Keep On Believing

So, in researching my family history I've made some incredible discoveries.  One of the top ones being that my dad was a real and true bastard, having been conceived months prior to his parents marriage.  This gives my dark little heart joy.

Three out of four grandparents have been married three times.  Three.  That's one hopeful and stubborn group.  My grandma outlived three husbands, my granddad was widowed once, divorced once then married until his death.  My other grandma was married three times, divorced twice and died at 60 so she packed a lot in there. (also: two sons, two different fathers)   My grandma's first husband died at 24, he's the only one that truly married until death do us part. 

My maternal grandmother's family was Society in Southern California.  She always kind of had that proper air to her so this isn't a surprise.  What was a surprise is that she married a bad boy.  An honest to badness bad boy:

It's clear that my racing interests are genetic.  

But that was her second marriage, to who turns out to be her first husband's best friend.  Her first marriage held a bit of scandal, I believe.  It sounds like an elopement:

To those of you wondering: nope, they weren't pregnant

It looks like they lived in Arizona for a while before returning home as he had a job with the railroad. But I wonder if it was also to maybe to let the scandal die down?

Unfortunately, I can only rely on my imagination as everyone has passed away now.  My mom was in the younger part of the family (her dad was the troublemaker) so these goings on happened before her existence.  Also, my grandma didn't seem the type to tell stories like this.  Let alone the idea of asking your mom about that one time you eloped.

Not to mention how unbelievably painful her life must have been, lost her first husband and a baby to the flu epidemic, remarried but lost him to a heart attack at a young age, to remarry again just to be widowed. 

She's always been my quiet and staid grandma.  It is fascinating to think of her young, impulsive, and eloping.  It's fun to think of her marrying her late husband's wild best friend.  Then finally marrying again to a war hero who was widowed, also lost a baby and had five kids of his own. (his wife and baby died in childbirth)

Lena and Lloyd...they look so serious...