Elizabeth Jane Ricker was born in Danville, PA and was the youngest of a brood of eight. She was Betty Jane to family and just Betty to her friends. Her oldest sister Viola was 23 years old at the time when she was born. Her parents were separated when she was young and then divorced when she was 5. She always felt that their divorce was her fault as any youngster would do at that age. She grew up in Reading, PA.
She never completed high school due to health problems and that lack always bothered her until later in life when she completed several college level classes. Someone had told her that completing college classes was as good as getting her High School Diploma so this helped her self esteem.
She worked for "Ma Bell" during WWII. Both my brother and I were brought up with wonderful phone manners and learned to enunciate our speech. This always helped me later in life when I worked as a receptionist or any telephone type work.
After she married Albert Renn and had my brother, Chris, she had kidney problems. Doctors didn't think that she was going to live. Here she was, a young married woman with a newborn, and doctors are telling her she was going to die. Well, they found out how stubborn my mother was. One doctor suggested a change in climate. So off our family went and ended up in California and she did get better. As far as I know she never had any more kidney problems. After living in California for several years, Mom got homesick and back to Maryland they came.
During her life she was a den mother, brownie leader, PTA member and all 'round Mom. She loved to cook and would have large parties of friends and relatives come over with a table groaning under all the food. She sewed, crocheted, knit, painted and did many different crafts, but her love was hooking and braiding rugs. She did it all by buying her wool and burlap and cutting the wool into strips. One rug would take her years to finish, whether it was hooked or braided.
My parents loved camping. From an early age I remember using a tent, then a truck camper. After my brother and I left, Mom and Dad moved up to a trailer. At one time, they camped all over the US and traveled around seeing friends and family.
She had her first stroke at the age of 49. She really didn't let that stop her and continued to do her crafts and occasionally she would also work, even though it was hard for her. Dad and Mom would make crafts and then go to all the craft fairs in the area and sell what they had made. Eventually even that became too much work. Her health started to steadily go downhill. She died at age 63, way too young. Love ya, Mom
badrenn
She never completed high school due to health problems and that lack always bothered her until later in life when she completed several college level classes. Someone had told her that completing college classes was as good as getting her High School Diploma so this helped her self esteem.
She worked for "Ma Bell" during WWII. Both my brother and I were brought up with wonderful phone manners and learned to enunciate our speech. This always helped me later in life when I worked as a receptionist or any telephone type work.
After she married Albert Renn and had my brother, Chris, she had kidney problems. Doctors didn't think that she was going to live. Here she was, a young married woman with a newborn, and doctors are telling her she was going to die. Well, they found out how stubborn my mother was. One doctor suggested a change in climate. So off our family went and ended up in California and she did get better. As far as I know she never had any more kidney problems. After living in California for several years, Mom got homesick and back to Maryland they came.
During her life she was a den mother, brownie leader, PTA member and all 'round Mom. She loved to cook and would have large parties of friends and relatives come over with a table groaning under all the food. She sewed, crocheted, knit, painted and did many different crafts, but her love was hooking and braiding rugs. She did it all by buying her wool and burlap and cutting the wool into strips. One rug would take her years to finish, whether it was hooked or braided.
My parents loved camping. From an early age I remember using a tent, then a truck camper. After my brother and I left, Mom and Dad moved up to a trailer. At one time, they camped all over the US and traveled around seeing friends and family.
She had her first stroke at the age of 49. She really didn't let that stop her and continued to do her crafts and occasionally she would also work, even though it was hard for her. Dad and Mom would make crafts and then go to all the craft fairs in the area and sell what they had made. Eventually even that became too much work. Her health started to steadily go downhill. She died at age 63, way too young. Love ya, Mom
badrenn
Elizabeth Jane Ricker was born in Danville, PA and was the youngest of a brood of eight. She was Betty Jane to family and just Betty to her friends. Her oldest sister Viola was 23 years old at the time when she was born. Her parents were separated when she was young and then divorced when she was 5. She always felt that their divorce was her fault as any youngster would do at that age. She grew up in Reading, PA.
She never completed high school due to health problems and that lack always bothered her until later in life when she completed several college level classes. Someone had told her that completing college classes was as good as getting her High School Diploma so this helped her self esteem.
She worked for "Ma Bell" during WWII. Both my brother and I were brought up with wonderful phone manners and learned to enunciate our speech. This always helped me later in life when I worked as a receptionist or any telephone type work.
After she married Albert Renn and had my brother, Chris, she had kidney problems. Doctors didn't think that she was going to live. Here she was, a young married woman with a newborn, and doctors are telling her she was going to die. Well, they found out how stubborn my mother was. One doctor suggested a change in climate. So off our family went and ended up in California and she did get better. As far as I know she never had any more kidney problems. After living in California for several years, Mom got homesick and back to Maryland they came.
During her life she was a den mother, brownie leader, PTA member and all 'round Mom. She loved to cook and would have large parties of friends and relatives come over with a table groaning under all the food. She sewed, crocheted, knit, painted and did many different crafts, but her love was hooking and braiding rugs. She did it all by buying her wool and burlap and cutting the wool into strips. One rug would take her years to finish, whether it was hooked or braided.
My parents loved camping. From an early age I remember using a tent, then a truck camper. After my brother and I left, Mom and Dad moved up to a trailer. At one time, they camped all over the US and traveled around seeing friends and family.
She had her first stroke at the age of 49. She really didn't let that stop her and continued to do her crafts and occasionally she would also work, even though it was hard for her. Dad and Mom would make crafts and then go to all the craft fairs in the area and sell what they had made. Eventually even that became too much work. Her health started to steadily go downhill. She died at age 63, way too young. Love ya, Mom
badrenn
She never completed high school due to health problems and that lack always bothered her until later in life when she completed several college level classes. Someone had told her that completing college classes was as good as getting her High School Diploma so this helped her self esteem.
She worked for "Ma Bell" during WWII. Both my brother and I were brought up with wonderful phone manners and learned to enunciate our speech. This always helped me later in life when I worked as a receptionist or any telephone type work.
After she married Albert Renn and had my brother, Chris, she had kidney problems. Doctors didn't think that she was going to live. Here she was, a young married woman with a newborn, and doctors are telling her she was going to die. Well, they found out how stubborn my mother was. One doctor suggested a change in climate. So off our family went and ended up in California and she did get better. As far as I know she never had any more kidney problems. After living in California for several years, Mom got homesick and back to Maryland they came.
During her life she was a den mother, brownie leader, PTA member and all 'round Mom. She loved to cook and would have large parties of friends and relatives come over with a table groaning under all the food. She sewed, crocheted, knit, painted and did many different crafts, but her love was hooking and braiding rugs. She did it all by buying her wool and burlap and cutting the wool into strips. One rug would take her years to finish, whether it was hooked or braided.
My parents loved camping. From an early age I remember using a tent, then a truck camper. After my brother and I left, Mom and Dad moved up to a trailer. At one time, they camped all over the US and traveled around seeing friends and family.
She had her first stroke at the age of 49. She really didn't let that stop her and continued to do her crafts and occasionally she would also work, even though it was hard for her. Dad and Mom would make crafts and then go to all the craft fairs in the area and sell what they had made. Eventually even that became too much work. Her health started to steadily go downhill. She died at age 63, way too young. Love ya, Mom
badrenn
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