80-----Continued--31--World War II

I remember when The Japanese bombed Pear Harbor. It seemed like the worst thing I could ever remember. We didn't get the news then like we do today. At the weekly movie they had a news report. That and the old radio were the only way we could tell what was happening. Then we were in war with Germany. There was a lot of thing rationed. Sugar, I can't remember much about that, but tires were hard to get and gas was rationed. The gas didn't affect us that much, because being on a farm, we had plenty of gas. Grandpa Dunn delivered gas to us. He and Grandma run the Service station that we owned later.

Mama Died while the war was still going. By the time I was a senior in High School, there was only one boy left in my class. All of the rest of them were in the Service. Keith was in the Navy. I graduated from High School with two others. Dorothy Sorensen and Joe Casias. We were the last class to go to Romeo School. That summer (1946) the school building burned to the ground and the students went to Manassa or LaJara, depending on which town they were closest to.

Life was very different during the war. We lived on the ranch while Mama was alive. We owned one car. Any activity other than school, we drove to. Mutual was held on Wednesday nights. All of the family went. There was a class for the adults. I always liked that. I don't think there was an age gap then like later. Our parents went with us to the ward dances and parties. Sometimes our dates were family affairs, because we only had one car. When there were dances in other towns, parents didn't go. I loved dancing with my Dad. My best dancing partners were Keith and Leon.

After Mom died, our lives changed drastically. Dad couldn't bear the ranch anymore and he sold it and we moved into Romeo. I became the chief house keeper and a very poor one. The spirit had gone out of our home and it seemed so different.

We lived on the street North of the school. One day someone came to my class door and said, "Gatha, your house is on fire;. I was out of that class and to the house in less than a minute. Several people told me I jumped over desks and was out of there in a flash. Barbara had ironed something to wear to school and left the iron on and it had burned through the ironing board and was burning a hole in the floor. We had it out in minutes. I think back and realize that Barbara was only 13 years old at the time. Those were hard years in many ways. We still had the gospel and many good friends. Grandma Dunn and the aunts were there for us too.

In 1945 and 1946, the war was over and Keith was overseas. Arlo came home and he and I dated. We spent a lot of time with Nona and Moine. In March 1946, Arlo and I were married. We lived in LaJara and I went to school for 2 months. Some days I rode the train from LaJara to Romeo, to school and then rode it home at night. If Arlo wasn't using the car I drove.

We had been married about 3 months when Dad went to the hospital for surgery for a hernia. He had complications and had two more surgeries and didn't recover. He was so broken hearted about the death of Mama that he was never happy again. I had been married for four months and was pregnant with Donnie, but I didn't tell Dad. After I had wished that I had told him.

Keith was discharged from the Navy and sent a telegram that he was on his way home, the night that Dad died. We tried to get in touch with the Red Cross to see if they could tell him before he arrived home. No luck. Some of the family met every bus and train that came into Alamosa to tell him. He was in home in time for the funeral. For us the war was over.