Kathy was raised by her married biological parents, Etta Brown Smith and Nathan Smith, who made their living farming. Kathy fondly remembers how there was always family around, including her extended family. Kathy has seven siblings, some of which had moved out by the time Kathy was born. They lived in an apartment in the city right next to the river, but after her parents divorced when she was six years old they moved to the country. There she lived with her mother and siblings playing games and spending time outside for fun. Her mother remarried for a brief time and during that time they moved to Texas. Two years later, they moved back to New Bern. Throughout …show more content…
One of their limitations was that her mother did not drive so they were dependent on others for transportation. They were also on a very tight budget so they did not take vacations. One of the significant life events that Kathy recalled was when Kennedy was killed and they watched the …show more content…
While growing up he was a great brother who was always around. Since Etta did not drive, he would usually pick them up and take them to church and wherever they needed to go. As an adult he moved to Washington, and Etta followed later Kathy and Joe would too. They just celebrated his 80th birthday and they will see each other as often as they can.
Bob is the next oldest and resides in Texas. Kathy lovingly remembers how he would call her his “special little girl”. When Kathy was three she was run over by a Cadillac and he came home to find her in a cast from her armpits down. From then on, Bob has teasingly called her “Kat-illac”. They still see each other every other year for their family reunion.
Bonnie is her oldest sister who lives in Pennsylvania. She was grown up by the time Kathy was born. Nevertheless, they were able to bond when they became pregnant at the same time and their children ended up being born only 28 days apart. Nowadays, they take family trips together and every summer Bonnie’s family visits Kathy’s all summer