Edith Blamires Falkner
Written by Edith Falkner
I made my grand entrance on a cold winter night in December. Most December nights are cold and it was in the year 1925 B.F.A.F. (before forced air furnaces).
I was the seventh of eight children born to George and Alberta Blamires. Just about everything I had was hand-me-down. I even have a hand-me-down name. Thanks to my father’s sense of humor. When my grandmother Cottrell asked my father what they were going to name me, he said, “Oh, we’re going to name her after you.” He thought she would object, but she was pleased so dad didn’t have the heart to tell her he was only fooling. I probably would have been named Carol. You know like in Christmas.
We lived on a farm in Kaysville, Utah. When I was in the eighth grade, North Davis Junior High opened it doors for the first time. The school was new but the teachers weren’t. They all know my older brothers and sisters. On the first day of school when the teachers would call the roll, they would read my name and say, “how many more are there.” Some how we all got thru it.
I was married in September 1943 at the age of 17 to Robert P. Falkner in Lincoln Nebraska. I was a war bride. We lived in Lincoln for about 4 months. I had a room in a boarding house that was to typical it would have been right out of the funny papers. The old maids and the land-lady thought they had to look after me, so they didn’t let me get away without eating my liver, Ugh!
I worked in a 5 & 10 store and I earned $8.00 a week. $8.00 was also the cost of my room and board. Later I got a cent and a half raise and made $8.50 a week. So we used to blow the whole 50 cents at the ice cream parlor on Sunday nights.
After the war we came back to Utah and settled down to raise our family. We lost our first little girl at birth.
Over the next 16 years 4 more girls and 3 boys were born to us.
We moved to our present home in 1955 as soon as the floors were dry.
Bob had become quite professional as a photographer by then and he worked out our down payment on our house by taking pictures for the contractors. They were displayed at the Parade of Homes that year.
We were married for 20 ½ years when the Lord saw fit to take my beloved husband home. I was left with the task of raising my seven children alone. No small job. I’m working on it and I pray that I will be a success.
I now have 2 beautiful grandchildren and a really wonderful son-in-law.
This isn’t the end of my life story cause I haven’t lived all my life yet.
