Do you remember the children's storybook, How Joe the Bear and Sam the Mouse Got Together? It was my sister Joan's (John and Kathleen Murray's number 3) favorite book for awhile as a child.
Bill Lippert here. I don't know anything about Joe and Sam; but, I do know a bit about how Irene and I got together. Well, I guess I will start from how I ended up in Greenwood. You see, my father passed away and left my mother with four children. My mother, Anna Margarita, or Margaret as she called herself once she got here, was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States with her family when she was seven years old.
Suzanne Lippert Palmer, second daughter of Bill and Irene here. My grandmother always wore her hair in a bun, spoke in that German accent and I always remember her in a house dress. Dad said she took in washing when he, his sister Laura and his two brothers were young. The other memory I have of her is the open jar of jelly she kept on her table...to catch the ants. Now, we didn't eat from that jar. Each morning, she would scoop the part with the ants out and leave it there to trap more.
Okay Suzanne, let me get back to telling my story. Back when I was a young man, I left and never graduated from High School. I had to get out there and earn my own living. I used to travel around and take photos. Then, I would sell them to the locals. You know, pictures of their farms, houses, town life. It was one of these trips that I happened upon a grocery store for sale in Greenwood. It was just the push to get me to settle down in one place. So, I bought it. If you were thinking Irene comes into the picture now, you would be wrong. I met a Miss Blooma Cheesman. Blooma was the sister of Avery Cheesman.
Jolene Cheesman Meehan here. Yes, Blooma was my great aunt. Until Kathy started asking, I had not even thought about her or where she fit into the history of Greenwood. Well, now we know. Back to you Bill.
Blooma and I got married, we moved into that Sears Kit house there on Main Street. We ran the store for a number of years. Then Blooma was stricken with breast cancer and passed away. We never had any children.
Sarajean (Sally) Lippert Ewell here. Dad never told us much about her; but, I had this big gold bangle bracelet that had been Blooma's.
Okay, now I will get to the part where I met Irene. I wasn't much of a bachelor about town, but, I did catch the eye of a widow named Irene (Browkaw) Hayes. Irene was from Hornell. She had been married to a policeman named Gordon Hayes. If you ever heard me call her "Ms Hayes" you now know why.
Irene here. How about I take over here. Bill was a bit older than I was, ten years to be exact. He was a hard worker. And, those of you who know me, know that I liked to have a bit of fun. I came by that naturally, my mother was a fun-loving person too. She worked in a clothing store there in Hornell. Bill used to say, "I've got the cage, I just need the bird...and let's get us some babies." Well, I fell for that. We got married and I moved into that cage and we had our babies, first Sarajean, my more serious one and then Suzanne, a bit more like me. I will let them tell their own stories later.
The house. Not in its beautiful heyday when Bill, Irene, Sarajean and Suzanne shared their lives there.
While we were working at the store, Irene Wallace (Chaffee) babysat the girls the whole time she was in high school. She lived just down the street.
Irene Chaffee here. Yes. I spent as much time at the Lippert's house as at my own. First, I have a memory of Bill when I a child. Mother sent me to the store for cornmeal. You see, she made what we called mush, cornmeal, sugar and milk. Well, I told Bill I needed to buy mush.
Back to the babysitting. Bill and Irene kept the store open until 9 on Saturday nights. So, I would be at the house with the girls until pretty late on one of the big date nights. And, I would entertain my "friend" there on the porch swing. I was spending time with Doug Cornell, you know they had that first farm beyond the cemetery on your way to Canisteo. It didn't go anywhere though. I told him, I wouldn't make a good farmers wife. As you know, I ended up with Lloyd Chaffee, a businessman instead.
When Lloyd and I got married, it was a small family affair. The Lippert girls were there all dressed up, pretty as can be. Their grandmother kept them in beautiful clothes. You know the one thing I think of when I think of Bill is he always had a big car. And, Irene, she was always so much fun.
John Murray here...the first John Murray. Speaking of staying open late on Saturday, Pearl would make the list and I would go to the Lippert's store every Saturday night after chores were done. My grandson, also John Murray, would tag along sometimes too. I would sample the cheeses from the blocks first thing, decidin' which to get that week.
That second John, here. I remember the prankster teen boys on Halloween, piling old wagon parts, old buggies, corn husks, everything they could find in front of Lippert's Market.
Bill back. The store was where I spent most of my time. I even sold a little property insurance from the "office" in the back. I would guess, if asked, people would remember me at the store, in my apron at the butcher block. I would butcher deer for the multitude of hunters that came into town. Payment, just a tenderloin and the heart. But, I was famous for my sausage. Most everyone came for the sausage. Sorry to say, that recipe died with me. I never wrote it down.
Suzanne here. I remember the day Dad passed away. Just where you would think, behind the cash register at the store. I was at St. James Hospital when Mom called. You know, I don't know why; but, she wouldn't let them move him until I got there. Strange. A couple passing thoughts...Dad was a Mason and loved the Yankees.
Sarajean here. A couple funny stories too...Dad was a bit competitive at times. He and another store owner in town made a bet about their bread. Which was the heaviest. Why heavy bread, who knows. But, Dad won. Not legitimately however. He baked weights into his.
Another, I don't know what Dad had going with Muriel Armstrong or their dog Prince; but, he just always gave that poor dog a time. If you know why, please tell me.
Speaking of the sausage, we did look for the recipe. Okay, we weren't; but I was thinking about it. The only thing we found was a few lines scratched on the wall in the back, but, sad to say never any full recipe.
On a lighter note, I want to tell you a bit about my mother. Yes, everyone thought she was such fun. If Dad was famous for his apron, she was famous for wearing pedal pushers.
Duane Chaffee here. I remember Irene in those pedal pushers, tee-shirts and sneakers. She loved to laugh. Irene was energetic and always had a smile on her face. I remember Mom sending me to the store and I always forgot what I was there for. Irene and Bill just started calling home to mom as soon as I got there. I also remember the insurance office. Robert Sweeney of Hornell used to work out of there too.
Mom's family were not big joiners. While Dad had the Mason, Mom pretty much kept to herself and a few friends. They spent time with Jerry and Marianne Vaine; Jerry was a state trooper and they lived in Hornell. And, Aunt Gert and Uncle Harvey, Mom's brother.
Duane Coates here. Irene once paid me two silver dollars to wash her car. I kept them forever.
Sally Murray Coates. As a matter of fact, I still have them.
Gary Chaffee here. I remember being called down to the store on several occasions when a busload of migrant workers was stopping. Things seemed to disappear and Irene and Bill would need extra eyes. My other memory and it is not such a good one, Irene's cure for a sore throat. I would wait and wait before complaining. You see, she would paint your throat with iodine. I hated it. But, I loved their house. I still see it so clearly. Those huge wooden stairs out front and the small stairs in the back from the kitchen. Sue can tell you more about those I am sure. ha ha. A lot of good times were had in that house.
Irene Chaffee back. Speaking of good times at the Lippert house, sometimes when Bill was sound asleep, Irene would step out on her front porch and whistle to get Lloyd and I to come and visit. And, another memory comes to mind, not related; but, I never had a stainless steel appliance in my kitchen because Irene told me that you can't get rid of the fingerprints. A silly memory to hold on to; but...
Irene followed Bill just a year later. She had cancer of the uterus and passed away from complications from a hysterectomy. Both girls were young adults. They became part of our family. I will let the girls tell the rest of the story; we may butt in a bit too.