Sunday's Obituary - Lou Nora Robbins

The source of this clipping is unknown, but the same wording appeared in the May 1949 issue of the Gospel Advocate.  They layout just looked a little different.  Since Daddy's name is at the end, I wonder if he wrote and submitted it.

Name of newspaper unknown

San Saba News 5 May 1949

I imagine notices of her death could have been in Kerrville, Crosbyton, Ballinger, Brownwood, San Angelo, and Llano papers as well as numerous church bulletins.

Sympathy Saturday - Lou Nora Robbins

Many cards, letters, and telegrams expressing sympathy were saved in a packet in Mother's cedar chest.  The one that always touched me the most is the one below from Lou Nora's third grade class in Eden, Texas.  It was on a piece of white card stock folded like a card with the butterfly and iris cut out and glued on.

The front and inside have been cropped to display here.

I found information about Ralph E. "Peppy" Blount on Wikipedia, and obituaries for him on the Longview News-Journal website, and the Big Spring High School Alumni website.  I doubt he knew my parents, but it was nice that this letter of sympathy was sent.

 

I do not know who these friend were, but included them because telegrams are not that common these days.

Wednesday's Child - Lou Nora Robbins

When I decided to do a series of entries this month about Lou Nora, I knew this would probably be the most difficult for me to write.  On this day, April 25, 1949, Lou Nora suddenly collapsed and died.  As I've mentioned, her death was rarely discussed because it was so painful for the family and my brother still has difficulty with the memories of it.  Some of this is too personal to put in print here, but will be added to notes in my Legacy Family Tree genealogy program.  I will record what I remember that I have pieced together from what was told to me by various family members including my mother, daddy, brother, two aunts, and a cousin.

Lou Nora had been ill and had been to a doctor.  The doctor stated he had been treating her since March, but no indication of contributing causes to her death were listed.  I don't know what her symptoms were or how long she was out of school, but remember Mother stating when Lou Nora went back to school she was to sit out of "tumbling" (gymnastics).  One account I heard said my brother and a friend and Lou Nora and a friend were outside playing.  Lou Nora ran in the house and collapsed.  Mother and Daddy were down the street and never forgave themselves for not being there.

Whether it was imagined or based on something I was told, I have pictured them outside playing - the boys maybe chasing the girls, and the girls running inside the house.  Two fragments that I remember, but am not sure of their accuracy are the girls latching the screen door and Lou Nora collapsing on the sofa.  I've often tried to imagine what it must have been like for the friends and our brother.  I don't know if my brother went with them when she was rushed to the doctor or who contacted my parents are any of those details, but can imagine the trauma of all involved.

The time of death on the death certificate is 5:15 PM at her residence for the past 2 years.  The cause of death  is listed as "spontaneous pneumothorax" which I learned is collapsed lungs that occurs without any apparent cause.  Mother commented once that had it been a few years later, there might have been doctors who were better equipped to diagnose her illness and it could have been prevented.

I know a little about the grief my family suffered with her passing, but can only imagine the pain of losing a child or a sister. 










A ribbon with gold letters saying "Our Darling" was draped across her casket.  The ribbon was saved with other mementos in Mother's cedar chest with only the word Darling remaining.  She is buried in our family plot in the Cherokee Hanna Cemetery in Cherokee, Texas.

Treasure Chest Thursday - Lou Nora's Billfold

One of the things I found in Mother's cedar chest was Lou Nora's billfold.  There are only two sleeves for pictures, but several pictures are tucked in them. 

The pictures are of our first cousin, Duane Franklin Conley, and his father, Wilber Franklin Conley.  The picture of our Uncle Wilber seems to have been taken while he was overseas during World War II.

The girl's photo isn't labeled, but the boy's photo from Eden in the 1948- '49 school year has "Bob Spiser" printed on the back.  Since his is the only complete name I have, I decided to "Google" it to see if anything came up, and something did!  There is a website listing the 1956-1957 Track and Field State Champions.  There was Robert Spiser, from Eden, who won the boys' high jump with 6' 1.5" that year.  I can't help but wonder what, if anything, her friends remember about her after sixty plus years.

The name "Sue" is all that is printed in pencil on the back of this friend's picture.  

It is visible in the last plastic sleeve.

One of the pictures tucked in a plastic sleeve between the other pictures is of a group.  Nothing was written on the back to indicate anyone's names or the occasion.  Our brother, Curtis, is behind the back row, by himself, and taller than the other boys.  Lou Nora is second from the left on the back row.

This picture has our brother on the left and Lou Nora on the right.  The girl between them and the boy who is seated are unidentified.  The school picture on the right is labeled "Ruth" on the back.

 There are also some pictures tucked in where the money would go, but I don't know if she placed them there or not.

 The pictures above are of Zona and Peggy Nell.

 These are pictures of Curtis in the snow, but it does not have anything written on the back.  If you look closely, there's a little dog at his feet.  The photo on the right is a friend named Mary.

She had this picture of Curtis holding the balloons and one like it with her holding the balloons that was included in an earlier blog entry about her birthdays.  There were school photos of her at J. R. Looney in the 1946- '47 school year and one from Eden in the 1948 - '49 school year that will be posted in later blog entries.