My paternal grandmother, Elvira, was one of four children born to George W. Riley and Margaret Ellen "Nellie" League. She was raised in Annapolis, Maryland with her brother Ellis, and sisters Hilda and Ida Lee.
After high school, she attended nursing school for a time. In 1928, she met and married Orville "Gilbert" Lynch. She left school, and they moved to his home state of Indiana. They settled in Frankfort, just north of Indianapolis. Over the next few years, they added two sons and a daughter to their family.
In 1940, she and her husband divorced. She and the children moved to southern Indiana to live near his relatives. She supported the family by working at a drycleaners and doing alterations. After her children were grown, she moved back to the Indianapolis area. She returned to her nursing roots, and worked for a number of years as a home health aide. After retiring, she moved in with her younger son and his family. She lived with them for ten years, until her death in 1990. She was survived by her three children and their spouses, twenty grandchildren and a number of great-grandchildren.
My grandma was quite a character. She was just under five feet tall, and her lack of height was a source of great irritation to her. She drank coffee by the gallon and loved to read paperback romances and do word search puzzles. She didn't care for her first name, so most people called her Che, (pronounced "Shay"). This was a shortened version of her middle name, which had been her grandmother's maiden name. She had a tendency to use rather salty language, and could give you a real tongue-lashing if she was displeased with you!
She was also a very talented seamstress, and made clothes for all of her grandchildren. She even made clothes for our dolls. I still have two wedding dresses she made for my Barbie dolls, complete with lace and tiny seed pearls. She taught me how to "properly" iron clothes, and introduced me to Lemon Drop hard candies. She was a feisty, opinionated little lady, and she is truly missed.
After high school, she attended nursing school for a time. In 1928, she met and married Orville "Gilbert" Lynch. She left school, and they moved to his home state of Indiana. They settled in Frankfort, just north of Indianapolis. Over the next few years, they added two sons and a daughter to their family.
In 1940, she and her husband divorced. She and the children moved to southern Indiana to live near his relatives. She supported the family by working at a drycleaners and doing alterations. After her children were grown, she moved back to the Indianapolis area. She returned to her nursing roots, and worked for a number of years as a home health aide. After retiring, she moved in with her younger son and his family. She lived with them for ten years, until her death in 1990. She was survived by her three children and their spouses, twenty grandchildren and a number of great-grandchildren.
My grandma was quite a character. She was just under five feet tall, and her lack of height was a source of great irritation to her. She drank coffee by the gallon and loved to read paperback romances and do word search puzzles. She didn't care for her first name, so most people called her Che, (pronounced "Shay"). This was a shortened version of her middle name, which had been her grandmother's maiden name. She had a tendency to use rather salty language, and could give you a real tongue-lashing if she was displeased with you!
She was also a very talented seamstress, and made clothes for all of her grandchildren. She even made clothes for our dolls. I still have two wedding dresses she made for my Barbie dolls, complete with lace and tiny seed pearls. She taught me how to "properly" iron clothes, and introduced me to Lemon Drop hard candies. She was a feisty, opinionated little lady, and she is truly missed.
My paternal grandmother, Elvira, was one of four children born to George W. Riley and Margaret Ellen "Nellie" League. She was raised in Annapolis, Maryland with her brother Ellis, and sisters Hilda and Ida Lee.
After high school, she attended nursing school for a time. In 1928, she met and married Orville "Gilbert" Lynch. She left school, and they moved to his home state of Indiana. They settled in Frankfort, just north of Indianapolis. Over the next few years, they added two sons and a daughter to their family.
In 1940, she and her husband divorced. She and the children moved to southern Indiana to live near his relatives. She supported the family by working at a drycleaners and doing alterations. After her children were grown, she moved back to the Indianapolis area. She returned to her nursing roots, and worked for a number of years as a home health aide. After retiring, she moved in with her younger son and his family. She lived with them for ten years, until her death in 1990. She was survived by her three children and their spouses, twenty grandchildren and a number of great-grandchildren.
My grandma was quite a character. She was just under five feet tall, and her lack of height was a source of great irritation to her. She drank coffee by the gallon and loved to read paperback romances and do word search puzzles. She didn't care for her first name, so most people called her Che, (pronounced "Shay"). This was a shortened version of her middle name, which had been her grandmother's maiden name. She had a tendency to use rather salty language, and could give you a real tongue-lashing if she was displeased with you!
She was also a very talented seamstress, and made clothes for all of her grandchildren. She even made clothes for our dolls. I still have two wedding dresses she made for my Barbie dolls, complete with lace and tiny seed pearls. She taught me how to "properly" iron clothes, and introduced me to Lemon Drop hard candies. She was a feisty, opinionated little lady, and she is truly missed.
After high school, she attended nursing school for a time. In 1928, she met and married Orville "Gilbert" Lynch. She left school, and they moved to his home state of Indiana. They settled in Frankfort, just north of Indianapolis. Over the next few years, they added two sons and a daughter to their family.
In 1940, she and her husband divorced. She and the children moved to southern Indiana to live near his relatives. She supported the family by working at a drycleaners and doing alterations. After her children were grown, she moved back to the Indianapolis area. She returned to her nursing roots, and worked for a number of years as a home health aide. After retiring, she moved in with her younger son and his family. She lived with them for ten years, until her death in 1990. She was survived by her three children and their spouses, twenty grandchildren and a number of great-grandchildren.
My grandma was quite a character. She was just under five feet tall, and her lack of height was a source of great irritation to her. She drank coffee by the gallon and loved to read paperback romances and do word search puzzles. She didn't care for her first name, so most people called her Che, (pronounced "Shay"). This was a shortened version of her middle name, which had been her grandmother's maiden name. She had a tendency to use rather salty language, and could give you a real tongue-lashing if she was displeased with you!
She was also a very talented seamstress, and made clothes for all of her grandchildren. She even made clothes for our dolls. I still have two wedding dresses she made for my Barbie dolls, complete with lace and tiny seed pearls. She taught me how to "properly" iron clothes, and introduced me to Lemon Drop hard candies. She was a feisty, opinionated little lady, and she is truly missed.
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Beloved mother and grandmother.
Elvira F. (Riley) Lynch
