. Won a three-hundred-dollar scholarship and enrolled at Hurley’s Beauty School.” (Dee's Chapter). Member of the Peppy Steppers 4-H club. Describes being shy in junior high, enjoying school dances, and having her first crush on Merle Ericson as a sophomore. Mentions an unnamed daughter. Credits Mom’s creativity and Dad’s ingenuity. Occupation also recorded as “Hairdresser; founder of Dee’s Beauty Salon” (Dee's Chapter). Education also recorded as “Graduated from Hurley’s six months later; the reference point is not given in this passage.” (Dee's Chapter). Describes thirty-five years of hairdressing. Married to Ernie for thirteen years and divorced February 4, 1977; had not remarried at the time of writing. Grandmother of Annah and Bryce. Enjoys gardening, 'junking,' making costumes for her granddaughters, and restoring antique furniture. Narrator. Was two years old when the family moved into the house. Recalls climbing orchard trees, owning a black-and-white rabbit, and spending time with her father in his workshed. Later worked to preserve the house and landscaped the yard with her daughter. Narrator of Dee's Chapter. Expresses a philosophy of seeing people as spirits, bringing others happiness, and loving and helping family members through life's difficulties. Identified as the chapter's narrator; signs this tribute to her unnamed mother and father as “Your daughter, Delores.” Identified as the chapter narrator. Signs the tribute 'Love you, Dee' and compares Barbara to 'our mom.' Identified as the chapter's teller; signs the poem to Diana 'With Love, Dee.' Recalls shared games and values their conversations. Author of the tribute to Carol. She and Carol cared for their mother in her later years. The sisters now live miles apart. Identified as the teller of Dee's Chapter; signs the tribute to Bob 'Love, Dee.' Author of the poem signed "With love, Dee," describing a visit to her brother Bernie in San Francisco. Chapter narrator and author of the tribute to Iris, signed “Love, Dee.” occupation also recorded as “Summer employee at Tasty Treat drive-in.” in the book. education also recorded as “Attended beauty school; Diana was her first customer.” in the book. Merlin visited her in Moline. She told Barbara to watch for Merlin's habit of placing his finger by his nose, like Daddy. Slept on a roll away bed in the living room. Fixed and sometimes cut Barbara’s hair before school. Described as next to Barbara on her staircase. Suggested writing names on the garage with charcoal. Enjoyed Canasta and 500 Rummy; described as a sweet playmate and peacekeeper. Hid under an army blanket to enter the Milan drive-in free. Saved the most tomato-sale money and held it longest. Some evergreen trees planted by Diana remain in Dee’s yard. Inseparable from Carol as a child. Did Carol's hair for thirty-five years. Carol describes feeling almost as though Dee were her twin; their actual relationship is not explicitly stated. Sat with Carol and Diana on the bench at the meal table. Was left doing the Sunday dishes with the narrator while Bob snapped towels at them. Secretly arranged for a friend to refurbish Carol's childhood doll and surprised Carol with it on her birthday about 1986. Her relationship to Carol is not stated. Attended White Eagle 4-H Camp with Carol and Eilene Peterson. Carol's mother made halter tops for all three. Devoted her Tuesday day off to Mom, shampooing and setting her hair, taking her to lunch, shopping, and running errands. The family home is described as “now Dee’s house.” Played Jacks with Carol and Diana. The passage does not explicitly identify Dee as Delores. Ethel took in Dee and Susy after Dee's divorce. Not explicitly equated with another named person. Ethel took in Dee and Susy after Dee’s divorce. Not explicitly equated with another named person. One of the sisters Barbara asked to see for comfort in Kindergarten. Born after Carol. Shared the living-room couch bed with Carol and Diana. Listed among the family members; age 21 on the day of the photographs. Mommy goes away and returns with Baby Delores; Daddy comes home with ice cream. Had the narrator draw Hopscotch court patterns in chalk on the sidewalk or with a stick in the dirt. Initially thought to be stubborn and disobedient. Discovery of her hearing problem brought relief and regret over the scolding she had received. Listed between Carol and Diana in birth order, with births described as about eighteen months apart. One of Ed's favorite grandchildren. Passage does not explicitly identify her as Dee. One of Ed’s favorite grandchildren. The passage does not explicitly identify Dee as Delores.

Timeline

November 1, 1940
Birth of DELORES ANN GUILD COMSTOCK
The Guilds
NOVEMBER FIRST, NINETEEN FORTY
Birth of Delores Ann
Born the third daughter and fifth child of seven, weighing a little over seven pounds. Her mother named her Delores Ann.
Dee's Chapter
1949
Diana’s leg operation and the first television
Mom and Dad went to Chicago for Diana’s leg operation and returned with the family’s first black-and-white TV.
Dee's Chapter
1959
Graduation from the new Moline High School
Attended the newly built school during her senior year and graduated as an average student with straight A’s in art.
Dee's Chapter
Contest entered during the later part of senior year; award discovered after graduation
Winning essay and beauty school enrollment
Won a three-hundred-dollar scholarship for an essay about expressing artistic ability through hair design. Initially describes composing it with Diana’s help, then credits Diana with writing it. Discovered the award notice among stored papers and enrolled.
Dee's Chapter
February 4, 1977
Divorce from Ernie
The narrator describes her bubble bursting and says she had not remarried at the time of writing.
Dee's Chapter
About 1986, on Carol's birthday
Dee surprises Carol with her restored doll
Dee secretly had a friend refurbish the doll, then put it on a stand and gave it to Carol as a birthday surprise.
Carol's Chapter
Just before the 1996 Normal visit
Merlin visits Dee
Barbara's Chapter
date not given
Barbara starts Kindergarten
Barbara cried daily and asked for her sisters to comfort her before eventually adjusting.
Barbara's Chapter
date not given
Daddy names Delores Sputnik
Floyd gave the narrator the nickname Sputnik in the shed where she spent hours watching him work.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
A cherished western hunting trip
Floyd went deer hunting, shot an elk, brought it home, and had it dressed out. Ethel would have nothing to do with it; Delores never knew what happened to the meat.
Dee's Chapter
Days later, after Dad insisted on seeing Bill
A deathbed request to care for Ethel
Bill visited Floyd, who wanted to make sure he would “take care of Ethel.” Delores admired her father’s devotion to her mother.
Dee's Chapter
As the girls were growing up
An entire day of Toni home perms
Mom and Virginia gave the girls Toni home perms. The narrator refused to attend school the following day because her hair was too curly.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
A frightening laundry ringer accident
While helping Mom guide clothes through the ringer, the narrator's hand and arm were pulled through. Mom released the top very quickly; the narrator recalled being more startled than hurt.
Dee's Chapter
During the narrator's junior high years
Bob's first car becomes a ride to school
The narrator and other children walked to junior high until Bob got his first car and drove them.
Dee's Chapter
Fridays
Friday shopping and poker routine
Housecleaning and family grocery shopping preceded a pancake, bacon, and egg supper and poker with company, usually the Cordinglys.
Dee's Chapter
Sometimes, on Saturday afternoons
Saturday afternoon double features
The family went to movies, usually double features; Dad provided thirty-five cents for a movie and snack.
Dee's Chapter
Saturday nights
Saturday bath night
Mom bathed the children in a gray metal tub, tended their nails, and shampooed and curled their hair in preparation for Sunday School.
Dee's Chapter
Saturday nights; hot summer nights
Saturday snacks and summer sleeping arrangements
Mom made buttered, salted popcorn or fudge after baths. In summer heat, the children slept on a white sheet on the living room rug with a fan blowing.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
Christmas stocking fruit tradition passed down
The narrator continued Daddy's stocking orange tradition with her daughter and grandchildren, adding an apple, an orange, and a walnut, and perhaps black coal in memory of her Dad.
Dee's Chapter
Early childhood
Charcoal names on the garage lead to punishment
Dee, Barb, and Diana wrote names on the garage, then threw rocks and a brick at Carol after she threatened punishment. Their father spanked them and made them clean the garage.
Diana's Chapter
When Dee went to beauty school
Dee practices beauty-school skills on Diana
Diana was Dee’s first customer and recalls that Dee wrecked her hair.
Diana's Chapter
High school
Diana plants a flower garden
Wanting to beautify the house, Diana planted a garden her father tilled behind the garage. Mrs. Rohrer supplied perennial starts. Tiny mail-order evergreen starts mostly survived; some remained in Dee’s yard.
Diana's Chapter
After Iris was married
Christmas Eve gatherings at Iris's larger home
The growing family celebrated Christmas Eve at Iris's house because it was bigger. The narrator remembers presents piled up to the ceiling.
Dee's Chapter
Every year at Easter
Family Easter traditions
Egg coloring and hunts, new Sunday clothes, Sunday school, and a large homemade dinner.
Dee's Chapter
After Dad died
Gathering materials for Mom's crafts
The narrator and Carol took the children nature hunting with Mom to collect pine cones, acorns, nuts, and other materials for her Nature Trees.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
The narrator's marriage
The narrator says she married and had a child; her spouse is not named.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
The narrator worked in her salon
Worked as a hairdresser in her own salon.
Dee's Chapter
Tuesdays and Saturdays, after Daddy died
Weekly care and lunches with Mom
The narrator took Mom for hair appointments and errands on Tuesdays; Carol handled errands on Saturdays. Mom treated each to lunch.
Dee's Chapter
Sunday
Grampa's sudden heart attack
Grampa collapsed in the hallway from a massive heart attack and died immediately. Delores was at home and watched in panic as the ambulance took him away.
Dee's Chapter
when Barbara was just a baby
Barbara's scarlet fever and household quarantine
Health inspectors posted a red QUARANTINE sign on the house. The narrator recalls preventive medicine and thinks Daddy stayed elsewhere because he needed to work.
Dee's Chapter
In junior high school
Oral polio vaccination at junior high school
Students lined up at tables in the gymnasium to receive an oral polio vaccine.
Dee's Chapter
before we started school
Smallpox vaccination before starting school
The narrator recalls required smallpox vaccinations that left scars, which she compared with friends.
Dee's Chapter
One day
Children's same-day tonsil removals
The children went to the hospital together and had their tonsils removed by Dr. Menton, one by one, without needing to be sick.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
Painful childhood dental treatment
Following school dental checks, Mom selected a dentist whose rough and painful treatment contributed to the narrator's difficulty seeking dental care as an adult.
Dee's Chapter
When the narrator was two or three years old
Punishment for peeling airplane wallpaper
After she peeled wallpaper during a nap, Mom turned her highchair away from the dinner table and did not let her eat dinner.
Dee's Chapter
When the narrator was about six or seven
A frightening first memory of The Wizard of Oz
Virginia drove the children to the movie. Frightened by the Wicked Witch, the narrator later slept between Virginia and Dale.
Dee's Chapter
Childhood
Virginia’s ketchup prank
Virginia put ketchup on the narrator’s arm so she could pretend to be bleeding; the children laughed when they discovered the joke.
Dee's Chapter
The narrator’s first ear operation
Paper dolls during the first ear operation
Iris bought the narrator especially beautiful paper dolls.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
Learning to bicycle with a new leg
The children taught “Diana Banana” to ride a bicycle with her new leg.
Dee's Chapter
Childhood
A dog bite on the way to Colleen’s
Hannah’s dog bit the narrator while she was riding the family bicycle to Colleen’s house.
Dee's Chapter
After years of attic storage
Diana’s discarded violin finds another player
Mom discarded the warped violin. Mr. Sajben retrieved and repaired it; his unnamed son learned on it and played it for years. The Sajbens had moved before Margie told the narrator.
Dee's Chapter
Summers during childhood; Fourth of July
Summer drive-ins and Fourth of July fireworks
The family brought a blue roaster full of popcorn. Some children sometimes hid to avoid admission charges. Fourth of July visits included fireworks, sparklers, and caps.
Dee's Chapter
The summer the narrator was thirteen
A Chicago museum visit and a new school outfit
Dad took the family to the Museum of Art and Science and shopping in The Loop. The narrator bought a fruit-patterned circle skirt and turquoise blouse that she wore on the first day of her freshman year.
Dee's Chapter
The next trip after Chicago
A visit to Clarence’s farm
Dad took the family to his brother Clarence’s farm. The narrator remembers tractor rides, fresh milk, feather beds, and relatives.
Dee's Chapter
First day of kindergarten and subsequent school days
Kindergarten tears and warm milk
The narrator cried before boarding the bus and again over warm milk at school, which she refused to drink. She carried a rug for naps and remembers her teacher playing piano.
Dee's Chapter
In first grade
First-grade speech lessons
Received lessons to pronounce her “Rs” and “Ss” more clearly.
Dee's Chapter
Beginning in fourth grade; one school year
A year at a school for the hearing-impaired
Attended a special school that mainly tried to teach her lip reading. Felt accepted there, but did not feel the instruction worked well for her, and returned to regular school.
Dee's Chapter
About eleven years old
Reconstructive ear surgery
Her parents took her to Dr. Williamson, who used skin from both legs to reconstruct her deformed ear and implanted an eardrum. Surgery partially restored hearing.
Dee's Chapter
Following ear treatment
Repeating fifth grade
Missed substantial school because of her ear treatment and was held back a year.
Dee's Chapter
In fifth grade
Note-passing punishment reduced
A class vote imposed five thousand written repetitions of “I will not pass notes.” Her mother spoke with Mrs. Plumly and had the punishment reduced to five hundred.
Dee's Chapter
Twelve years old
Hearing the world with her first hearing aid
After being fitted with her first hearing aid, Delores cried on hearing family conversations, birds, crickets, and locust. The concealable aid prompted Daddy to nickname her “Sputnik.”
Dee's Chapter
During my teenage years
Peppy Steppers 4-H activities
Learned fringed tablecloth and napkin making, flower arranging, and full circle skirt making.
Dee's Chapter
my very first endeavor
Selling flower seeds for bedroom lamps
Sold flower seeds door to door from a catalog and earned enough to buy two lamps.
Dee's Chapter
when I was about nine
Iris’s wedding
Dee recalls Iris’s beauty and emerald wedding ring; Iris went to Ruth and Tom Johnson’s to bathe.
Dee's Chapter
I must have been in junior high school
A frightening evening babysitting for Iris
Frightened by noises and the large windows overlooking a yard and ravine, Dee closed the drapes and sat with a knife hidden under a sofa cushion. She thinks she babysat for Iris only once.
Dee's Chapter
My junior and senior year
Summer work at Tasty Treat
Dee worked summers and enjoyed unlimited root beer in frosty mugs. Carol worked there briefly.
Dee's Chapter
With our very first paychecks
Pooling first paychecks to redecorate
Bought twin beds with Hollywood frames, turquoise corduroy bedspreads with rolled pillows, a swag lamp, and a round rug. Mom made matching checked gingham curtains.
Dee's Chapter
My very first patron in beauty school
First beauty school patron requests pin curls
Despite learning modern roller setting, Dee accommodated a patron’s insistence on pin curls. The pleased patron made another appointment.
Dee's Chapter
six months later
Graduation from Hurley’s
The starting point for the six-month interval is not stated in this passage.
Dee's Chapter
After graduating from Hurley’s
First hairdressing job at the Powder Puff
Mostly shampooed hair until she established her own clientele.
Dee's Chapter
With her first hairdresser paycheck
A red sweater bought with the first paycheck
Purchased a red turtleneck made from a new synthetic material; still owned and wore it at the time of writing.
Dee's Chapter
Married for thirteen years
Marriage to Ernie Comstock
Their married life included motorcycles, traveling, Susy’s dancing, and the beauty salon.
Dee's Chapter
After marrying Ernie
Opening Dee’s Beauty Salon
Established Dee’s Beauty Salon and describes immediate success; connects the salon name to her nickname, Dee.
Dee's Chapter
When the narrator was two years old
Moving into the four-room family house
Eight family members moved into a four-room house with an acre of land. Diana and Barb were born afterward.
Dee's Chapter
By the time of writing
Preserving the house with new siding
With help from her brothers and sisters, the narrator had new siding put on the house. Contractors removed speckled green asphalt siding; the house now has white vinyl siding and hunter-green shutters.
Dee's Chapter
By the time of writing
Landscaping a bird and butterfly sanctuary
Mother and daughter landscaped the entire yard by hand and were adding butterfly-attracting flowers and shrubs. Tagging Monarchs and following their migration to Mexico was a hope for the next season, not a completed activity.
Dee's Chapter
in her later years
Sisters care for their mother
Dee and Carol cared for their mother, providing steady support and bringing her cheer through visits and talks.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
Dee visits Bernie in San Francisco
Dee visits her brother's Victorian home, enjoys his conversation and an outing to an old-time ice cream parlor, and leaves by trolley car.
Dee's Chapter
date not given
Camping at White Eagle 4-H Camp
A week of rustic camping with tents, river swimming, crafts, campfire songs, and S’mores. It rained all week.
Carol's Chapter
Summer between her junior and senior years in high school
Carol’s first part-time job at Tasty Treat
Mrs. Poston cooked and Carol delivered food on trays hooked to car windows. Carol says they made about seventy dollars plus tips that summer.
Carol's Chapter
Every Tuesday
Dee makes Mom “Queen for a Day”
On her day off, Dee shampooed and set Mom's hair, took her to lunch, and accompanied her shopping and on errands.
Carol's Chapter
At Christmas; on Carol’s 23rd birthday
Family portraits during Bernie's Christmas visit
Bernie photographed the family with a borrowed Leica camera against orange and green fabric in the girls’ bedroom.
Carol's Chapter
Later that day
Carol’s 23rd birthday celebration
The family celebrated Carol’s 23rd birthday after the portrait session.
Carol's Chapter
Almost immediately after the purchase and over the years
Making the small house into a lasting home
Dad raised the house and built a basement, chimney, and water system, then enlarged the kitchen and added bedrooms and indoor plumbing. Bob and the narrator helped a little with the bedrooms; Grampa is remembered helping with the early garden and basement work. Later came green asphalt siding, a new garage, and a work shed. The chicken coop became a playhouse. By the telling, the home was Dee’s and had white siding again with forest-green shutters.
Bernie's Chapter
During Delores's childhood
Delores's hearing problem is discovered
The discovery explained behavior previously regarded as stubbornness. The family was happy to understand but regretted the scolding Delores had received.
Iris's Chapter
After Dee's divorce
Ethel welcomes Dee and Susy
Took them in after previously taking in Carol and Chris.
History of the Guild Family
High school years
The sisters sell garden tomatoes
The four girls picked and shined tomatoes, which their father took them to sell at a store’s produce department. They kept earnings in separate kitchen containers; Dee saved the most.
Diana's Chapter
date not given
Mommy comes home with Baby Delores
Mommy goes away and returns with Baby Delores; Daddy returns with ice cream.
Bernie's Chapter
After 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 Delores

Referenced in

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