Sue's Story
(First ten pages – rough draft)

 

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Chapter 8

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Centenarian

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Sue Guest, 101

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"I bought a scale to weigh my jewelry. One guest said, ‘Oh, you have a marijuana scale.’ 

Well, I don’t take any marijuana, so I had to put it away.”

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March 19, 2023

"As of March 21, all the clocks in this condo are going to be gone,” Sue Guest says. 

 

And that’s no small feat. Clocks are everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE. Fat clocks, skinny clocks, clocks that tick and tock. Big clocks, little clocks, brightly colored ornate clocks. Square clocks and round clocks, thick and thin clocks. They cover the walls while the grandfathers rest on the floor. There are a few cuckoo clocks that chime on the quarter hour and one that only plays a note when hit by light. There are mantle clocks and desk clocks, every imaginable size, shape, and color clocks. It’s a treasure trove for collectors.

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“Whoa!” is all I can muster.

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“Well,” she says, “there’s two hundred less than I had before.”

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Sue had six hundred clocks at one point.

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“Oh, my goodness,” I say, “This is so cool.” Because it is. I wonder what will become of the soon-to-be empty walls, tables, and floors. 

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“It looks so much larger,” Sue tells me after the clocks are gone.

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OK. So, let's begin with the clocks because they’re too fascinating not to.

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Here’s Sue: Well, happy hour. When we traveled, we were all over the world, except Korea, which meant we went shopping for a clock. To other people, it meant you go and buy a drink – four o'clock. But we went out and bought a clock. My husband, Bill, was very frustrated in China because we had never seen another clock style after the first three cities. At that time, they did not make many clocks in China.

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Well, they made the three clocks. And if you had those three, there wasn’t anything else to buy.

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The big ones didn’t come from China. I had an extra suitcase, and I always took it with us. Almost all of them returned in that suitcase, packed in spools of yarn and knitting. It took me twenty years to use up that yarn. I still have one color of the yarn I packed with those clocks. The mantle clocks, no, because they’re too heavy.

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You are reducing your collection, so your family won’t have to worry about all that when it’s time.

Yes, that’s what I’m doing now.   

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I fret about my daughter Christy, from Utah, who’s the one to do it. There’s more here than she can dispose of in a week. 

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I used to work with silver and gold jewelry, so I bought a scale. One guest said, Oh, you have a marijuana scale. Well, I don’t take any marijuana, so I had to put it away. I’ve had that scale for so long; I didn’t know anything about marijuana back then.

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And I had too many rings, beautiful rings. I sold fifty-two of those for $8,000. And so, the clocks are the last to go. I’m not going to sell the furniture yet. Well, except I’ve got a desk in the bedroom up for sale, a huge old desk, very heavy. We just put that up for sale.

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I have a chandelier for sale. It’s a Lenox.[1] See, before, anything was for sale when somebody came by – but no more.

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My glass and crystal will remain. And that bookend; I forgot that wasn’t built in. There’s one like it out on the porch, that bookcase over there. And this wall library I’ve had in three different apartments. When we moved to Tampa, we lived in Monte Carlo Towers,[2] and I had to cut a foot off of them because those were only eight-foot ceilings. So now I can put things on top, whereas I had another shelf layer before. 

Many musical clocks came from Branson, Missouri.[3]

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Some are light-sensitive; they only play if the light hits them just right. So, they're quiet most of the time.

So, most of these clocks don't make a sound?

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Right.

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Do you have any clocks that cuckoo?

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Not anymore.

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Right now, on the back of this chair, one of those organizers hangs down with more than one hundred pairs of earrings that I’ve got that to get rid of. And then out on the porch, I’m forever coming across something; this pile over here is something I’ve got to get rid of.

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But you’re not expecting to go anywhere soon, are you? I mean, you’re healthy, and you look good.

No. No. It’s just that all I could think of was all this burden on Christy.

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And I don’t think that’s right.

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Why Christy and not your other daughters?

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My oldest daughter, Linda, isn’t interested; she has plenty of money. So, she’s not motivated, and she doesn’t have the time. She’s always writing a paper for the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.[4] Gail doesn’t consider money a problem, either. She started the Saturday Morning Market in Clearwater, Florida,[5] then retired.

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OK. So, Gail started the Market, which you became part of.

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I was the queen. My crown is in the other room.

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Gail, I gave her my checkbook. So, when anything happens, Gail pays the bills. All Christy has to do is tell Gail what needs to be paid for. Supposedly, Gail is making funeral arrangements because she has done it for several friends.

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Christy will handle the LDS[6] part and do whatever is necessary. She is a very, very good LDS member. When I go, she will have to come and stay until things are settled here and all my stuff is moved out. And so, it’s getting to the point where there’s not much stuff left.

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Grandparents and Parents

Please tell me about your grandparents; do you remember them?

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Oh yes. My mother’s side is very short. Her mother (my grandmother, Mary McMurphy) had an illegitimate daughter: my mother, Linna. My mother was never told who her father was. There was an assumption that his name was Rouse, but there is no way I can prove it. That is just a guess on my part – somebody from Paris, Missouri, though. 

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Grandmother McMurphy was charming. She had heart problems. She died early, I mean, in her sixties. 

How old was your mother when her mother died?

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I didn't know exactly how old Mother was when her mother died. She must have been, oh, fifty or so. With Grandma McMurphy, she was not well, and the doctor came, and he stretched her out and took blood, and then put a sandbag on her body so it would push the blood out, and he bled her that way.

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My grandmother and my brother, Don, were big influences on me. Don was a good father, good at everything. My father, there wasn't anything I got from him. And Mother, now that I'm in her position, I understand she needed us. We, of course, didn't need her. And now I'm in the same position. I need my kids, but they don't need me. That's right. That's what happens. It's hard to accept.

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Mother phoned me every morning, and I didn't think anything of it then, but now I think how wonderful it was that she did. She came to see me and brought me cheesecake when I was pregnant the third time. I ate way too much cheesecake and gained weight.

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Grandfather paid $7 a week for Mother to have a maid; we lived in a four-family flat most of the time. And that was Celeste. She influenced my brother and me. She came when Don was born, so either one could come when he yelled “Mama,” and he'd be very happy.

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Grandfather - Marvin Rowland

On my father’s side, my grandfather (Marvin Baker Rowland) was employed by the Wabash Railroad Company[7] for most of his work as a fireman, conductor, freight engineer, and passenger engineer. I have a picture of him with my oldest daughter, Linda, with the engine behind him. He didn’t retire then because WWII had started; the railroad needed him to stay on.

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So, he stayed on, and after sixty-six years of service to the railroad, he retired at eighty as the oldest running engineer in the country from the fastest route in Missouri.

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(Marvin Rowland was born in Riggs, Missouri, in 1871. At just seventeen (he had lied about his age), he joined Wabash Railroad as a laborer building trestles, even though doctors said due to his heart, he should not work outdoors.) 

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Grandmother Jesse Baker Rowland

My grandmother (Jesse Baker Rowland) was a housekeeper on my father's side and never worked outside the house. She married young. Her father was a strict Methodist preacher who visited his churches on horseback.

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I got to know my Grandma Rowland very well because I visited her one week every summer until I got married. She would take me out to swim in their artificial lake for an hour every day.

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Sue’s grandmother (Jessie Rowland) was born in Moberly, Missouri,[8] in 1876, the eldest of thirteen children of a circuit-riding preacher. Like her spouse, Marvin, Jessie was deeply involved in Moberly's affairs, and liked by everyone around them highly.

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Alfred Baker Rowland

My father (Alfred Baker Rowland[9]) grew up as an only child in Moberly. He was very spoiled because his mother was the eldest, and here she was with a grandbaby and all these people making a fuss over the baby. So, he grew up spoiled.

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In November 1919, Father married Mother, who had an unusual background. He never knew much about being a father himself. He didn't put himself out for us. The only way we knew he was aware of us was at the end of the week, when he would take the change out of his pocket and divide it between us.

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My grandpa Pappy had been in the service before the First World War ended, and he left as a soldier. He didn't fly. He just fired the gun, the cannons, from the ground and lost hearing in one ear. The War ended while he was still in the States before they sent him overseas. He never did leave the States, but he did receive a pension; I think it was $10 a month.

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Don Marvin Rowland

My brother, Don, and his wife, Betty Rowland, had two daughters (Robin and Wren) and a son, Randy. And another son lives in Denver, and he's a veterinarian. The daughters still live in Columbia, Missouri.[10] And so, there are Rowlands and Rowlands-to-be, I guess.

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Mother was told not to have any more children before Don was born, but she had him anyway. And so, the two of us grew up in St. Louis.

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Linna and Martin Buerk

My mother was adopted by a German man named Martin Buerk[11] when she was forty.

So, she was adopted when she was forty? 

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Yes. I'd say Martin was in his late fifties. Early sixties, maybe. He lived into his eighties. He was a tall man, so we called him Big Daddy to get away from Papa, who was Daddy's father.

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I've never heard of an adoption at that age.

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Well, after his mother died, Big Daddy had no family left. His mother lived with him, and he treated her so well. She respected him very much. Big Daddy’s mother died of heart problems when I was seven years old; I think it was about then my mother continued watching after Big Daddy and doing everything that he needed her to do.

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Since my mother was his only “family,” he adopted her. See, Big Daddy wanted to leave whatever he had to my mother, my brother, and me; he loved us dearly. He acted like a grandfather. We didn't know he wasn't our grandfather. And when we would spend our summers in Paris, Texas,[12] he would play games with us. This old man tried to play hide and seek with two kids. 

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We went to visit Big Daddy for a week every summer. And, of course, when I left school every year to visit Big Daddy, I was going to Paris. I didn’t know there was another Paris.

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Big Daddy had a brother who lived in Florida. And so, on the way to and from visiting his brother, Big Daddy would stay a few nights with us in St. Louis. So, that’s how we got to know him.

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He loved my mother, and he treated her right. She loved him and did all she could. I don't think there was anything between them ever. When he wasn't well, she stayed with him full-time. 

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And that’s the end of my mother’s story.

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Well, not quite.

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Pete

My first husband was Albert Eggeman, but Pete was a nickname. My daughter Gail grew up thinking that when you age, you take on a name you want because both parents have names that weren't originally theirs.

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I married Pete in November of Forty-two. It was during WWII.[13] Pete was nineteen; I was five months younger.

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Pete worked for Ralston Purina,[14] and had a pretty good job. Then, they transferred him to Boston. So, we went to Boston for a couple of years. Then, Rexall Drug[15] brought him back to St. Louis, and we lived there for a few years.

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Pete and I had three children. One daughter lives here – Gail. My other daughter lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. That’s Linda. And Baird, I don’t know where he lives.

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We had an apartment in St. Louis, and my brother Don was left alone at my Mother's house while she cared for Big Daddy. She came home every so often to check up on us and see how things were, and then she'd go back to Big Daddy.

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So, mother was more or less raised later in life by Big Daddy.  

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Anyway, Mother asked us to give up our apartment and move in with Don, who was still in high school, because we were running back and forth. And so we went to live with Don in the family home. We thought we'd get another apartment when the War ended. As it turned out, they were all too expensive at that time. I took care of Don to see that he was flying right. So, we were there, and then we were stuck at the house because, after the War, he couldn't rent an apartment in St. Louis for any amount of money.

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While we were living with Don in St. Louis, he was in the JROTC[16] in high school. After he graduated, he enlisted in the Air Force. He wanted to be a pilot, but his depth perception was no good. You can’t be a pilot without that.

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In the Air Force, Don worked on what later became the Cloud. The Army and Air Force had it years before we knew about it. Sending information to the Cloud was historic. 

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Linda

Linda never had to be corrected and always did what was right. She had a natural instinct at school. She studied hard and without any help. I had no idea she was accumulating points with the teachers the way she was. And so, she became an honor student. 

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Oh, she didn't tell you that?

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No, I had no idea she would get honors; she didn’t make much of it.

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She enjoyed watching sports, not playing them. I don't understand that, because I was a badminton player and a swimmer. You know, individual sports; I never joined a group sport.

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Apparently, Linda’s father, whom I didn't realize, had taken her to a few ball games, and they became friends that way. That was sort of hard to do with him. And as far as I know, Gail never did make any particular commitment to him.

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Linda had one boyfriend. People would report seeing them out fishing and that they were behaving themselves. Just fishing. That's all they were doing. They weren't making out or doing anything they shouldn't be doing.

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Linda’s always enjoyed doing things for people. And she's a perfect grandmother. 

 

She is also very successful. She went from Stetson University[17] to teaching high school and discovered she couldn't stand the brats. And so, she taught college. She got a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas[18] in Plano. She said, If they're there, they want to learn. So, she did very well there. She stuck with that. She got involved with sports. Her field was sports marketing. 

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She married a nice guy she met at Stetson. Their filthiest anniversary is this year. He had an invisible fencing[19] business. He had districts in three states. Then he sold them, so they're in good shape.

He immediately bought a boat and then discovered all that work. He wasn't going to hose down that boat every night. And Linda said I got tired of washing the windows. So, they eventually sold the boat. Broke even, but a lot of heartache and misery in doing so.

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Linda, in the meanwhile, retired, and Stetson University asked her to be on the board, so she's very happy with that.

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Footnotes

[1] Lenox chandeliers are known for their exquisite craftsmanship, materials, and designs.

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[2] Monte Carlo Towers, built in 1984, contains more than two hundred units spread across twenty-three floors. It offers many luxurious amenities, such as floor-to-ceiling windows, a resort-style swimming pool, a fitness center, tennis courts, and a library.

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[3] Branson, in the Ozark Mountains, is known for its entertainment theaters and popular shows like Dolly Parton's Stampede. It was named after Reuben Branson, a former postmaster and general store owner. The population is around 12,650.

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[4] The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) is a public research university. Since its inception in 1946, it has been one of the seventeen campuses of the University of North Carolina System. UNC Charlotte is celebrated for its dedication to groundbreaking research and its promise of academic excellence.

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[5] Clearwater, Florida, is renowned for its stunning beaches, flourishing arts community, and variety of outdoor pursuits. Clearwater Beach stands out for its powdery sand and inviting ocean waters, drawing in visitors from all over. The city also offers attractions such as the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the historic Capitol Theatre. With a consistently warm climate, it's an ideal location for those who enjoy spending time at the beach or engaging in outdoor activities.

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[6] The Latter-Day Saints (LDS), sometimes called Mormons, is a religious denomination that began in the early nineteenth century in the U.S. Believers of this faith follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and accept the Book of Mormon as scripture alongside the Bible. The movement was created by Joseph Smith Jr., who claims he received heavenly revelations and translated them into the Book of Mormon. The Church is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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[7] Founded in 1857, the Wabash Railroad connected major Midwest cities such as St. Louis, Kansas City, Detroit, and Chicago. Its operations continued until it was absorbed by Norfolk and Western Railways in 1964 and later became a part of Norfolk Southern Railway. Despite no longer existing as an independent entity, its impact on Midwest transportation is remembered by enthusiasts and historians.

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[8] Moberly, Missouri has around fourteen-thousand residents. Named after the town's pioneer and railroad director William Moberly, the town was nicknamed "The Magic City" due to its rapid development during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Notable celebrity General Omar Nelson Bradley was born in Moberly and served as a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Army during World War II and later became the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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[9] Alfred Baker Rowland, born in 1900, was the only child of Marvin and Jessie Rowland. He was raised in Moberly. He enlisted in the Air Force and eventually achieved the rank of Captain, before pursuing a career in law.

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[10] Columbia is the fourth largest city in Missouri. Nature lovers can explore the rolling countryside, hilly landscapes, and woodsy areas nearby.

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[11] Martin “Big Daddy” Buerk was a retired jeweler and former President of the Paris National Bank in Missouri. He was a lifelong resident of Paris. Before retiring from business, he was prominent in civic affairs. He never married. He died in 1946, at eighty-one, with Linna at his bedside.

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[12] One hundred and forty miles northwest of St. Louis, in the northeastern corner of Missouri, Paris is a rural town with an agricultural focus. Its population is around twelve hundred residents spread across nearly one-and-a-half square miles. The downtown area, with historic buildings along tree-lined streets, including the Monroe County Courthouse, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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[13] WWII lasted from September 1, 1939 - September 2, 1945.

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[14] Established in 1894 as the Robinson-Danforth Commission Company, Ralston Purina was a prominent player in the food and pet care sectors. In 2002, it was acquired by Nestlé and merged with their existing pet care business to form Nestlé Purina PetCare Company. Today, this merged entity is one of the largest global companies specializing in pet food and care. Despite the merger, the Purina brand remains highly recognized and utilized in the pet food industry.

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[15] Founded in 1903, Rexall is a well-known chain of drugstores and pharmacies throughout North America. It began as a consolidation of several individual drugstore chains, gradually spreading its reach to various U.S. and Canada locations.

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[16] JROTC is short for Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, a program in the U.S. that strives to cultivate qualities such as character, leadership, and citizenship in high school students. This program is proudly supported by the U.S. Armed Forces and can be found in numerous high schools nationwide.

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[17] Established in 1883, Stetson University is a liberal arts college in DeLand, Florida. (DeLand is about twenty miles west of Daytona Beach and forty miles north of Orlando.) Its downtown district boasts a historic old-town atmosphere, along with lively art galleries and proximity to local natural attractions. Stetson University is renowned for its prestigious academic programs, commitment to the liberal arts, and focus on individual growth and social accountability.

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[18] The University of North Texas (UNT) is a research university in Denton, Texas. Established over a century ago, UNT has developed into one of the state's largest institutions, with hundreds of undergraduate and graduate degree programs across various fields (including arts, sciences, business, engineering, music, and education).

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[19] Invisible fencing is a way to keep animals enclosed in an area without installing a physical fence. The system uses a boundary wire, transmitter, and receiver collar, which the pet wears. This type of containment aims to create a safe space for pets while still allowing them to explore; it is most often utilized for dogs but can also be used for cats.