From Pudge to Gramma Dee

The third daughter. The fifth child.

ON NOVEMBER FIRST, NINETEEN FORTY, at Moline Public Hospital, Ethel and Floyd Guild gave birth to a baby girl and their fifth child of seven. I weighed a little over seven pounds. My mom named me Delores Ann despite my dad’s desire to name all the children after his brothers and sisters. Grampa Williams nicknamed me “Pudge.” I don’t know exactly why. I am told by my brother, Bernie, who was barely old enough to remember, that it was because I had pudgy cheeks and deep dimples as a toddler. Daddy nicknamed me “Sputnik” after the first satellite in space. Now, my two grandchildren, Bryce Elizabeth and Annah Lucille, just call me Gramma Dee. I think this name suits me best of all. Having been asked to recall my youth, I find my past is all very vague to me. Somehow, I don’t remember my childhood very well, although what I do remember comes with warm and happy feelings. I hope that through my memories, I can relate how much I love all of you, and how much I thank Ethel and Floyd Guild for giving me life. As I recount my life, I will try to remember the events that occurred; but more important than the events, as I retrieve a feeling from the past, I will try to reflect also on the personalities that lived them with me. Grampa Williams was very comfortable and loving. My dad (my buddy) was ingenious and loyal. My mom was compassionate and kind and very patient. My sister Iris: affectionate and beautiful; my brother, Bernie: worldly, proud, adventurous; my brother, Bob: fun-loving and caring; my big sister, Carol: friendly and understanding; my younger sister Diana: intelligent, very social and courageous; and my baby sister, Barb: funny and easygoing. Iris, Bernie, Bob, Carol, Diana, and Barb. Two brothers and four sisters that I love and adore with all of my heart. We are all alike and yet so individual. I know I couldn’t have picked a better bunch of people to love if I had tried. But the feeling that overshadows the love and adoration I feel for this family is a sense of pride. I am proud to be a part of the beauty of this family. A work of art composed by Ethel and Floyd Guild, portrayed by the children in which their love resides.