Widad's Memoirs - Part 9

In the 50’s, a lot of the overseas relatives passed away. In the 60’s, the ones left behind moved to the US.  My aunts’ and uncles’ children came first. After they settled down and got jobs, they sent for their parents.  For example, Scondra came with her husband after her kids immigrated. They lived in Michigan with their three kids.  They all eventually got married.  Twenty years later, Scondra’s husband died; 10 years after that - her son died; 2 years later - she died.  


My uncle Elias`s wife had a stroke and died a month later.  He then came to the U.S. with his mother, my grandmother, who was 90 years old while Elias was 70.  He had three sons, and two daughters all who got married.  In the US, Elias and grandmother lived with his sons in California.  My grandmother lived with them and made it to the ripe old age of 105!  She was a very religious woman.  Elias passed away at 96. (Editorial: Our father lived to over 101..nearly 102 so we have more than one centenarian in the family from both maternal and paternal sides who mixture of blood was a little too close to claim as separate families!)

My uncle on my father’s side Khalil, had two sisters, Farha and Misedeh. Khalil and Misedeh lived in Detroit and Farah lived in Hempstead.  With his three kids and wife, Khalil moved to New York.  Khalil died at 52 years (of a heart attack – he loved to eat eggs and steak and smoked and I think drank scotch; he never held back his culinary preferences and life style choices playing life with a light heart and a happy demeanor). His wife died at 78.  Farah also died at the same age; 78. Farha’s husband died soon thereafter, followed by Misedeh and her husband. My last uncle, Jaghab died at 78, and his wife died many years later. 

Editorial: Sorry for the probable misspelling of all of the names. We are doing our best.  Since I was born in the US, I was never told very much about my family history.  However, I very much enjoy knowing that my grandmother and uncle on my mother’s side lived so long and my father as well.  Gives me hope that I have a few more lives to live….  And I hope that my other sisters will tell their stories so I can memorialize them in this blog.  I'm not sure why very little was taught to me when I was growing up. I think many of the memories were painful; my parents never passed the 2^nd grade so they had to teach themselves to write and read on their own.  I think my parents also wanted me to live in the present and future and forget the past.  How silly of them.  Their lives were so much more interesting than mine or any of my friends.  They were able to make a life for themselves without having to be given any special consideration or entitlement.  They were able to create for themselves a life that was self determined and not dependent upon some arbitrary employer who didn’t like the way they talked or looked.  They were all self-made.  They were strong and honest and hard working and loving.  I was lucky to have them as parents…very lucky.  And they gave me the best present that anyone can give beyond love and affection……