Mary Catherine Cunningham (now Lammers)

Mary Catherine Cunningham was born on the eighth of August 1933 in St. Joe, Iowa. She were the fifth child of John Cunningham and Rose Kramer.

My Grandma Mary grew up on a farm around Livermore and St. Joe, Iowa. On the farm there was a garden that she would tend with her mother and siblings. The farm also had some animals so they always had their own milk and meat. She was never without food. Her mother was a very good cook. She learned some of her mother’s recipes and still makes some of them today. She was also never without clothes. They were almost always hand me downs but they were always there.

When she was growing up on the farm she always had something to do to entertain herself. She would play games outside with her siblings in the cow pasture. They would play baseball and use dry cow chips for bases. They would also play tag and hide and seek. At night she would listen to the radio with her family.

My Grandma went to a Catholic high school in St. Joe, Iowa when she was growing up. She would study every night but the next day at school when the Sister asked her a question she could not remember anything that she had studied. Sometimes some boys that sat next to her would whisper the answers to her.

My Grandma Mary and Grandpa met at a dance.

When I was growing up my Grandma Mary babysat my brother and I until I was about eight or nine years old. She would cook for us and take care of us. Some of my favorite breakfast dishes she would make were coco wheats and cinnamon rolls. One day when my grandma was babysitting me I hid behind the curtains in the living room. My grandma was freaking out because she couldn’t find me. She ran past where I was hiding a ton of times, calling my name. I thought it was funny and tried really hard not to laugh but eventually I laughed and she found me. She was not happy with me but she was glad that I was found.

My Grandma Mary likes  to spend time with her family. We have had more family dinners at the big house, what we call Grandma Mary’s house, then I can count. One dinner that I remember is flat pancakes. There would be three or four people in the kitchen all helping make the meal. Flat pancakes is a recipe Grandma got from her mother. They are really flat pancakes that are buttered and filled with syrup and then rolled into a long tube. They are really yummy.

Every Christmas Eve we gather at the big house. Grandma makes dinner and we all hang out and spend time together. After dinner is eaten and all of the dishes are done we pass out and open the presents under the Christmas tree. This is a fond memory of Grandma Mary and everyone else who is there. This is done every Christmas but is still something to be remembered.

For several years my brother Logan has played Hockey. My grandma and grandpa love to come and see him play. They don’t come to every game but they try to go to a few each hockey season. When they can’t come to his hockey games they always ask about how the game went and about how he did. He is their only grandson.