Roberta Virginia McSchooler was born on 28. Jul. 1919 at Newton, Jasper County, Illinois. She was the daughter of
Elzie Fletcher McSchooler and
Gussie Semple. Roberta Virginia McSchooler married
Dale Woodroe Phillips, son of
Albert Phillips and
Grace May Thompson, on 7. Aug. 1937 at Washington, Daviess County, Indiana. Roberta Virginia McSchooler married
Carl Ivel Flynn on 10. Jun. 1951 at Lawrenceville, Lawrence County, Illinois. Roberta Virginia McSchooler died on 23. Feb. 1995 at Newton, Jasper County, Illinois, at age 75.
MCSCHOOLER, ROBERTA VIRGINIA4 (ELZIE5,NORTON6,JUSTUS7): Roberta McSchooler was born 28 July, 1919 in Newton, Jasper County, Illinois to Elzie McSchooler and Gussie Semple. She married Dale Woodrow Phillips4 on 7 August, 1937 in Washington, Daviess County, Indiana. She died 23 February, 1995 in Newton, Illinois and is buried beside Dale in the Riverside Cemetery, Newton, Illinois.
After Dale's death Mom (Roberta) remarried fairly quickly (she had three small children to care for and no skill). The man she married turned out to be a bum. His name was Robert Snell and he was an abusive alcoholic. Mom divorced him with-in a year. My pre-marriage memories of him were that he always brought ice cream and root beer when he came to see mom and we made Brown Cows. To little poor kids this was great. Post marriage I just remember fighting and screaming. Since his initials were B.S. you can guess what we called him. What saved us was we were living with Grandma Gussie and she was more than a match for him. He eventually was killed in a barroom fight in Ohio.
Following B.S. mom worked for Grandma Gussie in her Restaurant for a few years. She eventually began to date (if you can call it that when she and three kids went on each date) our neighbor, Carl Flynn. Carl had a great big Frazer automobile. We three kids could get lost in the back seat of that car. It had a cigarette lighter in the back seat. One time as we were coming home from the Drive-in movie I pushed it in and then decided to see if it was hot. Boy was it ever. The car filled with the smell of burned flesh, but I did not make a sound (my fanny would have paid a dear price if I admitted to such a stupid act). Mom, of course, asked what was happening. We all, of course, said nothing was wrong. When we got home I found Grandma to save my screaming finger, which she did without a word of rebuke (thank god for grandmas).
Mom married Carl Flynn on 10 June, 1951. We first moved to a tiny house on North Second Street in Newton (near the Riverside Cemetery). A year later we moved to CarlÆs family farm east of Willow Hill, Jasper County, Illinois. Carl was a good father to us three Phillips children. Carl and mom had two children. They are Carla Jean; B-10 Jan, 1953 and Paul Lee; B-12 Sept, 1957.
Mother had never lived in the country before and was never a real good farm wife. She did no outside work. In fact she did not drive a car (or tractor) until Carl was very ill and she was in her 50Æs. My brother, Michael tried to teach her how to drive in the mid-1950Æs. She did all right until she met a big truck at which she drove right off the road and quit. She tried again on her own a few years later, but made a big mistake. The car was in our garage (luckily a rickety building in the barn yard) and Mom forgot to back-up before putting the car in drive. She knocked the whole back out of the garage. Carl just tore it down and built a new one. When she had to drive (Carl could not and the last of her children were ready to leave home) she learned how. From then on she was a terror on the road. She drove 10 to 20 miles per hour over the speed limit all the time.
We always had a large garden which she canned and/or put in the freezer. We kids tended, harvested and cleaned the produce, while she did the rest. She also put up fresh fruit.
We always had plenty to eat. In fact we ate at least three huge meals each day. Carl said that he did not want his children to go hungry and we didnÆt. Mom was a fryer. She would get the skillet smoking and throw in the meat (usually pork chops, minute steaks or hamburger). She then burned whatever it was to a crisp. In fact I did not know that pork chops did not crunch when you bit in to them until I got married and Darlean fixed nice tender pork chops. Several times Mom would catch the skillet on fire and she or one of us boys would carry it outside and throw it in the yard. She could and did make great pies though. As she got older she began to cook better. I think part of it was she was extremely impatient. She cooked like she drove like she lived; flat out.
We lived in the pre-TV era. Therefore, we spent a lot of time visiting family. We spent every weekend with Uncle Carl Kirk and Aunt Mable (they were really cousins). We always made home made ice cream and Aunt Mable made a Angle Food Cake with ôCarmelö icing. It was great. Aunt Mable was a plump, happy person. We also ate like horses at these get togethers.
Mom liked to play games, but she was very competitive. She, Carl and Francis and Letha McClure played Canasta at least once a week.
We also had popcorn and fudge several nights a week. We ate them while we listened to various programs on the radio. We never missed Gun Smoke, The Green Hornet, Inter Sanctum and The Shadow.
Eventually we three Phillips children (as well as Aunt Bea) all ended up in Brevard County, Florida. When Carl retired from Union Oil he and mom decided to sell all of their possessions and move to Florida. They also moved to Brevard County and lived one house from Rita and three houses from Darlean and me. Mom operated the same in Brevard County as she did in Jasper County. She talked to everyone and never met a stranger. In fact our neighborhood was filled with mostly young people and she was soon mom to them all. When I would take her to the grocery store (she didnÆt drive yet) it took hours to get done. She visited with everyone.
While she was in Florida Carl had his stroke which eventually resulted in his being paralyzed and his death six years later. After his stroke the doctors decided he needed an operation to assure that he would not have a second, fatal stroke. Rita and I accompanied Mom to Orlando to be there during the operation. I was supposed to be there for male strength and support. When we entered CarlÆs room after he was moved from recovery I immediately passed out. Mom and Rita took my feet and dragged me out into the hall and propped me up against the wall. Once I came to, Mom took me down to the cafeteria to get something to eat; poor Carl left alone. My second trip into CarlÆs room (to help Mom) worked out fine. As he began to do well Mom began to care for a young man who was CarlÆs room mate who had cancer. I think she remained in touch with him for a long time after we left the hospital.
After Carl recovered from this surgery he and Mom decided it would be easier if they moved back to Newton, Illinois, which they did. Carl lived another five years in Newton.
After Carl died 1 February, 1975 mother remained in Newton. She had lots of friends (of all ages) that came by to visit with her and to play games. She remained busy with the American Legion Auxiliary and her church. She also liked to eat out and her and her lady friends went to Effingham to eat often.
Her last year and a half were very non-Mom like. She, at first, fought an illness that the doctors were never able to identify. It started as a sharp pain in her hip area and grew to all most constant debilitating pain which resulted in her losing half of her body weight and her will to live. She starved herself to death. Myself, Michael and his wife Pauline and Carla alternated in caring for her in her home. She did not want to leave her home and she died there about 2 AM on 23 February, 1995 with Pauline and me there. I still have not resolved her loss and will never stop missing her.MCSCHOOLER, ROBERTA VIRGINIA4 (ELZIE5,NORTON6,JUSTUS7): Roberta McSchooler was born 28 July, 1919 in Newton, Jasper County, Illinois to Elzie McSchooler and Gussie Semple. She married Dale Woodrow Phillips4 on 7 August, 1937 in Washington, Daviess County, Indiana. She died 23 February, 1995 in Newton, Illinois and is buried beside Dale in the Riverside Cemetery, Newton, Illinois.
See Dale PhillipsÆ write-up for more information on RobertaÆs life with Dale.
After DaleÆs death Mom (Roberta) remarried fairly quickly (she had three small children to care for and no skill). The man she married turned out to be a bum. His name was Robert Snell and he was an abusive alcoholic. Mom divorced him with-in a year. My pre-marriage memories of him were that he always brought ice cream and root beer when he came to see mom and we made ôBrown Cowsö. To little poor kids this was great. Post marriage I just remember fighting and screaming. Since his initials were B.S. you can guess what we called him. What saved us was we were living with Grandma Gussie and she was more than a match for him. He eventually was killed in a barroom fight in Ohio.
Following B.S. mom worked for Grandma Gussie in her Restaurant for a few years. She eventually began to date (if you can call it that when she and three kids went on each date) our neighbor, Carl Flynn. Carl had a great big Frazer automobile. We three kids could get lost in the back seat of that car. It had a cigarette lighter in the back seat. One time as we were coming home from the Drive-in movie I pushed it in and then decided to see if it was hot. Boy was it ever. The car filled with the smell of burned flesh, but I did not make a sound (my fanny would have paid a dear price if I admitted to such a stupid act). Mom, of course, asked what was happening. We all, of course, said nothing was wrong. When we got home I found Grandma to save my screaming finger, which she did without a word of rebuke (thank god for grandmas).
Mom married Carl Flynn on 10 June, 1951. We first moved to a tiny house on North Second Street in Newton (near the Riverside Cemetery). A year later we moved to CarlÆs family farm east of Willow Hill, Jasper County, Illinois. Carl was a good father to us three Phillips children. Carl and mom had two children. They are Carla Jean; B-10 Jan, 1953 and Paul Lee; B-12 Sept, 1957.
Mother had never lived in the country before and was never a real good farm wife. She did no outside work. In fact she did not drive a car (or tractor) until Carl was very ill and she was in her 50Æs. My brother, Michael tried to teach her how to drive in the mid-1950Æs. She did all right until she met a big truck at which she drove right off the road and quit. She tried again on her own a few years later, but made a big mistake. The car was in our garage (luckily a rickety building in the barn yard) and Mom forgot to back-up before putting the car in drive. She knocked the whole back out of the garage. Carl just tore it down and built a new one. When she had to drive (Carl could not and the last of her children were ready to leave home) she learned how. From then on she was a terror on the road. She drove 10 to 20 miles per hour over the speed limit all the time.
We always had a large garden which she canned and/or put in the freezer. We kids tended, harvested and cleaned the produce, while she did the rest. She also put up fresh fruit.
We always had plenty to eat. In fact we ate at least three huge meals each day. Carl said that he did not want his children to go hungry and we didnÆt. Mom was a fryer. She would get the skillet smoking and throw in the meat (usually pork chops, minute steaks or hamburger). She then burned whatever it was to a crisp. In fact I did not know that pork chops did not crunch when you bit in to them until I got married and Darlean fixed nice tender pork chops. Several times Mom would catch the skillet on fire and she or one of us boys would carry it outside and throw it in the yard. She could and did make great pies though. As she got older she began to cook better. I think part of it was she was extremely impatient. She cooked like she drove like she lived; flat out.
We lived in the pre-TV era. Therefore, we spent a lot of time visiting family. We spent every weekend with Uncle Carl Kirk and Aunt Mable (they were really cousins). We always made home made ice cream and Aunt Mable made a Angle Food Cake with ôCarmelö icing. It was great. Aunt Mable was a plump, happy person. We also ate like horses at these get togethers.
Mom liked to play games, but she was very competitive. She, Carl and Francis and Letha McClure played Canasta at least once a week.
We also had popcorn and fudge several nights a week. We ate them while we listened to various programs on the radio. We never missed Gun Smoke, The Green Hornet, Inter Sanctum and The Shadow.
Eventually we three Phillips children (as well as Aunt Bea) all ended up in Brevard County, Florida. When Carl retired from Union Oil he and mom decided to sell all of their possessions and move to Florida. They also moved to Brevard County and lived one house from Rita and three houses from Darlean and me. Mom operated the same in Brevard County as she did in Jasper County. She talked to everyone and never met a stranger. In fact our neighborhood was filled with mostly young people and she was soon mom to them all. When I would take her to the grocery store (she didnÆt drive yet) it took hours to get done. She visited with everyone.
While she was in Florida Carl had his stroke which eventually resulted in his being paralyzed and his death six years later. After his stroke the doctors decided he needed an operation to assure that he would not have a second, fatal stroke. Rita and I accompanied Mom to Orlando to be there during the operation. I was supposed to be there for male strength and support. When we entered CarlÆs room after he was moved from recovery I immediately passed out. Mom and Rita took my feet and dragged me out into the hall and propped me up against the wall. Once I came to, Mom took me down to the cafeteria to get something to eat; poor Carl left alone. My second trip into CarlÆs room (to help Mom) worked out fine. As he began to do well Mom began to care for a young man who was CarlÆs room mate who had cancer. I think she remained in touch with him for a long time after we left the hospital.
After Carl recovered from this surgery he and Mom decided it would be easier if they moved back to Newton, Illinois, which they did. Carl lived another five years in Newton.
After Carl died 1 February, 1975 mother remained in Newton. She had lots of friends (of all ages) that came by to visit with her and to play games. She remained busy with the American Legion Auxiliary and her church. She also liked to eat out and her and her lady friends went to Effingham to eat often.
Her last year and a half were very non-Mom like. She, at first, fought an illness that the doctors were never able to identify. It started as a sharp pain in her hip area and grew to all most constant debilitating pain which resulted in her losing half of her body weight and her will to live. She starved herself to death. Myself, Michael and his wife Pauline and Carla alternated in caring for her in her home. She did not want to leave her home and she died there about 2 AM on 23 February, 1995 with Pauline and me there. I still have not resolved her loss and will never stop missing her.