I Believe – My Values

I was lucky to have known my grandparents.   We had many Sunday afternoon meals with both sets of grandparents.

Herm Buning was born February 2^nd, 1898 and died April 22, 1987 Herm was born in Michigan and both of his parents were from the Netherlands.  Herm was the fourth of eight children.  Herm’s first job was as a carpenter’s apprentice.  He was soon out of work for awhile because of the depression.  He later worked as a carpenter/ maintenance worker at Kelvinator Appliance where he retired.   If you have carpenter or painting skills you probably inherited it from him.

Teresa Buning (Alkema) was born December 5, 1901 and died February 16, 1986.  Teresa was born in Michigan and both of her parents were from the Netherlands.  Teresa was the sixth oldest of seven children.  Her mother died when she was 6 years old.  A neighbor, the Bazuin’s raised her after her mom died.  The Bazuin’s had twin boys named Clayton and Leonard.  Teresa was old for her age when she got married at 27.  She worked at Baxter Laundry until she got married then did not work anymore.

Gerritt DeVries was born July 25, 1906 and died June 30, 1982.  Gerritt was born in Holland, Michigan and both of his parents were from the Netherlands.  Gerritt was the only child from poor parents.  He got a bachelor degree from Calvin College and a master’s degree from Northwestern University.   His first job was at Chicago Christian High School where he taught Chemistry and Math.  He then went to Muskegon Christian for two years as a principal.  Then to Kalamazoo Christian where he was a principal for six years and lastly opened South Christian High School and was their first principal and stayed for six years.  Gerritt semi-retired at Dordt College in Iowa as dorm parents and later retired for good in Holland, Michigan.

Jennie DeVries (Hulst) was born May 8, 1905 and died August 9, 1988.  Jennie was born in Holland, Michigan and both of her parents were also born in Holland, Michigan.  She was the fourth child in a family of ten.  She was the second oldest girl.  She had seven sisters and two brothers.   Her parents were wealthy and owned a general store first in Bentheim, Michigan then later Holland, Michigan.   After high school she attended a business college then later worked as a secretary at Holland Furnace doing odds and ends.  My daughter Jennie is named after her.

My current pets are Pembroke Welsh Corgis. The first one is Mochi, she’s 6 and loves to play frisbee in our backyard. She also likes belly rubs and is super sociable with people. She’s a sweet girl.

Our youngest, is Hiro. He is 2 and loves to fetch. He’s very energetic and loves to socialize with other energetic pups. His Corgi nature comes out sometimes and he likes to keep other pups in order by playfully nipping their backside.

It’s very hard to begin.  Where to start?

The easiest way to tell our family history is to write this book from my perspective. Especially from the Kon/Maeda side. The Millin family history will be much more difficult since there is limited information available. 

My mom, Hatsuko (Mimi) was born on March 6, 1933 in the mountaineous island of Hokkaido, Japan. Her birth was not registered by her family until December 5, 1933. No one really knows why. In accordance with tradition the registered date is the celebrated annual date of birth.

If we go back further in history, In the early 1900 Hatsuko’s mom, insert first name, Maeda had seven brothers and she was the only girl. Mimi has some memories of her uncles on her Mom’s side she talks about a couple of them. One was an artist and a creative type person and of course, Hadeo which is her uncle and became her brother-in-law later in life which is an entire chapter of information. Mimi’s dad, Hatchi Kon grew up and was also from the same region of Hakkaido as Insert name, they met there and eventually were married when my grandma was young. Like 17 or 18 years of age. 

Her father, Hatchi, had four brothers and two sisters. One brother was killed during the war since he volunteered to be a kamikaze pilot and at nineteen went to war and did not return. Hatchi’s two sister were sold to a geisha house in southern japan after the war by Hatchi’s mom. Mimi has vivid memories of each of these women and even visited one of them in Tokyo in the early 1970’s on a return trip to Japan. Mimi remembers the beautiful kimonos and their makeup and hair mainly, but she does recall that they play instruments as well. She says that the money her grandmother received for the sale was wasted away in alcohol since her paternal grandmother was an alcoholic. We are not sure what happened to the other 2 brothers at this time. 

On the Millin side of family like I stated earlier, there is limited information. My Dad’s name is David Leonard Samuel Angus Millin. He was full blood Scottish. His father’s name was Samuel Millin and he disappears from the family history after David’s mom was killed in a automobile accident in and around 1936. David’s mom’s name was Margaret Mathaney. In the early 1990’s I found a death certificate for Margaret in Culhogua Falls, Ohio. Most of my Dad’s family was immigrated to this area of Ohio. David had a younger brother named Samuel but it is my understanding that during the 60’s, 70’s he was in and out of prison and he lost touch with any of the Millin family.  David did not have a relationship with him that I am aware of. After his dad disappeared and his mom died, David went to live with their grandmother. But for history sake we don’t really know if she was really his grandmother or a friend of the family. I vaguely remember her and we called her Grandma Genshimer. Sam went to live with an aunt. Their last names were “Hook” and again, I vaguely remember Aunt Hook. It was my understanding that she was Samuel Millin’s sister, but this is not substantiated either. David Millin joined the Army when he was 17. I will leave those adventures for another chapter. 

Soon after joining Lowe and Campbell, I noticed a gentlemen worked on the first floor that seemed to finding excuses to come to the second floor – the floor I worked on.  Actually, Jack was very popular with the other women at Lowe and Campbell.  Fortunately, he didn’t seem to show much interest in anyone else.

Every year, the company had a bowling league party and dance.  I went with my girlfriend, Ernestine. I didn’t bowl but did enjoy dancing with Jack.  He offered to drive me home but I insisted on driving home with Ernestine.  A couple of days later Jack asked me for our first date – the wedding of his friend Stan Aufdenberg.

After attending Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, I met a Marine named David Ellington.  My mother was divorced at the time and was dating David Ellington’s father. We dated several months before getting married in 1947.  Soon after getting married, we moved to New Bern, North Carolina the home of Camp Lejeune.  While in New Bern, I worked at the J C Penney store.

We then moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia where David attended officer’s candidate school at Quantico.  It was here that my first son David was born on April 20, 1949.  When David was six weeks old, we both flew back to Kansas City. It was here that I moved in with my parents on Wood Avenue and subsequently filed for divorce.

I then took an office job at Lowell and Campbell, a sporting goods distributor in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.  My aunt Mita was the manager of the factory store and helped me secure the job.  I worked as an administrative support person in the credit department.  Soon after, the company was purchased by Wilson Sporting Goods.  It was here that I started dating a retail manager named Jack Leathers.

Jack was popular with all of the “girls” at work.  He was very handsome and one of his best asset s was that he was raised to be polite to women.  He always held the car door for you, etc.  Lowe and Campbell would have a bowling party every year with dancing, etc.  It was the highlight party of the year and almost everyone went.   I went with my girl friend, who also worked at Lowe and Campbell, Ernestine Ward.  Jack and I danced several dances and then he wanted to take me home.  I was spending the night with my girlfriend Ernestine so of course I turned him down.

Several weeks later he asked my out on a date and we went to his good friend Stan and Marilyn Aufdemberge’s wedding.  Jack and I dated for several months but not steady as I had a couple of other boyfriends.  On our dates we usually went to a movie or sometimes his friends would have a party and we would attend.  In 1950 Jack was drafted to serve in the military.  He joined the Army and was an MP there.  We wrote letters back and forth and finally he got a leave to come home on a furlough.  His Mother lived in the Country Club area of Kansas City, Mo. and I lived in the suburbs of Kansas City, Kansas.  As fate would have it, the Missouri river flooded in July 1951.  He was on one side of the river and I was on the other side.  The Intercity Viaduct was closed except for emergency vehicles so there was no way to get together.  As fate would have it, a good friend of my Mother’s, Bruce Baldwin, was a special deputy and he had a pass to drive over the viaduct.  Bruce owned a motorcycle shop so he gave me a ride over the flooded bottoms on the back of his motorcycle.  My aunt Laura lived a block from Jack’s Mother’s house so I stayed with her for the next few days so Jack and I could see each other while he was on leave.

My Aunt Lena and her family lived in Argentine, Kansas City, Ks., and her house was flooded completely up to the attic.  They all stayed with my family for several months.   Shortly after Jack’s leave he was stationed in Augsburg, Germany.  We corresponded almost every day while he was away, which was about a year.

Jack was discharged from the Army in 1952 and we were married August 1, 1953 in Bonfils Chapel at the Frank Lloyd Wright Church, Community Christian Church on the Plaza with Dr.  Pippin officiating.  Ernestine Ward was my Maid of Honor and Dick Rollert was the Best Man.  I didn’t have any Bride Maids but Jack had several Groomsmen.  Bob Leathers, Dick Tucker, Bill Stephens, and Bob Fountain.  Our reception was at the President Hotel.  The next morning Jack and I left for our Honeymoon to Grandview Lodger in Brainard, Minnesota.  It was located on a beautiful lake and they had nice cabins to stay in.  The food was fabulous.  The weather was not warm so we didn’t do much swimming but they had a lot of other things to do.  ONe day e went into Brainard and did some shopping.  The first and only time I was ever on a horse was there.  I have never been so scared in my life.  We met another couple there who was from Kansas City and got married on the same day that we did.  What a coincidence.  We had a cute little cabin and had a wonderful time.

We had a great apartment on the Plaza.  409 W. 46th Street.  The first party we had was there.   We had a Halloween Party and invited all of our good friends.  We all dressed up in costumes.  I was a football player (costume from Lowe and Campbell).  Jack was a cheerleader.  I have some pictures of that party.  We had such a good time!  (So nice to be young!).  We had to live on the Plaza as that was the popular place at that time.

After Jack went into the Army, I left Lowe and Campbell (Wilson Sporting Goods) and went to work for General Motors (BOP) in Fairfax.  Again I did secretarial work.  I made some great new friends there   At that time they were making the F84 Thunderjet.  I was working there when Jack was discharged from the Army.

I had both a younger sister and brother.

My sister, Shirley Ann, was born on January 16, 1933.

My brother, Harold Lee, was born on July 18, 1937.

I spent many hours with my grandmother McDaniel, my grandfather McDaniel and all of my aunts, uncles and cousins.    My mother had two sisters, Leona (Lena) and Marguerite (Mita) and three half-brothers whose father passed away when they were very young.   Mary Minroot, married my grandfather, Joseph Van Goethem. and they had three girls.    My mother’s half-brothers were named Frank, Gus and Pete.  Frank had one son Frankie, who sometimes lived with us as his father was not too reliable.  Frankie was such a nice Cousin and we all enjoyed him.  I went to Roosevelt Grade School.  I was born at home on April 15, 1931 to Harold Leonard McDaniel and Anna Louise VanGoethem McDaniel in Kansas City, Kansas.  I was the first child born to them and the first grandchild on both sides of the family.  I was born during the Great Depression of the 1930s.  My grandfather McDaniel (Bobo) named me Bonnie Lean which is an Irish name meaning “pretty”.  My grandfather was born in Ireland and came to the United States when he was 19 years old.  He came with his Brother Ynyr wno settled in Chicago  and a Sister who settled in Canada.  My Granddfather worked for the Wonder Bakery as a salesman   I remember we had a large photograph of him on our piano and it showed him holding his Wonder Bread Case and it said “25 Years Anniversary”  Later, after my grandfather had passed away my Dad went to work at Wonder Bakery.  Sorry to say that is where he met my step mother,  Daisy.