Midge Holmes

Aunt Pudge's memory of this photo:

I know you never knew our sister Midge, but you

missed out on knowing a very lovely lady who was your

Aunt on your Father's side of the family.

This photo is Midge, our sister, and the year was about

1952. We lived at 508 LaReine Ave. at this time.

I believe she and George lived with us for a short time

after they got married. I am not sure if she was just

married or about to be married at the time of this photo.

I know she married George Gifford sometime in 1952

because their son, George, JR. was born June 15th 1953.

In 1954, a year after George JR. was born, she went

through her first heart surgery to open a valve in her

heart at Walter Reed Hospital in WA. DC. She survived

that operation and was told not to have any more

children. Their son, Jimmy came along in April of 1959,

and of course, we lost Midge on June 1st 1960, on her

29th birthday, after undergoing her 2nd heart operation

in San Diego, CA. at Balboa Hospital.

It was a new cutting edge procedure called "Open

Heart Surgery" back then in 1960. George Jr. was about

to turn 7 years old and Jimmy was about 14 months old.

I knew George, Jr. but never knew Jimmy.

George SR. remarried a year later in 1961 to a woman

and moved to around Clearwater Florida area.

Looking up at Midge in the photo is Linda Holmes.

Midge was a pretty red haired, green eyed woman and only stood 5'1 but had a strong inner strength and true sense of self. She loved roller skating and horse back riding before she got married. She worked At Central Linens on Atkins Ave. Neptune before she got married. She walked to work from Bradley Beach to Neptune every day for years as our family had no car. She was a wonderful person, had a relationship with God, and every night she would make sure all us little kids said our prayers together. She went to church, never cursed, was honest as the day is long, was very wholesome and fun-lovng, liked good clean jokes, had a great sense of humor, and was a very loyal and loving sister and friend. She loved her children very much and was a devoted Mother and wife. I know God opened his arms wide for her. In fact, she would go to the roller rink with your Mom and Dad before they got married.....looking back now, they were all just kids then really.