Happy Birthday, Mom

Happy Birthday to Betty Jane Mosell, who lived to the ripe old age of  90 years old. 

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Betty ended up living, going to school (Valley High), marrying, and working in DES MOINES, IOWA. 

A large part of her life covered a century, 1900-2000.  That is a lot of Des Moines history.  She was a Southsider, living in the same house for many many decades.

I woke up this morning trying to remember the various jobs the woman had throughout her life.  There are those who say that one of  the virtues of hiring somebody from the Midwest is that they have a very strong work ethic.  I don't know if that's true anymore, but when I look at my parents and myself, I guess it holds true.  Over her lifetime my mother had more jobs than you can shake a stick at.  Think back to the day when many people were dirt poor but worked hard.  Think of the popular TV shows like The Walton's and Little House on the Prairie.

I was a middle aged adult when my mother happened to mention that she delivered donuts to houses in the neighborhood that her mother had made.  And she also mentioned going to a large family farm to help out in the kitchen. 

In her obituary I was sure to list some of the places my Mom worked. 

 Betty worked hard all her life and was employed over the years in many notable but long-gone Des Moines institutions including Bishop’s Cafeteria, Kresge’s Dollar Store, Younker’s Cremona Room (cafeteria), Sorenson’s Gymnasium, State Auto Insurance, Look Magazine, Arlan’s and Target department store on Fleur Drive.

My mom also worked in the cafe attached to the gas station my dad and uncle built when they got out of the Navy.  She said owning their own business was really hard work.   

They had to sell the filling station when Des Moines decided to build Hwy 69 going south to Indianola. 

 

 

 

Reeves and Mosell Standard Station

Clover Leaf Cafe, circa 1960

 

Bishop's Cafeteria

Kresge's Dollar Store

Younker's Cremona Room

Sorenson's Gym

 Sorenson's Gym, Des Moines, Iowa

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When I asked my mom what she did there she said that her and some other girls demonstrated the equipment.

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State Auto Insurance

Look Magazine

Arlan's

Target (on Fleur Drive)

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Despite growing up poor, both my mom and dad (a farm kid from Nebraska) worked their whole lives.  and my mom was fantastic at managing a household budget on a SHOE STRING.  Consequently the Mosell kids did not have a terribly deprived childhood.  They did have dance lessons, piano lessons, skating lessons, etc.  And, after the kids were grown, her and her husband began to take annual vacations.  

As I was reading about the caste system in India and how you are stuck in the caste you are born in, it makes me very grateful to be in America where there is clearly quite a lot of vertical movement between the economic classes.  Many poor people move on to a better life.  And many poor people have kids who enjoy a much better life than they had growing up.  THANKS MOM AND DAD.

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