Ruby Tuesday...Tilton Cousins

It's been awhile since I've made a Ruby Tuesday post.

But, since I'm gearing up for a visit from the inspiration to the namesake...of the post...I thought it was time for an update.

I have made a dent in scanning Grandma Fern's photos.
With every photo I scan, I seem to find 10 more questions to ask.
For someone who can close her eyes and tell you every single piece of furniture in her little red house, I sure have a lot of questions about her parents and her brothers and sisters.

Uncle Guy is 2nd from the right

Aunt Ida is 2nd from the left

The one I probably know the least about his her brother, Guy Tilton.

Guy Tilton - Taken in War I

Guy was the second oldest of all the siblings.

Guy was married to Ida Kimmet.
As far as I know they lived in Lowell.
Uncle Guy died in 1963.
Ida lived until 1973.
They are both buried in the Lowell Cemetery.

They had two kids >
John and Lucille (Spiegel) Tilton.

Lucille (Tilton) Spiegel 

When I visited Ruby back in 2009, she told me that she and Lucille wrote letters back and forth and that Lucille used to live in Hammond, but was now living in Wisconsin near her sons.
I filed that information away...thinking...if I want to know about Uncle Guy, what better source to ask than his daughter?

So, since that visit, Lucille has been on my list of people to meet.
The list is fairly long...but as many people on this list are in or close to 90...
the list unfortunately grows shorter with each year that passes by.

Fast forward a little more.
Last year Ruby sent me a picture of Lucille and her family.
It is a large family!!
She told me that Lucille wasn't able to write anymore, but her son, Tom, answers her letters for her.

That is when I started to think about making a plan to get these cousins back together.

Fast forward to this spring.
When Ruby started talking about a visit in the fall.
I just decided...
it is really now or never.
I used the wonderful internet to google Lucille's son's info and double checked it with Ruby and asked if she was up for an adventure...

I picked up the phone and called Tom, my cousin that I'm pretty sure I've never met.
After assuring his wife I wasn't a telemarketer and finding out that their kids are my neighbors in Indianapolis (!!) we started making the plan.

So, this Friday, Ruby will fly into Milwaukee.
I will pick her up and from there we will drive to Green Bay to spend the day with Lucille and her family.

It may be crazy.
It may not turn out how I hope...
But I have a feeling Fern and her brother Guy will look down and approve.
I can't think of a better way to honor their memory...and make some new ones along the way.


Directions to here:

The only thing better, would be having THREE cousins together.
Aunt Gladys I wish you could come!