More Photographs of Margie
and her Family
(Photos are arranged in general chronological order. Click to enlarge.)
Baby Dick. The handsome fellow in the third picture is his father, Carl Edwin Birdsall, who occasionally earned his living by writing Western novels. We are fortunate to have a great deal of his family history known to us, thanks to several long letters from his sister, Grace Farabee.
Margie's birth certificate. Margie's mother often expressed her admittedly fuzzy recollection that the day of Margie's birth was May 21, rather than May 23 as officially recorded. Although the issue was never further resolved, it became burned into our memories through a lifelong, annual birthday ritual in which Margie would playfully demand that both dates be celebrated.
Margie at 2½ years of age, in Jacksonville, Illinois. Unfortunately, I cannot positively identify those with her. More than likely, they are her mother (left) and grandmother Dora White McKinney.
Young Margie in riding breeches.
Teenage younger sister Elinora Mae.
Margie at approximately 16 - 18 years of age.
Margie with her dad.
Pin-up Margie. (The inscription is in her handwriting.)
Margie and Elinora. (The children are unrelated.)
Dick as a teenager, surrounded with his brothers and sisters.
Marriage license.
Newspaper account of Margie and Dick's wedding.
1936 family portraits of Dick, Margie, and Ronnie.
Margie's mother Jewell with baby Ronnie. Jewell's full name was actually Fannie Jewell (McKinney) Souza, but she preferred to be known by her middle name.
Elinora, her husband Oscar Pedersen, and Leroy, their eldest. Eventually, a daughter (Shirley Ann) and another son (Edward) were added to the family.
Ronnie at about 3.
Margie and son (with an attitude!).
1940, at the new house in Burbank.
Margie's father, George, and brother Frank (full name Franklin Joaquin Souza)
The Souza clan, complete except for Elinora and her family. Front row, from left to right: Ronnie, Frank, Frank's girlfriend, Margie, Margie's mother Jewell. Back row, from left: Margie's father George, her brother Donald's wife Ella, and her brother Donald.
Dashing young couple.
Dick on furlough after boot camp.
Margie waits. The second photo was taken at La Jolla, California (near San Diego) during a visit with Dad at the Navy base. He was still in training and had not yet been sent overseas.
Ronnie waits for his dad to come home. The last photo is in a Cub Scout uniform.
Margie's mother Jewell and father George -- my beloved grandparents.
Time for a swim. Circa 1950.
1975, two years after Margie's stroke. The first photo was taken at a reception for new owners in the Port Hueneme condominium complex to which she and Dick were moving. The second is at granddaughter Becky's graduation.
Richard's obituary (November, 1980).
Some of the last pictures taken of Margie. On the left, Margie plays a small role in her granddaughter Tracey's film "I Might Even Love You." The scene was filmed in late 1997. The other photo was taken a few months later.
Margie's gravestone at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park, Ventura, California.
Memorial bench donated by Margie's granddaughter Tracey. The bench is located in Marina Park near the base of the north jetty at Ventura Harbor.
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The purpose of this memorial is not only to honor Margie's memory, but more importantly to provide a means by which her posterity may come to know something of her life. Our busy existences often leave little room for the aged, yet, once they are gone, we belatedly recognize that they were our only source of information of who we are and from whence we have come. Many of the photos are of sufficient quality to permit additional enlargement beyond what is displayed here. Should you be within the family and desire a higher-resolution or enlarged image of any of these pictures, you need only ask; your e-mail is most welcome. Corrections, additions, and suggestions are also welcome, as are additional photos that might enhance this presentation. |
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Revised May 8, 2009