Matrilineal Monday - Doreen Knox

This is my first Matrilineal Monday post!

Doreen Beryl Knox was born 25 Mar 1932 in Ontario, Canada. She was the daughter of Samuel Knox and Florence Adelaide Phillips.

Growing up, we always called Doreen "Nanny" instead of Gramma or similar names.

She had three sons and one daughter (my mother Doneen Lois Hewitt).

When I was a very young child (about 4 years old) we (my mother, me and my sister Sandra) lived for a short time with Doreen and our grandfather.  I think at that time 2 of my uncles still lived at the house.

When I was a child we would often go to visit Nanny and Nanny would often come to visit my mother. She would drive my mother on errands as my mother never did get her drivers license.

I remember at one time her car was an Oldsmobile, and at another time a Chevette.

Nanny liked to sew, but almost never cooked.

Nanny enjoyed doing ceramics, a hobby she shared with my mother. She was very artistic and whenever we would visit she would give me various art supplies. I think she thought she just had to find the right art medium for me, but I'm hopeless at art!

At Christmas time, she would pay me and my little sister to bake cookies etc. for her so we could make money to buy Christmas gifts ourselves.

She was a smoker of Craven A cigarettes.

She played piano.  All my life my grandparents house had a piano, which I never did learn to play well, but my mother, Doreen and her husband could all play well.

Unfortunately, something happened to cause Nanny to not really associate with her family. The details of what happened have never been made known to me, but the first time I ever met any of her relatives was at her funeral.  Since writing this blog I have heard many stories/theories on what caused the rift with her family.    As they involve people still living, I prefer to keep them to myself at this time.  

Doreen died 26 Dec 1986 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

I miss her and think of her often.