Fearless Females - {Birthday Edition}: Lydia Herr Roehm Murphy - Born March 20th - Part 3

Lydia's life was already so full of good times with friends and family, you would think that nearing 80 years old, she might have said to herself "I think I will take a rest." But, Lydia didn't quite understand what rest meant. I believe her to be a restless soul. Constantly full of many interests and hobbies.

During the 1960's she took up many new hobbies - one was as cake maker and designer. She made many event wedding, birthday, christening/baptism, and various other cakes. She made a lot of her grandchildren's wedding cakes, often very large and opulent ones.

She also became interested in "rock hound" activities, befriending a townswoman in Brentwood who collected rare rocks.

After Bill Murphy's passing in May of 1973, Lydia had even more free time on her hands. Only living on her own on a very large ranch, Lydia lived in her own home until the early '80s, until she moved in with her daughter Annette.

But, between the early 1970s and early 1980s, Lydia and Annette would travel all over the US and even to Hawaii (even though Lydia's motto was always that she thought your feet belonged on the ground, she still took a chance and flew).

Here are some photos during this time:

One of Lydia's big and beautiful cakes at my Aunt Penny's Wedding, circa 1969, at Wiebel Winery.

Lydia, (Aunt) Diane, (Gr. Aunt) Izetta and her daughter Cindee, (my mom) Carole and (step-great grandfather) Bill Murphy, circa 1967

Carole, Bill Murphy and Lydia, at Annette's home in Fremont, CA, circa 1969-70.

Joyce, Izetta, Annette and Lydia cutting a cake at Lydia's house, circa 1968-69

Annette, Lydia and Izetta at Lydia's home, circa 1970-71

Lydia at her daughter Annette's home, circa 1974-75

Lydia and Mrs. Edith Ordway (at Edith's home in San Francisco), circa 1978

Lydia with all of her grandchildren (and great grandchildren) from daughter Annette, circa 1979

Annette, Lydia and Viola Schubert, circa 1981, in Washington state

The 1980's saw Lydia slowing down a little more. In 1981, she was diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Even still, she still made attempts to attend birthdays, weddings, and any other parties. 

On a personal note, I only remember Lydia just a few times. I remember her coming to our house when I was maybe 4 or almost 5. My Grandma was bringing her over to visit, but it was a short visit. Lydia seemed so regal to me. My Grandma would do up her hair into a beautiful bouffant cloud of white hair and would always dress her up nicely. She looked like a queen. She just needed a crown. 

I don't really remember Lydia's passing as I was just about to turn 5 years old when she passed away on May 4th 1987. The details surrounding her death left my Grandma heartbroken. My grandma (Annette) took her to our local hospital because Lydia was having breathing issues. They hospitalized her for a few days and said she had a UTI. The night Lydia passed away, the doctor's assured my grandma that Lydia would make it through the night, so she (and other family members) went home, with a bad feeling in their stomachs. One part I need to confirm is that Lydia either yelled out my Grandma's name as she left or murmured it as she passed away. Lydia's time of death would be 4am on May 4th 1987.

With Lydia's death, there was the strength of a matriarch in our family that was now missing. Her daughter, Annette, has carried on the torch to take care of the ranch and live out the rest of her days there. But, until this day, my Grandma mourns her mother's death, even at the age of 86, she still feels lost without her. 

Thank you, Great Grandma Lydia for being a rock in our family, making wise decisions and for your loving heart. You are not forgotten. 

Lydia and Annette, circa 1985

Lydia at the ranch, circa 1981

Source: Visit Lisa Alzo's great blog, which is the source for the Fearless Female blog prompt, http://www.theaccidentalgenealogist.com/ 

Thankful Thursday - The Ranch

Today, I honor the ranch that has brought our family together over the last near 70 years and has given us grandkids, great grandkids and now great-great grandkids countless and unforgettable memories of hiking the beautiful hills, dunking our feet into the cool creek waters during the late Spring months, playing baseball on the property land, perusing the old chicken coops and barns, and many more wonderful memories- this was and still is - the Murphy Ranch in Brentwood, CA.

This beautiful land was inherited into our family when my Great Grandmother, Lydia Roehm, remarried in 1950 to William "Bill" Murphy, a few years after her first husband, George Roehm, had passed away in 1948. Bill had never married up until this point. My Grandmother has told me that Bill met Lydia at a dance hall in Oakland.

Bill Murphy was living with his mother in Oakland at the time of meeting Lydia. The Murphy's still owned their large family home in downtown Brentwood and also many acres of land on the outer skirts of Brentwood, which was being shared between Bill and his siblings. Bill owned the portion that had many of the almond trees, the barns and the creek running behind the nice little valley, with an old tannery building made of stone across the creek-  it once had a wood door and roof, which has since caved in and has now been overrun with cottontail bunnies.

Here is a little photographic tribute with narration:

The Murphy children, Arthur, Katie, William and Esther Murphy, circa 1900

Esther Murphy, circa 1903-04, age 8-9

Katie (age 13-14) and Esther Murphy, circa 1903-04

 Katie Murphy with possibly younger sister, Esther, circa 1898-1899 

Esther Murphy in front of Murpy Home, circa 1896-1897

Mrs. (Christiana Braun &) William Murphy, circa  mid-1880's, San Jose, CA.

Christiana Braun was from a well-to family from San Jose, CA. She graduated High School and also went to college - a rarity for women in her time. 

  

Here is Bill Murphy as a young boy, a teen and a little older as a young man, in the late 1890's through the early 1900s. (click on each picture to enlarge)

Bill Murphy as a teenager, about 14-15 years old, circa 1906-1907

Bill Murphy entered the fight in World War I, and fought for his country, as seen below.

My grandmother, mother, Aunt Penny, Uncle Terry (on horse), Aunt Diane and Grandfather, with my Grandma's youngest brother, Jimmy Roehm, on the Murphy Ranch almond tree orchard, circa 1955.

My Aunt Diane and Penny, uncle Terry, Bill and Lydia Murphy, Joyce Wolf with son and Jimmy Roehm, at Bill and Lydia's home on the Ranch, built in 1951 by my grandfather and my Grandma's brothers. This picture is from around 1959-1960.

A family gathering on the ranch, with hills in the background. My mother is the little girl next to her Aunt Doris who was in a wheelchair - Lydia is kneeling down to the right of Doris, and my Grandma and grandpa are next to Lydia, circa 1955-56.

Same family gathering, circa 1955-56 (Bill Murphy is man standing, back row, 4th from left)

Same family gathering, circa 1955-56 (Aunt Diane in front, pretending to a take a picture)

Murphy home being built, circa 1950-51 (It still stands today)

My cousin Ross Jr. (Izetta and Ross Sr's son), circa early 1958-59, age 15-16, standing on a foggy day in an almond orchard.

Althought not a photo of the ranch, this is a photo of Bill and Lydia together with my Aunts Diane and Penny, with a family member, circa 1956-57

Some years later, my grandfather Vibert, being caught on camera on a typical sunny day at the ranch, circa 1993.

My cousin Melissa with my grandparent's dog, Bozo, along the banks of Marsh Creek, circa 1993.

My cousin Tiffany poses for her mother on the ranch, near Marsh creek, on a lovely Spring or Fall day (our Summers never have grassy fields - by the time late May/early June arrive, our green fields have turned golden brown.

Aerial views of the ranch in the 1980's

Second part of the aerial view, 1980s

My Uncle using a very old tractor to till the land, circa 2014

Springtime at the ranch, circa 2013

Surprisingly, this is sometime in November, as California hadn't had hardly any rain in months, and the earth was very dry and parched, circa 2014.

 Such a difference - 1st barn photo was taken in October of 2014, and the 2nd barn photo was taken in April of 2014. California only really has two seasons - Hot and Dry and Wet and Green

And, taken from Marsh Creek, a view of the hills up against the creek and land, as driving into the driveway, the beauty never ceases to amaze me with each visit, circa 2014.

This land is truly a treasure and I will do everything I can to try and keep it in our family during my lifetime, maybe even getting to live out here and experience life on a ranch someday. Who knows! This is the one place I can still come back to and feel like time has stood still. I no longer have my childhood homes to return to, so to me, this is home - our one last surviving home in our whole family that remains a constant.

I feel so fortunate that we've inherited this land and each time I drive up to it, I feel luckier and luckier.