Howard Melathon Sayre

My Grandparents
By Barbara Janet Sayre Jensen

The picture shows Maud, Virgil, and Howard Sayre.

People in this story:

Grandfather Sayre ----- Howard Melanthon Sayre
Grandmother Sayre ---- Maud M. Galer Sayre
Father ------------------- Virgil Nathan Sayre
Mother --------------------Violet Rosella Horsley Sayre
Aunt Hattie (Virgil's Sister) -- Hattie Armitta Sayre

We, my family and I, lived in Southern California and my grandparents lived in Oregon. Consequently, I didn’t see them very often. My Grandmother Sayre died when I was young and I don’t remember her. I loved my Grandpa.

I know when the grandparents lived in Woodburn, Grandpa was the janitor (or custodian) at the high school. When he became a widower he moved to Halsey to live with Hattie and her family. I’m sure he was loved dearly while working at the school. Before moving to Oregon, he was a farmer.

I remember visiting in Woodburn, but only one small incident. Mother picked an apple from an apple tree. With a knife she cut and shared pieces with us kids while standing behind the tree still. The apple wasn’t very good because it wasn’t ripe yet. My mother, being from California, knew about oranges and grapes, but apparently not about apples.

I remember the family going on vacation and spending g a week or more at Aunt Hattie’s house and Grandpa lived there also. He was so fun, just like another kid. He was very small in stature and full of gumption. At dinner when we had cake for dessert, he would con Aunt Hattie for more. He said he still had some milk to drink but no more cake, so she would give him more cake. But when the milk was gone, he’d say he needed more milk because he still had cake. Us kids tried that too, but it didn’t work. (Mother put her foot down.)

My grandpa’ always treated me special and I really loved them. Once when we were preparing to leave for home, I cried and told Grandpa I didn’t want to go. He said he would hide me and took me out to the chicken coup where I hid. Of course, he finally had to confess where I was and I was caught. I think I cried half the way home. And my folks sat there saying that maybe I could have stayed a few more days, seeing how weepy I was. Oh well, they never would have actually agreed to that, besides I had a rehearsal or something which I needed to be at. This was when I was dancing, toe dancing, and performing here, there, everywhere.

Once, Grandpa came to visit us. He was getting older too. Mother kept him busy painting the kitchen, working in the yard, any fix up she would think of. When she ran out of projects, he decided he had to go home.

When I grew up and was married, Grant and I and our little baby Bruce went to see him. The picture we took of him is very special to us.

My Grandparents loved me, especially Grandpa, always having the time to give me their attention.