Kenny with his sisters

As long as I’m thinking of Kenny, here he is with his mother and sisters Wilma and Orpha, at right.

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And on to town

Once Aunt Edna moved from the farm, Kenny was able to participate in a sheltered workshop and other programs that weren’t available out in the countryside.

The tragedy remained that when he was little, appropriate help didn’t exist for him, apart from family, and even the medical diagnoses would likely have been different under today’s perspectives.

 

On THE farm

When I was growing up, a trip to the farm meant going to the Binkleys, just outside Phillipsburg. It had two large barns, for one thing, and a woodlot down by the end of the road.

After Uncle Arlie died, Aunt Edna and cousin Kenny continued to live there. Here they’re standing with Grandpa and Grandma.

Do they look like sisters?

When I was old, I enjoyed climbing the former windmill tower, though vines made the effort difficult, and the woodshed also in sight revealed a host of curious objects. Unseen is the outhouse that was still in use, at least as an alternative to the indoor plumbing.

Kenny always enjoyed our visits, but he did sometimes play a little too rough. We learned to roll with it.

 

45th anniversary

Leroy was Grandpa’s older brother, but both were younger than their half-brother Samuel.

Leroy introduced Grandpa to the plumbing trade, and each eventually had their own companies. It would have been a single firm if there hadn’t been a complication.

Leroy and Aunt Anna are shown here on October 11, 1969 — their 45th wedding anniversary.