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Silver Lining: Seventy-one years of Marriage - Part 2
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Posted by caroline Tue Oct 24, 2006 17:42:08 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments In the early years of their marriage, Jim and La Dell Hill remember that gasoline was 15 cents a gallon. Sometimes they could find it for 10 cents.  Their first car was a 1928 Ford Model T Touring Car.

When they had two babies in diapers, La Dell said, “We had a clothes dryer.  It was a line between two posts out in back.” Diapers froze on the line in the winter so the couple draped them inside the house to get them dry.  It was sometimes so cold at night that they changed their babies under a blanket using a flashlight.  One held the flashlight, one changed the baby and their two heads and two sets of shoulders held the blanket up like a tent!

They bought their first washing machine in 1939 — a Maytag with a two-cylinder, gas-powered engine. The cost was some pecans, a cured ham and a little money.
A warmer climate beckoned.  Jim helped some friends drive to Marysville, California in early 1941. He worked a prune harvest in Marysville and earned $3 for train fare to Bakersfield. He planned to visit his aunt and uncle who had moved to the area. His first trip to Bakersfield convinced him that it was where he should be with his family.  Jim worked for DiGiorgio Farms for 17 days, earning enough money to go to Arizona where La Dell was visiting her parents.  Their family took the Greyhound Bus back to Oklahoma to prepare for their move to Bakersfield.  They looked forward to a bright future in California.

There were several reasons for the move, including lack of work in Oklahoma and the fact that they had family in the west.  In order to make the move, the Hills sold their farm animals and equipment for $300.  With part of the proceeds they made a down payment on a 1940 Chevy pickup and headed west.  Two other couples came with them, and between six adults, they were able to care for the children and make the drive in two days. 

When asked about the speed limit in those days, Jim said it was, “As fast as the car could go.”  They took turns driving and were exhausted but thrilled to be in California.  Their trusty Maytag washer made the trip with them.

When they arrived in Bakersfield in mid-1941, Jim went to work again for DiGiorgio Farms, working there until right after Pearl Harbor was bombed.  “Anyone who wanted to work in those days could get a job,” Jim said.

Jim and La Dell have vivid memories of Pearl Harbor and expressed the fear most people felt.  At the time, they huddled together with their babies and hoped for the best.
Lockheed came to Bakersfield in early 1942, and Jim went to work for them and building parts for B17’s until the war was over in 1945. Unions were in place, and Lockheed paid people well — 76 cents per hour.  Jim was not called to World War II because, by this time, their family had grown to four young children.  He was granted job and family deferments.

The Hills rented a place on Crawford Street in east Bakersfield for $25 a month.  Jim said they then decided to buy a house in the area, for which they paid $2,500. Five years later, they sold it for $3,600 and bought 10 acres on West Fairview Road. 
During this time, Jim worked away from home as a heavy-duty mechanic for Caterpillar.  After the children went to school in the morning, La Dell worked in the newborn nursery at Kern General Hospital. She stayed there for 11 years before retiring.

The couple’s 71 years of marriage have been filled with a wide variety of life experiences that continuously strengthened their devotion to one another.  This adaptable couple has bounced right along, making sure that everything went well for their family.  They have seen their share of happiness and more than their share of sadness. Both of their beloved daughters died at relatively young ages. One at age 44 of breast cancer, and the other at age 54 due to a heart condition.

La Dell’s father was ill and dying at age 98 during the same time the couple was caring for their 44-year-old daughter.  They survived these sad life events because, as they explained, “The Lord has always been with us.  We trust Him. He keeps His arms around us.”

When asked how they managed to make a good marriage that has withstood the test of time, Jim said with conviction, “Well, we love each other!” He also handed me his Bible and asked me to read Ephesians 6:1-3.  They attribute their long life and happy marriage to their belief in and response to that passage in the New Testament.
Today, their life is full of joy and contentment.  They are blessed with good health.

They have 11 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.

“And,” Jim added, “One great-great is in the basket.”

He smiled with pride as he held up pictures of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. La Dell showed me pictures of the youngest of their brood, one of their great-great-grandchildren. She said she is waiting for pictures of the newest one born in September.

They are strong, good people who live life with grace and dignity.  They are a perfect example of people who are described as the “salt of the earth.”  After 71 years together, they’ve earned the respect and love of everyone who knows them.  As a writer, I have been extremely honored to have met this couple and had the opportunity to share their inspiring story with readers of The Northwest Voice. 

E-mail Caroline at: creid@bak.rr.com

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