Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Happy 90th birthday to my Grandma Carter

September 4th, 1926 my grandmother Wanda Carter was born to Harold and Grace Thompson.  She went to school and grew up in my hometown of Snoqualmie.  She graduated Snoqualmie High School in one of the last classes at the old school which is the administration building now.  She married my grandfather Robert Swenson in September 1944 before we went to serve in World War II.  They lived in a Weyerhauser style house in Snoqualmie Falls.  They started a family.  They had four children together Susan, Bob, My mother Sharon and Jim.  They raised their children with her as the major disciplinarian.  She also was the main secretary at Mt Si High School so imagine these children in their high school years could not get into trouble without her finding out.  These children were not angels.  Each kid turn out great because she got 8 grandchildren by them.  In 1961 her and my grandfather built a house West of Snoqualmie they lived in for 10 years.  Then my grandmother got a job as lead secretary at the Seattle School District where she worked there til 1981 when Grandpa Carter's health need a full time care giver.  She retired in 1981.  She married Russ Carter in 1976 was married to him until he died in 1994.  They lived in Green Lake and Granddad Russ was one of the few conservatives living in Green Lake.  It was interesting because even though he was his wife.  It was like he was babysitting her child in a way.  We would figure out how to have him and then spill the beans to get him into trouble somehow.  They attended our graduations would take the grandchildren on field trips to places.  Russ also helped her in 1976 get over the death of her grandchild Matthew.  She would also at the hospital during my health scare in my early childhood years.  Then lived with my Aunt Sue in Redmond then to moved to Whidbey Island nearly 10 years later.  Happy 90th birthday to one my best grandmother.  I am glad to call her my Grandma.