I remember visiting Grannie and Grandpop [Flora & Charles, Sr.] with my dad on Sundays after church.  We would come in and Granny would take me into the kitchen to fix a liverwurst sandwich (made by Flo).  I'd wander the house.  I loved the mermaid painting on the bathroom wall and imagined all sorts of adventures from the 3rd floor bedroom.  Loved weekend sewing visits with Flo-Flo (Ga-Ga) [Flora Kurz Shuck].  She was a wonderful teacher to me.

I remember when Grandpa (Charles) [Jr.] would make Billy and I homemade chicken and rice soup and bring it to our house when we were small.  He would also make us the best homemade cherry pie from his cherry tree that was in the front yard.

What I remember most about my grandparents (Charles and Claire Kurz) is that when Janice and I were little they wanted to be called by their names instead of grandma and grandpa, which they were later called.  My mom (little Claire) told my sister and I that it was because they did not want to feel old.

Janice and I taking turns sleeping under the piano bench while Grandpa (Charles) [Jr.] changed the channel (with his clicker) from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood to the nightly news or to watch the Redskins.

I always enjoyed feeling the love they gave to each other and to Janice, Hunter, little Claire #2, and I.

Another memory is how grandpa taught me how to ride a bike.  He also emphasized the value of hard work and making good marks in school per subject.  $5-A, $4-B, $3-C.  He didn't tolerate any lower.

Grandma Claire and her late nights watching classic movies.  We (Janice, Claire, and I) would eat chips-ahoy cookies and milk when Janice and I could not sleep.

Christmas at grandma and grandpas.  Also loved the choo choo train around the tree.

My favorite memory is Gramma & Grandpa (Charles Jr) house.  They had the coolest stuff for a child.  But Grandpa always had a drawer of chocolate and he always kept it full for me.  He also was always doing crossword puzzles.  He would sit and do the ones from the newspaper and to this day I think about how smart he must have been to fill in every block.  The last was the magnolia tree.  I would climb it all the time and he would always tell me to get down.  But it was so much fun.

Grandpop's [Charles Sr.] uneven floor.  We used to roll his ottoman down the floor.  His cockoo clock.

Christmas Time at Granny & Grandpop's [Flora & Charles Sr] house.  They had a ceramic Christmas tree with colored lights and the best hard candy set out for us kids.

Ocean City Maryland summers with Uncle Fred, Aunt Flo, Linda, and Richard.  Great beach memories!

"Drinking decaf coffee is like kissing your sister" -- Linda Jenning's memory of a saying of Fred Strub.

My favorite was of dad [Charles Sr] taking me to all the museums and free entertainment during the depression.  And running to meet him after work.  Dad gave me the world.

My mom gave me my religion and took me to many church services.  I feel both of them gave me my most important experiences.

My cousins Teddy, Elena, and Kristen and Jamie playing with me.

When I was a little girl, grandma Kurz lived at my house.  So at Christmastime all of the relatives would come by to see her.  It was great to see her have so much company.  It was especially nice when Richard would bring his guitar.  Also, there were some great parties at Betty and Matt's and of course Susan and I used to spend a lot of time together playing Somewhere Over The Rainbow records.

Because I'm the child of the youngest child of the second youngest Kurz child (Anne), all of my memories are limited to within my grandmother's children, etc.  I think that the most important memory to me are simply of the times I spend in my grandmother's house, litening to all of her wonderful stories about her childhood.  I have always been facinated to hear tales of her father's kindness and of her mother's great faith.

When my wife Elke Auth and I came back from Germany with our first child Carsten and we had a dinner with all the family where we were welcomed into the family officially as one of the new generation.

Visiting Flora and Fred Strub and staying with them when we visit Aunt Flora, my mom's sister.

Grandpop [Charles Sr] used to walk us to the zoo by way of 19th Street and we climbed some wide wooden steps cut into the side of the hill.  We called them the Giant Steps.  We ended up coming into the zoo at Adams Mill Road and he would walk us through the entire zoo.  Only now do I know what an amazing feat and act of love that was.  Also Granny crocheted us a necklace for our miraculous medals every week.

Visiting Granny & Grandpop (Flora & Charles Sr) -- emptying the ash tray at Grandpop's chair.  Playing with cards on the braided rug, hearing howler monkeys and lions roaring, secretary/bookcase in the front hall, the front porch.

Babysitting with Aunt Flora.  At her apartment, at our house, and at Freddy's house.  I remember her unwrapping her hair to brush it.  It was SO long!  And staying at Freddy's house with them one New Years Eve.  They had a dinner party with lobster!

Christmas with Aunt Anne.  When we went to visit, she always had a gift for me.  One year, she gave me a bottle of perfume in a frog bottle (you twisted off the frog's head to get to the perfume).  She said, "Now that you are older, you get a grown-up present."  I wasn't more than 12 at the time.