Ruth and John Fly to Palatine to Visit the Pellettieres

Ruth and John Kellogg, Diane's parents, pictured in front of their car in Fl in 1977.  They were 71 and 78.  The diary entries are from 1980.

Sunday, June 22, 1980 - "Early 7 A.M. pick-up by Limo to Tampa Airport where we waited over an hour for 9:15 flight (breakfast) to O'Hare. There 4 of the 5 Pellettieres met us in their yellow Cadillac!  Cindy stayed home.  Later - John found odd things in a pocket of luggage! He had wrong one!  His still at airport.  We're minus shaver and other essentials until tomorrow!"

Monday, June 23, 1980 - "Diane drove to airport first & John EXCHANGED luggage at the lower level while we slowly circled and returned for him.  Then on downtown to D&D's McDonald's which is quite remarkable.  Very attractive.  Diane & Dan told us all about how it runs & J. took some pictures.  Vi in office.  

We had steak sandwiches & later ice cream - after J. & I walked over to State St. and had Sara Jane's Genealogy pages copied for Diane.  We waited an hour or more for D&D to finish at McD & drive home by 5 P.M. - tired!  My feet! - to bed 9 P.M."

Tuesday, June 24, 1980 - "J. & I played little tennis with Cindy (not interested) and Katie, who takes lessons and is good for her age.  Then we saw Dan & team play exciting softball game - 14-6, after salmon cake dinner."

Dan and myself had become McDonald's owners in Sept., 1979, so it was still new and exciting to us and to our friends, relatives.   I'm not sure just what was copied of Sara Jane Wood Tobey's.  "Sally", as my father called her, was a much younger half-sister.  She and John had the same mother, Esther Clara Webb.

Vi Saletta was Veronica, Dan's sister, who was 16 years older and worked in our McDonald's office for 10 years...Cindy was never interested in tennis, probably just doing a good deed, while Katie really did like it. I don't know where Lynn was...Dan has played softball for most of his life, including 2016.  The diary entries and picture are not in Pieces of a Life.

1994: The Pellettiere Part of Ruth Kellogg's Family

There we are in the living room of the house in Palatine:  (couch) Kate (24), Diane, Dan, (front) Lynn (28), Cindy (27).  As you can see from the little Santa in the foreground, this picture was on our
Christmas card, so probably taken within a week of Thanksgiving.

Nov. 24, 1994 - Thanksgiving
"Everything went well today, except that the turkey took an hour longer to cook than the directions indicated!  We ate everything except the turkey - then had it later - and dessert still later.

Thought the meal was good.  Vi brought ravioli from a store near her - and sauce.  She brought some artichokes as well as cheese.  The artichokes were disappointing.  Also had a fruit salad, a broccoli & carrot dish with horseradish sauce, sweet potatoes, oven-roasted potatoes, herb scones, Applejack Pie, French Chocolate Cake - plus the turkey and traditional Bread Stuffing.

The stuffing recipe's origin is lost in antiquity.  It probably was Mrs. Millard's, the woman who raised my grandmother when her own mother, Viola Hawley Weekes, died in 1896.  ..I must check the 1900 census & see if William Weekes is on it & if any of the children are shown with him.  

Vi and Dorothy Heitschmidt both joined us for dinner.  Kate picked them up & Dan & I drove them back to Vi's.  Jim was here too.  He had had a dental patient - emergency - in the morning.  He was working on Lynn's car too.  Was in a very good mood  in the afternoon .  He did a lot of the dishes with Dorothy drying for him!  Jim's back was bothering him."

Vi was Dan's much-older sister and Dorothy was one of her closest friends.  Jim Waldman and Lynn were engaged and would marry on June 3, 1995...The grandmother I referred to is Lottie Meredith, Ruth's mother.  Lottie was 9 years old when her mother died of "chronic gatarrhal gastritis" when she was 38.  Two of the 4 children had died.  Only Lottie (Carlotta Lola Lucretia) and her younger brother, Lewis Henry, were left with William, their father. 

A Big Family Birthday Party for Ruth's Granddaughter Cindy - 1968

The photo shows Cynthia Jo Pellettiere with her mom, Diane, in  Cindy's bedroom in their first house in Mt. Prospect IL. Cindy (probably 18 months) is wearing a green jumper made by Grandma Ruth Kellogg.

Floridians Ruth and John were visiting us to enjoy and help with Cindy's first birthday party (July 13). Ruth's diary entry is not in Pieces of a Life, nor is the picture.

Sunday, July 14, 1968
"A hot day.  I fixed deviled eggs while Diane arranged the buffet table this A.M.  Lynn wouldn't nap so had to be amused somewhat while Cindy slept.  I phoned Mom & arranged to get them at 3 P.M.  

It was bedlam here after Vi's Schnauzer dog arrived on the scene.  Then, even though they put the dog downstairs behind gate, Lynn hung on Dan & Diane, so it was very hard for them to handle food end of the party.  The crying was bad & D & D very nervous.  We couldn't do anything to relieve them.  All the P. family was here and we had 4 tables in yard.  I took (finished) one roll of movies with some help from Marie & John's daughter, Debbie.  Vi & I did up dishes before they had to leave for another party about 8."

My recollection is a little different.  I was walking in and out of the kitchen with food, drinks often - and on one trip, saw that Cindy was crawling on the grass under the tables, chasing the dog, Hughie.  Before I could get to her, Hughie had finally had enough - turned around and snapped at Cindy - but did not bite.  Everyone saw it and that's when Hughie was "jailed" behind the gate.

The "Mom" that Ruth refers to is her mother, Lottie Meredith, age 81.  Ruth picked up brother Jim (age 57) and her mother, who had moved to Mt. Prospect, living there briefly before moving on to Florida near the Kelloggs. Lynn was 2 years and 2 months old.  The house didn't have air conditioning, so was very uncomfortable in that hot summer.  We did have it put in later that year.