DAILY, Lorraine Edith "Babe"

Lorraine Edith DAILY HAUN WALKER was born on January 26th, 1916 in Florid, Illinois, which at that time was a small village 4 miles south of Hennepin in Putnam County. At the time of her birth, her parents, Albert and Lillian (BECK) DAILY, were living with her grandmother, Rosa BECK. Both parents were born in Florid, Illinois. Lorraine, the youngest of five children, was called Babe by her family and close friends. She had two older brothers, Raymond and Haroll, and two older sisters, Lillian Bernice (Bernice) and Alberta (Bertie). Another sister, Darlene, passed away as a baby.

Babe's parents moved shortly after her birth to a house in Florid, Illinois. They stayed there until Babe was 5 years old, then the family moved to an old house owned by Albert DAILY's boss, George BRENNEMAN. Her oldest brother, Raymond, 18 years old, had been living in Iowa with his cousin, Little Rob DINKEY. Raymond came home for a visit and stayed. The house had no well, at first, and the family had to walk 1/2 mile to get water until the well was dug. When Babe started to school, she walked 4 miles to the school in town and 4 miles back home, every day.

Babe and her sister's and brothers enjoyed living on the farm. When the children would convince their parents to visit Grandma, they would get out the old plug horses to ride. Babe loved to ride her special horse, but sometimes the girls would all ride on one horse, as they were so large!

The girls would use up all of their mother's sugar making candy. Babe and Bernice soon learned not to send Bertie outside to cool the candy as she would eat it all while it was cooling.

Babe was able to go outside on Sunday afternoons, but was not allowed to leave the fenced-in yard nor talk to friends who happen to pass by. Her mother was very strict. She talked of how she longed to be able to do some of the things she thought other children did.

In 1925, Babe's family moved to a farm outside of Florid that was owned by Peter STOENS. By 1931, they had moved to Oxbow, which was outside of Magnolia. (Oxbow no longer exists). By that time Babe was 15 years old and Babe's sisters had both married. Bernice was living outside of Wenona, and Bertie was living in Oxbow, at Mark KAY's place. This is where Babe met Alden Maurice HAUN, who worked for Mark KAY.

During the Depression, on June 17, 1933, at the age of 17 years, Babe married Alden Maurice HAUN, son of George and Flora (BEBEE) HAUN, in Marshall County, Illinois. Babe talked of how poor they were, and that Alden found work paying only $1.00 a day. They had a orchard with fruit. Some days they ate nothing but cherries picked off of the trees.

Babe and her sister, Bertie, were very close, and the two families spent a lot of time together. They used to cook up what food they did have and picnic together.

Babe and Alden had their first child, a son, Lloyd Edward, born August 3rd, 1934, in Putnam County.

Babe's father, Albert DAILY, became sick and passed away on March 14, 1935. Babe often talked of her father's love of music, and how he would play the guitar. He also played the mandolin. Lorraine gave it to her daughter, Doris. Doris's oldest son repaired it, and it was displayed in her living room.

Babe and Alden continued to live in Putnam County where, on January 4, 1938, their 2nd child, Doris Jean, was born. The following year, in 1939, a third child was born breach and was a "blue baby" who survived her fight for life.

Doris and Margaret often talk about some of the ornery things they did as children.

On one summer day, Grandfather George HAUN, gathered honey from the hives, which he had placed at the farm. He placed the large gallon crocks on the kitchen table where Lorraine was to transfer the honey into smaller containers. Doris and Margaret had gotten new roller skates sometime before that and were skating in the kitchen. They were having so much fun. The honey had been placed on a round table and the girls would skate around as fast as they could. As they were skating, Doris lost her balance and leaned on the round table. Suddenly the honey, table, and girls were on the floor. Honey was everywhere! Both girls thought they were going to get the belt for that. Lorraine just prepared water in a round bath tub outside and filled it with warm water. The honey was in their hair and all over their bodies. Both felt very lucky that they got away without severe punishment. They knew they deserved it!

Monday was always wash day. Lorraine had no washing machine so she used a scrub board to get the clothes clean. It would take her all day to do the laundry. She scrubbed, rinsed, and wrung out the laundry by hand. By the end of the day, her hands would be red and sore, but then she had to prepare dinner for all.

Babe was a good farmer’s wife, as she helped Alden do many chores on the farm. She would put Margaret and Doris in a farm wagon and help pick corn by hand, as they did not own a corn picker. Many times the girls would get conked on the head while Babe was picking and throwing the corn into the wagon.

Lloyd was growing old enough to drive the tractor, so he was a big help as well. One day Lloyd was taking the tractor down the country road by their farm house, and he had turned to look behind him to see the dust he was making. The next thing they saw was the tractor off the side of the road with the right part of the tractor in the ditch. The left side of the tractor’s lug wheels were still turning, and Lloyd was getting his head banged every round the wheel went. He wasn't hurt, but he sure learned his lesson.

Margaret brought the mumps home to the family when she was about 6 years old. Everyone got them, and at that time it was said if you didn't tie your jaws up with scarf, or whatever, and you made sudden moves, the mumps could drop on you, and you would be very sick. Everyone had some swelling but were feeling pretty good, so Babe said they could make taffy. They had started to knead it and Doris and Margaret got to laughing so hard Babe was afraid the mumps would drop on us. Well, the mumps didn't, and they had a good time, and the candy was delicious.

Lloyd Edward HAUN married three times during his life. The first marriage had produced four children. Three boys and one girl. Another son was born from his second wife. Lloyd died suddenly of a heart attack in 1998, just a few months before his 62nd birthday. His body was cremated and ashes sprinkled over the Illinois River where he enjoyed boating.

After Alden's death, Babe continued to live at the home, making an apartment upstairs for her and renting the downstairs. Several years later she met and married Reno E. WALKER, known to everyone as Sid. He lived in Pontiac with his mother at that time, and he had two daughters by a previous marriage. Babe and Sid moved to a house in Polo, Illinois. Sid worked for the Cable printing company. In 1963 Babe and Sid were taking a short vacation to Florida, and since Bertie and Remi had never been on a vacation, they took them also. On the way to Florida, they stopped to visit their cousin, Little Rob DINKEY. Babe and Bertie had a wonderful time and talked of the visit many years later.

In the year of 1963 or 1964, Babe's mother was getting somewhat feeble and was not able to take care of herself anymore, so Babe and Sid moved Lillian to their home to live with them. She had fallen out of bed and had broken her hip, and after surgery it became very difficult to take care of Lillian. She was completely dependent on Sid and Babe. Lillian passed away in their home on August 18, 1965.

After Sid retired, Babe and Sid moved back to 700 Main Street, Henry, Illinois. They remained there the remainder of their days. For some years before his death their marriage was not a very happy one. Sid drank heavily and was many times inebriated and abusive. He was very good, though, to Lorraine's children and grandchildren. Sid died suddenly of a heart attack in the same kitchen that Alden had died in.

Babe live alone the rest of her years in Henry, Marshall county, Illinois. Doris and her mother were very close and saw each other at least once a week. The week of March 15th, Babe had called Doris to see how she was, as Doris was suffering from a cold and didn't want to expose her mother to it. Lorraine talked at length with her and Doris said she would be over to see her as soon as she felt she would not be contagious. But, Lorraine died on March 18th, 1992, at her home in Henry, Marshall county, Illinois, at the age of 76. She had also died in the same kitchen that Alden and Sid had died. Babe had always said she would never want to go to a nursing home, so God granted her wish.

Babe was a very hard worker, right up to the day she died. She was very proud of her grandchildren and would have been very proud of her great grandchildren. She loved her pets.

Pulled from writings by Doris Beschhoerner submitted 12 Jul 2011 by Dennis Haun