Flora Rosa Louise (Loy) Dunn Childhood Years

Our mother was born August 14, 1918 in Denver County Hospital in Denver Colorado. At that time and through the time that my brother was born, she was one of the largest babies born in the hospital and the hospital put an engraved plaque over the door of the maternity ward with her name and birth information on it. Mom did not know about that until she saw the plaque when she was in the ward having my brother! It was a real shock to her but she had a lot of fun with it.

Her parents were Andrew Jackson Loy and Clara Jones Loy both from Bartholomew County Indiana. She had an older sister Lila and 3 older brothers, Brock, Brandt and Herman. Her parents were living in Otis Colorado where they had settled after homesteading for a short time in the county. Her father was a businessman in the community and owned a general store, tire store and a tin shop. She had fond memories of her childhood before her father passed away. Her father was in the city band and there were always occasions to get together with the neighbors in the lot next to their home. She also remembered that her family hosted a big fourth of July party for the town every year and it was always very exciting. She thought that was why she always enjoyed seeing the fireworks so much.

She had a very close knit family and was close with her sisters Lila and Clara as well as her brothers. Her favorite study in school was reading and her favorite sport was Basketball. Since she grew to over 6 foot tall, it gave her an advantage. She loved dancing as well and would go with her brothers on the weekend to the county dances. Many times the dances were marathons which she particularly enjoyed. She always said she danced late into the night until she was exhausted.

When she was 18 she met our father Maynard Charles Dunn and they eloped with another couple to Alliance Nebraska on a cold December 30th, 1936.

Decoration Day - Memorial Day

For as long as I remember Decoration Day weekend was a very special time for our family. First of all my brother Willard's birthday wa
s on the 30th so we could get together with family to celebrate. The Memorial Day holiday is a time to honor those who gave their lives in the service of our country. In our family we also had special remembrances of all our family members and friends who had passed before. The week before the holiday we would go to the nursery and pick op potted plants like geraniums, zinnias and and iris, sometimes even small rose bushes and other bedding plants if they were available. Back then, we were able to actually plant the flowers on the graves around the headstones. The grounds keepers actually kept them watered throughout the summer. During the week my parents would make plans for visiting the cemeteries at Sterling, and Otis Colorado.

Usually dad would work until noon on Saturday's and ,when we lived close to Sterling, we would go to Riverside cemetery in the afternoon to visit the graves of my dad's side of the family, the Dunn's. Riverside is a beautiful old cemetery with huge trees that were fully grown when I was small. We have old family pictures of my father's family visiting Riverside when there were only small trees and no shade.

There was almost a ritual to prepare the graves for planting. We would take all the plants out of the car and carry them to each location. Dad would then unload the planting soil, canvas tarp, garden tools, hand broom, rags and water. First, any weeds, stray grass or dead plant material was trimmed, pulled and removed. Then, the planting area was prepared and the potted plants were carefully removed from the pots and laid on their side on the canvas. Then the plants were placed in the hole that had been prepared with potting soil and water. After everything was planted, any debris was removed and the stones were lovingly cleaned and polished. Finally, everyone would reverently tell each resting loved one their private thoughts. After the tears. The trip home would be filled with stories and family memories.