As she was to mine, Lookout. The difference being that June's friends saw her as a good, kind and gentle woman. My mother, who was nothing like that, didn't have friends and her peer group within the family tolerated her for the sake of peace. She was too judgemental and dogmatic. If it wasn't done/if THEY didn't do it her way, it was the wrong way. I, too, was forced to church -for which she worked enormously hard and gave to generously- and Sunday school at a time when all other children were permitted to exercise choice in it. The only criticism of June I've read from the family is about the amount of money she spent on Sheila.
I never got to find out about my mum's background,etc. until well after she'd died. I learnt that she was in foster care at 10 because it had been reported that she wasn't attending school,instead she was at home looking after her sick father. She was scrubbing steps to earn a crust,and I never knew any of this.Her own mother had died at 50.
I would have thought that mum would have been different after reading of the hardship she suffered,as she had an easy life with dad,but whether it was bitterness I don't know,but she was strict and a bit like the " Bucket woman " ( Hyacinth ) Very domineering and dad was as placid as can be.
Mum was with the Evangelical lot,and ran around after them,doing the flowers,making cakes all that sort of thing.
The past was never spoken about and through my cousin,I've actually got a photograph ( copy ) of my mum's mum and her grannie together.Originally from another unknown cousin in New York who has the original pic.
