Students conducted interviews with family members, and some were able to gather additional resources and pictures to help tell their story. While there were many great stories written, not all will be published.
This project was a collaborative effort between students’ history classes with Mrs. Kruthoff & Mr. Armstrong, English class with Ms. Baldwin, and their families. It was inspired by the original project that long-time English teacher, Mrs. Wiersema, made a tradition in her 8th grade class.
Students enjoyed getting to know more about their families, and many were surprised to learn how interesting their families were. We hope you all will enjoy their stories, too!
Rita Marie Boyle, by Cambree Vittori
Have you ever wondered what your grandparent’s childhood was like? My grandma is full of stories and exciting things. Rita Marie Boyle is my paternal Great grandma. Her maiden name is Rita Marie Loch. She has lived in Woodward, OK for all of her life. I picked my grandma Boyle because I didn’t know much about her. I don’t get to see her very often but I wanted to know more about her and my dad always tells me that she’s full of stories.
My grandma Rita, was born on November 18, 1935 she is currently 90 years old. She was born in Woodward Oklahoma in the country. Rita’s parents were John Loch and Mary Ellen Jordan. Rita’s dad was born in 1908 and her mom was born in 1910. Both of her parents were born in Woodward Oklahoma. Her grandparents were Mary Anna Weber and August Victor Loch. Rita’s grandpa was born in 1867 and her grandma was born in 1873. Her grandpa was born in Germany and came to America in 1891. Her grandma was born in Kansas; they both came to Oklahoma in 1908. Rita went to a one room school house until fifth grade there were eight grades in one room. Then she went to Sharon high school and graduated in 1954..
Rita got married to Billy Boyle in 1955. She is still married to him and they have been together for 71 years. Rita worked in medical records at a mental health hospital as the supervisor. She worked there for 27 years and now she works on the farm on the family land. My grandma, Rita is currently 90 and she still lives in Woodward, Oklahoma.
My grandma’s biggest achievement is being able to provide a loving home for her family. My grandma’s house is always the place where everyone gets together. I had one of my birthdays there when I was younger. One of my favorite memories of being at my grandma’s house is playing in the mud. She turns the water on and keeps old pots and pans for us to play with. This has been something me and my siblings have continued to do even as we’ve gotten older. Some fun facts I’ve learned about my grandma is that she loves to host family gatherings, she likes to study genealogy and she has been married for 71 years.
One word I would use to describe my grandma is loving. This is because she’s so kind to everyone and she makes sure everyone has an amazing time at her house. One thing that I love to do with my grandma is cook. Every time I’m at her house my sister Jill and I help her cook. After writing this I’ve learned so much about her and I’m so excited to learn more about her. I really hope some day that I will have as many stories as she does.
Cambree Vittori, Miss Baldwin’s Language Arts class
One Response
A very good article about a very special lady. She is and always was a wonderful loving lady.
I’m very proud to say she is my friend.