Of the five children born to Florence and George M. Reece, Geraldine Joan Reece (above) was the only girl. Born in 1930, she was their youngest child. My father, Lloyd, was one of her four brothers. I don’t know anyone who ever called her Geraldine… she was always Aunt Gerry to me. When she was a young lady, she put together a collection of photographs of her family and friends. Since her death in 1999, her son, Brian Federspiel, has kept the collection intact, and he has now given me the opportunity to digitally archive this part of our family history. Over the years, I’ve managed to gather up a modest assortment of old pictures from various sources. But Aunt Gerry’s collection is quite literally a treasure trove of Reece family photographs. Most of the photos were taken in the 1940’s and 50’s, but there are some exceptions, both older and newer. The photo shown here was taken during the winter of 1945 - 1946 (possibly December 1945), when Gerry was not yet 16 years old. Thanks to my cousin Brian, I expect to post many more vintage photos of the Reece family (and friends) in the not-too-distant future. I’d like to think these will be seen by relatives with a curiosity about their lineage. I also hope that, for some folks, certain pictures might even evoke fond memories of the good old days. Thanks again, Brian.
