Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Dear Cousins,
Nannette and I were very sorry to hear of my cousin Paul's passing. Please accept our condolences. He will be missed.
In the 1940s, my mother Cel, sister Ronna, and I would visit Grandpa and Grandma Segall in Oil City. Ronna and I spent a couple of days at Aunt Ruth's house. Paul and I would play baseball with his friends on the school lot behind his house. We played in his yard and would walk to Uncle Dave's store and play around there. One time we were playing with some used tires and got so dirty that we had to take a bath in a wash basin in the backyard at his Grandma Serrins' house, which was next door to the old store. I remember a nun coming to their house to give Paul piano lessons. He practiced a favorite of mine that began "Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning ...". Of course, Ronna and Rita were doing their own thing.
There were many day trips. I have souvenirs from some of them. We ate at Gretchen's kitchen in Jamestown, NY on August 26, 1948. Baked white fish, potatoes, broccoli, and tomato salad cost 90 cents. One day, at Canadohta Lake, another day at Conneaut Lake, and another day at Cook's Forest where Paul and I would go on a hike. I also have a postcard from The Den Restaurant, 9th and Peach, in Erie, so we must have eaten there. Paul also visited us in Baltimore in those days. We would play ball and go "under the hose" among other things. We had a lot of fun in those days. My mother compiled a photo album, which I have, and it includes many pictures from those times.
In later years, our family visited Oil City and Titusville. On one trip, our girls slept at Paul's house. After that we would see Paul at weddings and Bat Mitzvahs. I always enjoyed talking to Paul at these gatherings, especially about the old days and catching up on our lives. He had a good sense of humor and was always upbeat when we met. I am glad that we were cousins and we'll miss him.
Hermie and Nannette
