Many summers, Grandpa Luckert's half brother by his mother's second marriage to Albert Hermes, Sr., brought his family out to stay at Aunt Lizzie's. Aunt Lizzie Luckert Stocking had gone back there and had a splendid time, including fond Coney Island memories, though Grandpa probably had her beat with his youthful vaudeville memories of the Hippodrome acts and the performers who stayed at an aunt's rooming house (she gave teenage George tickets). Because he lived with us and repeated the same stories many times, as a child I grew bored with them and stopped listening instead of writing them down. I do remember one of the Hippodrome stories involving flooding the arena to stage a mock sea battle. I also recall his talking about Lillian Russell and some prominent comic duo.
Anyway, [Great] Uncle Al's wife was the very genteel Daisy, his son George/Buddy with his wife Mary. Although an early photo has George with a Naomi as his wife, I think it might be Sylvia, Uncle Richard Luckert's second wife, holding Phyllis. I'm sure family will tell me one way or the other. The photos illustrate well the span of years these enjoyable relatives with those "funny," strong New Jersey accents drove out to rural Nebraska. (I think of them wistfully whenever I read one of Janet Evanovich's comic Stephanie Plum mystery novels, set in Trenton--not Newark--New Jersey.)
L-R: George/Buddy Hermes, woman identified as Naomi, his wife, but the little girl is Phyllis Luckert and the little boy Alton Luckert, Uncle Rich's two oldest children, so I think it might be Rich's second wife, Sylvia. Then come Daisy and Al Hermes.
L-R: George/Buddy Hermes, his mother, Daisy, Rich Luckert, unidentified man.
L-R: Velma Luckert, Mary Hermes, wife of George/Buddy Hermes next in line, Mrs. Martin (Mary's mother), Lizzie Stocking, George Luckert, in front of Jack's station in Center. Apologies for the ink splatters. Grandpa is well-tanned because he helped Dad at the station, running the gas pump and checking the oil and such when he wasn't playing cribbage. I don't remember when Dad covered the white wood of the station with this ugly brown brick-patterned tar paper, or I could date it approximately, but I'd guess the Fifties.
In contrast Uncle Rich Luckert dated this one of Albert Hermes, Jr., in September, 1966.
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