Virginia McFarland
also written Virginia in the book
Biography
Mom's best friend and closest neighbor. Helped make the house presentable before the doctor arrived. Hosted the narrator and other children, drove them to The Wizard of Oz, and helped stage a ketchup prank. Virginia and Dale let the frightened narrator sleep between them after the movie; their relationship is not stated. Told Carol that Iris could handle the canner like a pro. Later told Carol about Fluffy's death and about seeing the cat use a potty-chair while visiting Mom. Took Carol and other girls to see the Wizard of Oz and had to take them home when the witches frightened them. Worked with Ethel on election day. Described as a “Slavic knockout,” gorgeous, with thick dark reddish-brown hair, a perfect figure and flashing eyes; very animated and fun-loving, with a devilish laugh. Barbara was told Virginia had to carry her out of The Wizard of Oz after she began crying. Carol fell in her garden; Virginia took Carol to the hospital. Helped Mom give the girls Toni home perms. Did Mom’s ironing while Mom sewed. Sought Mrs. Hannah's help and held Carol with a towel around her injured leg during the drive to the doctor. Recognized the supposed piece of flesh as a piece of strawberry. Did Carol's mother's ironing while Carol's mother sewed for Virginia's girls; the girls are not explicitly identified. One of the McFarlands, the family's next-door neighbors and closest friends. Helped Carol's mother with housework, ironing, and childcare. She and Carol's mother were charter members of a 500 Card Club started in 1948 and belonged for over forty years. Came every day to help care for Daddy at home after his stroke. Mentioned in the recollection of the McFarlands. Like a second mom to the narrator and remembered as a laugher. Helped Mom obtain and prepare food for the garage raising on short notice. Skeptical about attendance and never intimidated by Floyd Guild.
Timeline
1948
500 Card Club founded
Virginia and Carol's mother were charter members and belonged to the same club for over forty years.
Carol's Chapter1952
The McFarlands moved into town
Carol was about fourteen. The town is not named.
Carol's ChapterAfter the stroke and before May 23, 1968
Family care at home and the search for a suitable hospital
The family rejected St. Anthony’s Hospital in Rock Island because of smoking patients and Daddy's breathing difficulty. Mom cared for him at home with help from the girls and daily help from Virginia. Exhaustion and a lack of suitable alternatives eventually led to his placement at East Moline State Hospital.
Carol's Chapter1996
Virginia passed away
Carol describes her death as a very sad day, having loved Virginia as if she were a favorite aunt.
Carol's Chapterdate not given
A frightening first remembered movie
The Wizard of Oz was the first show Barbara remembers seeing. She cried when the wicked witch and monkeys appeared and was told Virginia carried her out.
Barbara's ChapterDiana’s very earliest memory
Carol injures her knee in the strawberry patch
Carol fell and cut her knee deeply. Virginia took her to the hospital; the girls, including the McFarland girls, screamed.
Diana's ChapterAs 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 ChapterWhen 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 ChapterChildhood
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 Chapterdate not given
Fluffy's disappearance and the later account of his death
Mom said Fluffy went into the woods to die of sickness and old age. Years later Virginia said he had distemper and Dale shot him after Daddy could not.
Carol's Chapteronce
A frightening showing of the Wizard of Oz
Virginia took the girls to the movie, but the witches frightened them into running to the concession area, and she took them home.
Carol's ChapterWhen Carol was about eight or nine years old
Carol's scooter accident and treatment
Carol cut her right knee on the sharp edge of her scooter. Barbara's double pneumonia kept Mom at home, so Virginia accompanied Carol while Mrs. Hannah drove to the doctor. Four clamps closed the wound. Afterward, the girls' discovery of supposed flesh proved to be a piece of strawberry.
Carol's Chapterelection day
Ethel helps voters on election day
Ethel phoned people to arrange rides to polling places and remind them to vote.
Carol's Chapterdate not given
Floyd Guild's garage raising
Neighbors built a garage in one day. Floyd promised a ham dinner and expected over twenty people; Mom received only one day's notice, and Virginia helped prepare the meal.
Bernie's Chapter
Stories mentioning Virginia
- Childhood Outings, Popcorn, and Sunday SandwichesBarbara recalls being told she got lost at Starved Rock Park when quite small. The family often walked to 41st Street to catch a bus downtown or to the library, and walked to the show in Highland. The Wizard of Oz frightened her, and she was told Virginia carried her out. Other pleasures included a huge pan of popcorn for the drive-in in Milan and Sunday nights making fried-egg sandwiches with ketchup and pickles with Diana while watching Lassie.
- The Everyday Care That Made a HomeBarbara gathers memories of Mom's familiar sayings, childhood in Dunseth at the foot of the Turtle Mountains, and skiing over fences to school with her brother. Mom treated colds with crushed aspirin, sugar and water, and Vicks covered with flannel. Before Dr. Menton's house calls, Virginia McFarland helped tidy the house. Spring cleaning and Saturday chores kept the home spotless despite the coal furnace. Barbara recalls a music box bird she thinks Bernie bought in Paris, Mom's treadle sewing machine, the girls' Peppy Steppers 4H projects, and handmade Easter outfits for Sunday School. She adopted Mom's red-ribbon suitcase custom. Jennifer passed along Gramma Guild's recollection of tonsil removal before telephone work, and Barbara remembers Mom's lifelong red hair.
- Strawberry Patches, Saturday Baths, and Childhood PlayDiana recalls Carol’s frightening knee injury, punishment for charcoal writing and throwing rocks, and fear during her mother’s pneumonia. She describes the small house before bedrooms and a bathroom were added, Saturday baths in kitchen tubs, outdoor games, dolls, jump rope, and Jacks. School memories include crying on her first day, health inspections, and a sixth-grade ribbon.
- Flour-Dusted Hands, Pretty Nails, and a Day of CurlsThe narrator remembers Mom’s full-time work at home, her habit of dusting off her hands after tasks, and her lasting pride in her appearance. Susy recalled how Mom displayed polished nails but concealed damaged ones. Mom taught the girls beauty tricks, and she and Virginia spent a whole day giving five girls home perms. The narrator refused school the next day because her hair was too curly, though she later loved curls.
- Mom’s Sewing and a Sewing Machine’s Second LifeMom sewed the girls’ school and Sunday school dresses, full circle skirts, shorts, and halter tops for Camp Shebonie, as well as sewing for the McFarlands. Virginia did Mom’s ironing while she sewed. Delores recalls Mom’s ease and speed at the pedal machine and humorously suggests it helped keep her legs and ankles trim. After Mom replaced her White sewing machine with an electric one and discarded it, Mrs. Poston rescued it and turned it into a marble-topped table for her restaurant, The Hasty Tasty, where the narrator says it remained at the time of telling.
- Jacks, Paper Dolls, and a Childhood Full of ImaginationDee remembers a happy childhood despite wartime film shortages and few toys. She recalls punishment for peeling airplane wallpaper, fear after The Wizard of Oz, Virginia’s ketchup prank, and endless games with Pat and neighborhood children. Paper dolls from Iris comforted her during an ear operation. Bicycle rides, a clubhouse, swings, and imaginative play filled the days, although large dogs frightened her and Hannah’s dog once bit her.
- A Scooter Scar and a Strawberry LaughCarol fell from her scooter near the strawberry patch and badly cut her right knee. With Mom unable to leave Barbara, who had double pneumonia, Virginia arranged for Mrs. Hannah to drive them to the doctor. Carol received four clamps and retained a visible scar. Back home, her sisters, Marilyn, and Patty claimed to have found flesh from her leg, but Virginia identified it as strawberry—a mistake they still laughed about.
- The Garden That Fed the FamilyThe orchard and garden supplied fruit, berries, and vegetables that Carol's mother preserved for winter, with help from Grandpa Williams and Iris. Carol recalls shelling peas, snapping beans, apple pies, and the sound of canning lids sealing. About 1950, she helped her father prepare tomatoes for sale to Sam Gnatovich at three dollars a bushel and kept the proceeds. Her father later sold the garden land to George and Evelyn Sajben. In later years, family members could not reproduce their mother's dill pickles and suspected her well water made the difference.
- Remembering Fluffy, the Family's White CatCarol remembers Fluffy as a big, fluffy white cat and the only family pet she recalled apart from Daddy's later canaries. Mom said the old, sick cat went into the woods to die. Years later Virginia McFarland told Carol that Fluffy had distemper: Daddy could not bring himself to shoot him, so Dale did. Virginia also recalled sharing coffee with Mom and hearing Fluffy using the children's potty-chair.
- Clothes Made with Care on Mom's Treadle MachineCarol remembers her mother's skill and industry in sewing childhood clothes on a White treadle sewing machine, including dresses, slips, pajamas, and coats. She especially loved an orange-and-white three-piece outfit made when she was in first or second grade. Her mother also sewed for Marilyn, Patty, and Iris' daughters and crocheted a baby dress for Linda. Virginia exchanged ironing for sewing for her girls. Mrs. Vandergeist sometimes helped with machine-made buttonholes, inspiring Carol's father to buy a button hole attachment. Carol does not remember her mother using flour sacks for clothing, although she notes that this was common in the Thirties and Forties. The family also wore hand-me-downs and used clothes from friends, with her mother reassuring her that they were fine to wear.
- Caring for Daddy Through His Last MonthsDaddy suffered a stroke on Christmas Eve, 1967. Not realizing its seriousness, the family went to Iris and Bill's while Mom stayed with him. After Mom called Iris to report that he was worse, Lee and Bob took him to the hospital. Following two weeks there, his agitation prompted a search for other care. The family rejected St. Anthony's Hospital in Rock Island because patients were smoking while Daddy struggled to breathe. Mom tried caring for him at home with help from the girls and daily visits from Virginia, but the burden became exhausting. He was eventually taken to East Moline State Hospital. He died at sixty-three on May 23, 1968, surrounded by Mom and all the children, and is buried next to Mom at Riverside Cemetery in Moline, Illinois.
- The Witches That Sent the Girls HomeVirginia McFarland once took Carol and other girls to see the Wizard of Oz. Frightened by the witches, the girls ran to the concession area, and Virginia had to take them home.
- Next-Door Friends and a Lifetime of KindnessCarol remembers the McFarlands as next-door neighbors and closest friends. She played daily with Marilyn and Patty and attended school with them through high school. Virginia and Carol's mother supported each other through hard times over coffee and cigarettes. Despite working outside the home, Virginia helped with housework, ironing, babysitting, and overnight stays, once washing the girls' hair outdoors with collected rainwater. The two women were charter members of a 500 Card Club founded in 1948 and belonged for over forty years. The McFarlands moved into town in 1952, and Pat later moved away when she married. Carol and Marilyn remained close. Carol recalls the losses of Dale in 1994, Virginia in 1996, and Marilyn's husband Bill in March 1998.
- Remembering Roosevelt and Getting Out the VoteEthel and Floyd were lifelong strong Democrats who admired Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. They listened to Roosevelt's Fireside Chats and trusted that the war would be won. Ethel mourned Roosevelt's death in April 1945, and the family kept his picture in the living room for years. She worked with Virginia McFarland and Mrs. Welander to arrange rides and remind people to vote, stayed informed about candidates and issues, and never missed voting.
- The Little House That Grew with the FamilyBernard remembers the small house on 39th Street that became the family's enduring home. He believes Mom secured the loan to move the children away from the river and railroad tracks. Dad gradually transformed the four-room house with a basement, furnace, well, enlarged kitchen, bedrooms, indoor plumbing, siding, garage, and work shed. Memories of moving day, Grampa's songs and knee rides, the McFarlands, and freedom to play convey the deep closeness of the family.
- A Garage Raising and a Last-Minute Ham DinnerFloyd Guild recruited neighbors for a garage raising, promising a ham dinner but telling Mom only the day before. Virginia helped assemble and prepare the food and jokingly warned Floyd that people had better come to eat it. The garage was successfully built in a day. George Rohrer, who helped, attempted the same thing a year later, but no one came—not even Daddy. George built alone, and Daddy later contrasted George's sagging roof with his own straight one.
Referenced in
- Barbara's Chapter — MEMORIES OF MOM
- Barbara's Chapter — NICKNAMES
- Diana's Chapter — FAMILY MEMORIES
- Dee's Chapter — DADDY
- Dee's Chapter — THE SEWING
- Dee's Chapter — SICK DAYS
- Carol's Chapter — HOME
- Carol's Chapter — THE STRAWBERRY
- Carol's Chapter — A PET
- Carol's Chapter — A STITCH IN TIME
- Carol's Chapter — THE SHOW
- Carol's Chapter — BEST NEIGHBORS. BEST FRIENDS.
- Carol's Chapter — MOM AND DAD
- Carol's Chapter — SOME OTHER THINGS I REMEMBER ABOUT DADDY
- Bernie's Chapter — THIRTY-TWO-O-NINE
- Bernie's Chapter — CARICATURES
- Bernie's Chapter — THE GARAGE
Family corrections
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