A NAIL-MAKER AND A CANDY CLERK

My sister, Beverly, and I didn’t get along real well for the first eleven years of my life. In my earliest years, she was my babysitter! I came along seven years after her and displaced her as the ‘baby-of-the-family’.  We were too far apart in age to play together. We did have to work together from time-to-time. We were expected to do the evening dishes after supper. She always got to wash; I had to dry! I remember when  mom and dad would go shopping at a large department store like Kmart or Hills or Gaylords, my dad would give me a dime to spend. It sort of bothered me when I saw him giving Bev several dollars. But, by the time I hit eleven, she graduated from high school and launched her adult life in Rochester, New York. From that point on, I was raised like an ‘only child’.

Before I left home, she and Dick were married in our New Brighton home on December 2, 1967. I liked Dick – he had a really cool, blue Mustang! 🙂 They settled in the Rochester, NY area where Bev worked at Suburban Cravats tie factory and Dick worked for Tobin Meats. When I later entered the ministry, she kept me supplied with great ties! And when we went to visit, we ate lots of meat! I remember when Dick plopped a porterhouse steak on my plate, I told him that mom would have fed the whole family with that steak! 

When I started attending Roberts Wesleyan College, their house became a frequent stopping place where I could get a good meal! When I got a job working as a night watchman at the college, I used to call Dick at all hours of the night to tell him what I was doing.  He would cuss at me as I walked down the dark, deserted hallways – laughing out loud!

The next stage of engagement was after Debbie and I were married and our family was growing. My pay was ridiculously low. We chose camping as our way to have vacations because in the late 70’s and early 80’s, it was an inexpensive way to go on vacation. While we were living in East Liverpool, Bev invited us to come and camp in their back yard! So we hauled our ‘pop-up camper’ to Rochester and set it up in their back yard [I think we did this two or three years in a row!]. We played video games and swam all day in their backyard pool. We had cookouts almost every day! Bev took us to the Rochester zoo for entertainment! Bev made us great meals and we played together constantly – making some fun memories!

Then, life began to take over! My ministry began to flourish and the kids grew. We became occupied with raising our family and didn’t see one another as much as before. However, one of the good decisions that I made was to visit each of my siblings at least once every year! And I held to this legalistically even though they very rarely came to visit us.

Many of my ministry years kept us within reasonable distance from the New Brighton/Beaver Falls area. So, Jeannette and Lib made their backyard pool available to us too! Sometimes we showed up when no one was there and we just had a ton of fun swimming together as a family!  Jeannette was fifteen years older than me, so we were never close, but I interacted a lot with her sons: Tommy and Bobby [who were slightly younger than me].  We still maintain contact, but get together far too infrequently!

Ira and Joyce had moved to Canton, Pennsylvania by the time we were raising our family. Joyce hosted the whole Haire family several times; that was really great! I know once was over July 4^th and another time was over Thanksgiving. I REALLY appreciated those opportunities for us all to be together! On our annual visit to visit Uncle Ira, he would let the kids ride his quads around the yard. THEY LOVED THAT! When we moved to Spencerville, Maryland, we bought them from him during one of our annual visits. Especially Troy and Tracie rode them endlessly! Our grandkids – Rylie and Coltin – have also enjoyed them immensely when they have come to visit us!

I practiced ‘retreats’ while I was leading churches. One of the places I went to was Mt. Zion Retreat Center, less than an hour from Ira’s home. Any time that I was on retreat, we would grab breakfast together for several hours! I loved that!

But life changes!

Mom died first at the early age of 67, from complications after open heart surgery! It was 1981, just two months after Tracie was born – almost forty-four years ago!  !

Dad lived for another eleven years, dying during Family Camp in July, 1992.

On September 27, 2021, Ira died. I got to spend a wonderful day with him while Debbie and Joyce attended a bridal shower. We talked all afternoon about our parents and the way we were raised. I had always looked up to him and he had always introduced me as his ‘kid-brother’!

On December 1, 2021, Jeannette died, after a long time of gradual decline. Because I had retired and lived in Enon Valley, I was able to visit her regularly. In the earlier years, we had some great times of reminiscing! 

And now, yesterday [June 10, 2025] Beverly has succumbed to the trials of dementia and changed her residence for all eternity! [I’ll write about her soon!]

That’s a brief history of the Haire Family – so far!

Years ago, I wrote a story for our family and titled it “A Nail-Maker and A Candy-Store Clerk”. It told of a young man named Leonard [from New Brighton] who was shopping at G.C Murphy’s in Beaver Falls and saw an attractive young woman – named Hazel Walton - working at the candy counter. From what I understand, he bought a LOT of peanut clusters back in that day! After a period of courting, they were married on August 17, 1934. They started this story!

And I have to tell you that I’m feeling VERY, VERY LONELY THIS MORNING!