His birth certificate confirms what I know, he was the son of my grandparents.

1920. Lives in Northumberland with his parents.

1930. He was reported by both his mother who was living on Queen St in North’d and his father who was living on Fifth St in Sunbury.

Dad’s information on their application for a marriage certificate: Age 25, Occupation Salesman, Birthplace Northumberland, PA, Father John Oakley Mertz, Occupation Auto Business, Father's Birthplace Northumberland, PA, Mother Radie Diehl, Birthplace Northumberland, PA.

Dad probably always knew he would go into his father’s business. The disappointment of his life may have been never having been allowed to go to college. Family tradition is that he wanted to go, but when his father asked him why he wanted to go, he said he wanted to have a Stutz Bearcat and a big fur coat. His request was denied. But he was truthful with me when I went off to college that he thought there was more to it than studying. His exact words were something like: “if you get straight A’s, I’ll kick your butt.”

Dad did go into the Ford business, later bought it with his brother from their father, and still later sold it to his son and nephew. After the war, he and Sox started up a bottled gas business in Northumberland -- Tri-County Equipment -- which they sold in the 1960’s.

I have a copy of Dad’s Honorable Discharge Papers and we can learn something of his War Service from them. Inducted: 21 Jan 44. Entered active service: 11 Feb 44. Departed for Europe: 25 Nov 44. Arrived Europe: 8 Dec 44. Departed for USA: 12 Nov 45. Arrived USA: 24 Nov 45. Discharged: 27 Nov 45. 3 mos Private Basic; 11 months PFC Truck Driver; 10 Months Sgt Communications NCO. Awarded: Bronze Star Medal, Good Conduct Medal, EAME Thr Service Medal w/2 Bronze Stars, Victory Medal. His enlistment records are also available. Under Civilian Occupation it says: Bandsman, Oboe or Parts Clerk, Automobile.

I think it is interesting he departed for Europe 25 Nov 1944 and arrived back in America 24 Nov 1945 -- exactly a year.

In the 1970’s, Dad retired to Florida (not that he had been working too hard in the years before) and lived there, returning to Sunbury every summer, until he died.

I write this the afternoon of the day Dad died. He died at 9:05 AM this morning. He died quietly and peacefully and he was ready to go, felt he had lived a good life and was at peace. He had fallen about 2 months ago, and fractured both his hips and the outlook for physical mobility was not good, so about two weeks ago he basically stopped eating and decided to die, and his wish was granted today.

Her marriage license application gave the names, including her mother’s maiden name, of her parents.

Becky Curry sent me a copy of our parents’ application for a marriage license. Mom’s information was: Age 24, Occupation Teacher, Birthplace Fayetteville NC, Father's Birthplace Iron Ridge PA, Father's Occupation Justice of the Peace (he signed the application), Mother's Birthplace White Hall MD. I have their actual marriage certificate too, it says they were married 29th Nov 1935 in New Freedom by Rev. Aurance F Shank.

Mom was born in Fayetteville, NC but she really should be thought of as coming from a Maryland family. Her father was raised in Maryland, then prior to his marriage lived and worked briefly in Buffalo City, NC. He returned to Maryland during that time to marry a Maryland girl and they next can be found living in Fayetteville where he took a different job working for Huske Hardware House (a brewpub of that name operates today in the old facility).

The Currys stayed in Fayetteville until about 1917, then returned to Northern Baltimore County and then by 1922 moved to New Freedom, PA. According to Aunt Ginny, Mom had skipped a couple of years of school and was the youngest member of her New Freedom High School graduating class in 1928.

A newspaper article about her marriage says that she attended Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore specializing in education and then pursued a course in music at NYU. She then took a job at the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (orphanage) in Sunbury, where she met Dad.

When her husband went off to war, Mom was left with three children to raise for the year he was gone all the while not knowing, of course, his fate. I have read some of the letters they exchanged during those war years and was impressed with her strength in the face of this huge worry and uncertainty for her. Her letters to him stayed upbeat so that he didn’t have to worry about the home front.

Mom died in the Nursing Center at Harbour's Edge in Delray Beach, FL on 21 Apr 1995. She had been in a coma for several weeks after a severe stroke following a fall in their condo in the Harbour's Edge retirement community. She was brought home by train to Sunbury to be buried on 25 Apr 1995 not far at all from the house on Catawissa Avenue where she raised her family.

Mom was active in her Methodist church and active over the years with her piano and organ playing. She played for all of her kid’s grade school plays and productions. She encouraged her children to have some musical interest and all belonged to their various high school marching and concert bands. Even in her final years, she had a friend in Florida she would visit to play duets on organ and piano.

The newspaper article I have about her wedding says that her wedding ring “which was remodeled, at one time was worn by the bride’s great grandmother, Mrs. Joan Almony.” They are referring to Joanna (Hampshire) (Hoshall) Almony, mother of Clarence M Hoshall and grandmother of Lida Slade Hoshall.

Joanna died in 1907, but she had been married twice in her lifetime and the article did not specify if it was her wedding ring from her marriage to Nelson Hoshall or to Albert James B Almony.

Mom’s given name, Margaret, no doubt was in honor of Carl LeRoy’s mother, Margaret Ruth (Pearce) Curry. I believe that her middle name, Joan, was in honor of Joanna.