Some of my memories of my Grandma Alka Fraley Birchfield.
Nov 3,1938 Alkie and Walker Birchfield were divorced in Steuben Co IN.
Alkie worked and raised her eight children by herself. Grampa Fraley helped
her all he could. Alkie was one of the first women to wear long pants, or in todays terms, slacks.
When she bought her first home, she had a shed out back of the house, I had stayed the night with her. We had gone to bed, when I woke up and heard grandma yelling. I got up and went into the kitchen, and she had a gun. She opened the kitchen door and yelled Walker Birchfield I know you are on the roof of the shed and I am going to shoot you S.O.B. I grabbed my grandma's leg and started crying please don't shoot my Grampa. I was only 4 years old at the time and had never even met my Grampa Birchfield. Well she I stayed with her off and whenever Dad and Mom would let me. She was a hard working women and worked raised her children on her own, with the help of some of her brothers.
It broke my grandma's heart when her three oldest sons went to fight in WW2.
When her children were raised, she traded her house for a car. She loved her car. After that she would sometimes stay with one of her children and take care of her grandchildren when the parents worked.
When I started dating I would sometimes take Grandma on my dates with me.
When grandma got cancer, my Mom quit her job and brought grandma to live with us. All the brothers and sisters helped with money and food, Uncle Bill and Aunt Doris always had a big garden and we never went without fresh food and also eggs.
Uncle Payne and Aunt Sylvia always helped too. That is what families do, they stick together and help each other out.
When my Aunt Shirley got her a house at Coldwater Lake, she took Grandma to live with her and her two children Sherry and Lynn. Grandma died in May of 1962.
She was one of the greatest woman I have known.

Alkie Birchfield born Aug.6,1903 in
Magoffin Co KY to James and Laura
Fraley, Died May 16,1962 at home at
Coldwater Lake, Michigan, after a long
illness. Married Walker Birchfield Aug.
8,1921 in Ohio. One daughter Janice
proceded her is death. She is survived
by four sons, James, William, Robert
and Lindy; four daughters Katherine
Woods, Helen Ross, Lucille Dudek
and Shirley Boyer. Services from
Beams Funeral Home, May 20,1962.
Final resting place Lakeside Cemetery.