Help Me Wish My Grandpa a Happy 92nd Birthday!

The year is 1915.  This is what the world was like:

   *Woodrow Wilson is President of the United States

   *World War I- the Germans introduce poison gas

   *The Lutsitania is sunk by a German U-Boat

   * The first stone is laid for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC

   * Ford produces its one-millionth automobile

   * The Turks kill 600,000 to 1,000,000 Armenians

   * The first Trans-Atlantic "Radiotelephone" message is sent

   * D.W. Griffith releases his epic, Birth of a Nation

   * The population of The United States is 100, 546, 000  

....And on Wednesday October 27, my Grandfather Raymond Lombard was born in La Junta, Colorado. 

   Raymond was the youngest child of Samuel and Eva Lombard (a German immigrant); he had four older siblings, two brothers, and two sisters.   His brother Harry was twenty years older, his sister Irene eighteen years older, his brother Wallace twelve years older, and his sister Eva four years older.  He must have been quite a surprise for his parents!

At the age of three, the family moved to Los Angeles, California.  Raymond grew up, went to school, and had big dreams. During his school years he worked on and off with his father (who had lost an eye in an accident years before), in his scale repair shop, driving back and forth in his first car, a 1916 Hupmobile  (for a picture see http://members.aol.com/AGW1887/xcarlson2.jpg ). He started driving when he was twelve; he got his license when he fourteen.

 With sister Eva, age 5

He graduated from Franklin High School in 1934, the first in his family to do so.  Raymond always dreamed of going to college, but by then something horrible got in his way- the Great Depression.  He was one of the lucky ones- he got a job with the Post Office, a solid and steady job.  This allowed him to help his now elderly parents.

Age 8

  High School Picture 

Showing off with friends, 2nd from right

  Horseback riding

 Although the Depression was difficult, Raymond got by, and never forgot to enjoy life, whether being with friends or enjoying the outdoors.  His post office job would soon change his life.  During the Christmas season of 1936, he met my Grandmother, Mary Fields, when she got a temporary job working with him.  They married a year and a half later on June 22, 1938. 

My Grandmother, Mary Fields- High School photo

    Their small family grew quickly, daughter Antonia, born 1939, daughter Cynthia born 1941, and daughter Christina born 1943.  By now World War II was in full gear.  Raymond was drafted in 1944 and joined the Navy.

Raymond during WWII, in his navy uniform

My Grandmother was pregnant with son Raymond, Jr., at the time he was drafted- he did not even meet his son for almost a year.  Raymond was all set to ship out for the Pacific when the Japanese surrendered, and the war ended. Nine months after his return home Raymond and Mary welcomed their youngest child, Amanda.

With Brothers Harry and Wallace

 Antonia, Cynthia, Christina, Ray, and Amanda, Easter 1950

  Raymond wanted the best for his family, and at one point worked three jobs so that he could send the children to private school.  After twenty years of working for the post office, he decided he needed a change, and started a second career working for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and finally began college.  Unfortunately, he never finished.  The family grew up, moved out, and got married. 

   He retired in 1976, just in time to spend time with his many grandchildren.  Raymond and Mary traveled, became active in causes important to them, and enjoyed life.  They ended up with five children, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

The ever-growing family

   On January 1, 1997, after surviving lymphoma, Mary passed away after a horrific battle with pancreatic cancer.  They had been together for over sixty years, and married for almost the same.  He never recovered from her death, but has gone on to be an amazing, strong, and generous person. 

Mary and Raymond, shortly before her death

    He helped his eldest daughter when her home burned down in the 1993 Laguna Beach Fire.  He has helped several of his grandchildren through college, graduate school, purchases of cars and homes, and the births of their children.  He sold a car to an almost perfect stranger for one hundred dollars, only because he knew this person needed it  more than he did.

When you look at his amazing life, you get only a small sense of all the events, hardships, and changes he has seen.  These are just a few examples of the events and changes Raymond has seen in his lifetime:

World War I*  the 1918 Flu Epidemic* The Passing of the 19th Amendment* "Talkie Movies" * Prohibition* The Great Depression* World War II* Television* Passenger Airplanes* Telephones* The Korean War*  Advances in Technology-from the Refrigerator to  Advancements in Automobiles* JFK's Assassination *Color Movies and Television* The Vietnam War* The Moon Landing* The Cold War and Soviet Scare* The Technology and Computer Revolution* The Challenger Explosion* Cell Phones* September 11th* The Iraq War* ...Music changing from Big Band to Jazz to Rock and Roll to Hip-Hop/Rap* Tapes and CDs* VCRs and DVD players...and this is all just a snapshot of our ever changing world!

Blowing out the candles on his 92nd Birthday cake!

PLEASE HELP ME WISH MY INCREDRIBLE, AMAZING GRANDPA A WONDERFUL, HAPPY, AND HEALTHY 92ND BIRTHDAY!!!!