Happy Mother’s Day
Happy Mother’s Day to my mother, Gertrude Viola Bushnell. She was born on September 30, 1900 in Butternuts, New York. It was always easy to remember how old she was. (1900)
On the last two days, you have met my paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Rachael Holen (Boles), and my maternal grandmother, Julia Caroline Wood (Bushnell). Today it is my mother’s day to be honored.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12 NKJV)
My mother, Gertrude, grew up with two brothers and a sister, “Bessie”. Bessie died when she was 19 years old, and I remember my mom saying that she was close and missed her. My mother married first, when she was around 20 years old. She married Arthur Iverson, but they divorced after 10 years. They had no children.
My mother moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. There she met and married my father, Harry Otto Boles, and then my siblings started arriving. I am the last of the six sons and daughters. This was my father’s third marriage. We have three half-brother and sisters. That makes me the last of nine all together.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” (Psalms 127:5 NKJV)
- Harry Bushnell – 1931-1997
- Jarry Ronald – 1934-1935
- Larry Donald – 1935- Living
- Barry Otto – 1937 – Living
- Sharry Bea – 1939 – Living
- And Me, Lee – 1943 – Living
After my father passed away in 1947, my mother had five children to raise. She worked for A&P Bakery, plus she had Social Security. We were not rich, but we were well taken care of. She was a very good cook, with what was available. Our clothes were clean, though with patches now and then. She loved us very much and hugs were plentiful. Yet, when needed, we were disciplined. We had to go out and get a switch off of the tree and bring it to her. Then we were whipped. [Apparently that is not allowed today, but we all survived and the better for it.]
“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV)
On my mother’s vacations, she would load us up and off we would go on a trip. She took us to the Saint Louis Zoo once, Niagara Falls, Cherokee, North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains. And of course, she went home to visit her parents out in New York.
When my health turned bad, the Doctor told her to either move to Arizona or Florida. Well, she loaded up a trailer, in 1954, and we moved to central Florida. That was quite a trip. The transmission was messed up and the car was missing a gear. Not good going over the mountains. [Pre-interstates] We made it okay, especially since my sister Elsie and her husband were also moving and traveling with us.
(No longer there)
In 1957, we were going back up to Indianapolis to sell the house. We had moved to Tampa and she had just purchased one there. On the way home, we had a car wreck, and my mother died from those injuries. At this time, most of my siblings were married, and Barry and I were the only ones living with her. I was 13. My brother, Larry, became my guardian. Here is the last photo of my mom that we know of. It was taken at Christmas time in 1956.
Since I was so young when she died, this note says much of my feeling. I look forward to chatting with her when me meet in heaven.
Here are some photos of Gertrude Viola Bushnell (Boles) My Mother!
Lee's Ancestry Adventures 
Your mother sounds like she was quite a pioneering woman for those times. Not many women would be able to raise 6 kids alone, take that many trips, and move her whole family hundreds of miles to a new home. That’s a strong legacy to her children.
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Thanks. We loved her very much. I just would have liked for her to have lived much longer. She was 56 when she died. People born back then had a lot more “stuff” in them than today’s generation. It was hard to write this without misting up.
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