For fourth of July my family hosted a Woodbury family reunion. It has been at least 10 years since this has happened so it was about time! It was so good to see those that came (five out of seven siblings and a couple cousins). We had a great time, despite the cold rainy weather. We did a lot of visiting and reminiscing.
Nicole will be assembling a book about Lydia and LeGrande (my dad’s parents) so we attempted to gather some photos and stories about them. They never wrote a journal or wrote down their own stories so it has been difficult. Lydia didn’t talk much about her childhood, and while LeGrande told lot’s of stories it is hard to remember them since he passed over 20 years ago. And sometimes different people remember the details differently. So I’d say if you want your life story to be accurate, don’t let your children write it for you after you’ve passed! Do it now!
Lydia Woodbury. I learned a lot more about her this past week. She was the oldest of 11 children and so had a lot of responsibility from a young age. She never talked about herself, so it was difficult for her children to come up with many stories about her childhood. I learned that although her husband was a cowboy and loved horses, she actually hated them and was afraid to ride. She was an amazing seamstress and a creative person. She met LeGrande at a dance, she thought he liked another girl because he always danced with her, but when he finally asked her to dance I guess they clicked. They eloped when she was 18, he was 22. (Her parents apparently weren’t too fond of him.) She had seven children over a span of more than 20 years. 
Legrande Woodbury. I don’t have any memories of him, he died when I was 3. He was a cowboy, buried in his boots and hat. He loved horses, especially appaloosas. He was a good story teller and had a great sense of humor. He was a perfectionist, nobody could do it as good as him. He must have loved animals because he was always bringing home random pets for the kids. A magpie, an albino skunk and a snake that I heard about. In later years he had an ice cream shop that was open 365 days a year, even Christmas (some of the kids claim they worked while sick on Christmas day!) he was a hard worker.
More to come on them as we get the stories put together and round up more photos.
