January 1, 2008 @ 1206 hours Dear Ms. Sanders, Please accept my apologies for taking 4 months to get back to you. I certainly did appreciate very much getting your letter and the church bulletin for the funeral service. My sisters and I have know Verla all our life. Our Mother, Vera (Davis) Pinkstaff, borned 1912, became friends with Verla when she was living and working as a nurse for the local doctor in St. Francisville. Verla must have been in collage at least part of that time. They were young single girls hanging out together. Through Mom's friendship with Verla, our family also got to know Mr. and Mrs. Hill, and they visited us often at our house out in the country, and we would visit them at their home, with the big front porch, in St. Francisville. Mr. Hill was always giving me some change which he had in his pocket. I have today a 22 caliber rifle that Mr. Hill gave Dad because we had so many sparrows roosting in the two big trees close to the house. And not to long ago Verla sent me one of Mr. Hill's old watches. I think she sent my sisters, Sarah Jean and Jane, a quilt. Verla also became friends with our Aunt Jean and Uncle Clyde. Aunt Jean was Mom' sister. Clyde Leathers was principle of the school in St. Francisville during a span of time that probably included at least some of the time Verla attended St. Fran- cisville High School. Mom lived at their house while she was in St. Francisville working a nurse, and I am sure Verla must have come over to that house to see Mom. One of the things I can clearly remember is being over at Aunt Jean's house (We lived just across the field from Aunt Jean and Uncle Clyde after they moved out on the farm.) when Verla came out to see Uncle Clyde and ask him what he thought about her and Betty investing that house in Oak Park. Uncle Clyde had a kind of wise man repitutation in St. Francisville, and having been principle of the high school for a number of years he acquired a lot of respect in the community. Verla came to visit St. Francisville fairly often to Mom and oth- er friends after her parents both died. Mom would always try to make butterscotch pie because that was Verla's favorate. On one of these visits she brought a portable radio. It was very large by today's micro electronics standards, but it was the first time I had seen one. I remember laying on the couch, listening and seeing what local stations I could get while Verla and Mom talked in the kitchen. Sometime when my sisters were still in grade school they went to Chicago and stayed with Verla and Betty for two or three days. They still talk about that visit today. One time when I was in Chicago visiting my best friend, Tom Hart who had moved to Tinily Park with his family where his Dad, Nute Hart worked as a barber in some mental hospital. Tom and I were old enough to drive, and we went to 22 North Kennelworth to visit Verla and Betty. Verla's connection to Nute and Inez Hart, my friend Tom's Mother and Father, goes back to when they were all in St. Francisville High School together, and Neut and Inez eloped. Verla went with them along and She ended up contacting the preacher who married Nute and Inez and served as one of the witnesses. Verla did not know the marrage was in the works until she was in the car and off on the adventure. Once when I was talking to Verla when she was at the assisted living facility, she told me her Mother, was very angry with her because Verla did not tell her about the se- cret marriage, and her mother did not find out until everyone in town did. Many memories have come back to me in the writing of this letter. It would be easy to write more, for they are all pleasant good memories, but I will wind this up for now. I have a lot of pic- tures from my home that I salvaged, and I hope to go through them some day. No doubt, I will find pictures of Verla and her Mom and Dad taken when they were visiting us. I hope to put some of those out on my WEB site, http://paulpinkstaff.com, some day after I retire. If you are into WEB stuff, and you go there today, se- lect New Labco on the first page and there you will find pic- tures of the grand kids. Jane and I have two, Abby and Jake. Abby is 2 and 1/2 and her brother is 6 months old. This was quite a Christmas this year. There are lots of Christmas pictures on my WEB site. My e-mail is pinkstaffp@acm.org, and I would be happy to trade some memories about Verla if you would like that. You know much more about her life after the war in Chicago. Again thanks for the letter. And again I am sorry to have taken so long to answer your letter. I was a little disappointed that the Verla Mae Hill life summary on the back of the bulletin did not mention Betty, When we talked of Verla someone would always say something that included the phrase Verla and Betty. I will sign off as P.J. since that is how Verla would have re- ferred to me. I go by Paul now. Thank you again, P.J.