3. IRMA HARRY told as told in 1982, continued

Early in our married life I didn’t think we would ever have any children, not to mention grandchildren. We were married for six years before our first child, Thomas Richard Harry, was born while we lived in Albany on August 27. We gave him Ralph’s first name and initials but we changed the middle name from Ralph to Richard. We called him ‘Dick.’ That made him Tom Dick Harry. Ralph thought it was a good joke and it was put into the “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” when Dick was about ten.

Three months after Dick was born we went back to Coquille. Ralph got a job working for Coos County Roads Department in the office as a clerk where he kept all these fantastic books which I didn’t understand. The books had to do with the road work and he was the time keeper.

Dick was six years old when his baby sister was born. Dorothy Louell Harry was born in February 1939 when we lived in Coquille. We called her Dottie Lou. She was my valentine. She was so cute, and I loved to sew for her. I made all of her little dresses and never dressed her in pants. Now she has a little girl and I still like to sew for her. Dick was in the first grade when she was born, in high school when she was in elementary school and he had gone away to college before she got into high school. I guess Dick and Dottie Lou each almost grew up as only children.