Introducing My Holtgrewe First Cousins

Back row: Me holding Diana Sue, Royce, Ron holding Sandy; Front row: Mike, Joe, Teresa, Donna Gail, and Gloria Jo. Missing is David, Heidi, Theo, Tom and Jeff not born yet.
To familiarize yourself with the relationships for my cousins, click on this link to a PDF file of the Holtgrewe Family Tree.
Images/cousins/Holtgrewe Cousin Chart.pdf
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During our childhood, Ron, Royce, and Teresa lived close to Lincoln. Our get-togethers were much more frequent. The other three uncles traveled more; however, when they did visit Lincoln, we had great family reunions. The table was always loaded with delicious food and it was crowded. All of the adults would be seated around the dining room table, the kids would be at a small table in the living room. After dinner, the women cleaned up, did the dishes and visited, the men played pinochle, us kids played.
Other Memory Tidbits
Royce and I were close to the same age and we had some great times at these reunions. One time we got hold of Grandma's curtain rods and pretended they were our guns for a wild game of cowboys and Indians. Another game was to ditch the "little kids" meaning his sister Teresa and my brother Joe.
I think the worst behavior I can remember is when we had a "water" fight only we were using grandma's deodorant and squirting the contents at each other. Nasty tasting stuff. OK, I'll explain. At the time, deodorant came in a plastic bottle you would squeeze to put it on; no roll-ons or aerosol spray cans.
Have you ever heard of or seen a game of cork ball? Using a large cork burned at the end for a ball and a flat piece of wood for the bat, it is played just like a game of baseball. The uncles would get a game going in the street in front of Grandma's and Grandpa's house at 3745 B Street in Lincoln. They were all so competitive. It was lots of fun and laughter both for the participants and the spectators. When Ron and Royce were old enough they were included. I was a girl so I was never included. (Good old days don't you know!)
Sometimes grandpa, the uncles, Ron and Royce would all go to a baseball game at Sherman Field. I was a girl and not allowed to go. (Again, good old days don't you know) I know . . . a little sour grapes here.
My fondest memory of our reunions is looking over at Grandma. She would be sitting with her arms folded across her stomach and watching and listening with such a contented smile on her face. Or maybe she was just exhausted after all of the hub-bub of getting a meal, eating, and cleanup. In later years when my own children and grandchildren gathered, I could relate to how she felt; content to watch and listen; exhausted.
Of course the opening picture was taken in 1953. Sixty years have passed as of this writing. We have shared our joys and supported each other in times of grief. We have lost one first cousin, David Holtgrewe. We had lost track of Uncle Ted's children after he died. Luckily Theo happened upon the Olzon Family website and made contact. Facebook, email and the internet have definitely been a plus to aid communication throughout the years.
More pictures can be found at the PICTURES link
completed 1/2014