A Growing Family

When Jim Trotter and I married, we had not discussed some of the important aspects of our life together, including money management and what we felt about having children, and if we wanted them, how many. It’s worked out just fine for us, but I would urge young couples considering the huge step of marriage, to discuss both these issues and other important subjects in order to have a solid base and understanding of each other’s views.

We were to be seniors in college when we married (June, 1946) but because both of us lost hours of credit when we transferred we each had another semester to go. We worked that out (my chapter on education) and we really didn’t want any children while we were in school. However, things do happen. I became pregnant in December, 1947, and then had a miscarriage and operation in March 1948. That was very sad in one way, but I’m sure God was looking out for us.

We were transferred to Phoenix by GMAC in March, 1950 and in April I became pregnant. James Bruce Trotter was born January 13, a big baby boy. After three months of colic, he became much more fun for me.

We purchased a house on N. 24th St. and life went on as usual, hot in Phoenix in the summer, with no air conditioning and a simple water cooler on the roof – not too effective when it was 112-116 degrees F.

It was not long till I was pregnant again, and a second baby boy, Jay Michael Trotter, was born on October 2nd. Lots of dark hair (a nurse cut the back of his hair before we left the hospital) and big dark eyes, which became dark brown.

Jay was just about four weeks old when we were transferred to El Paso, TX. That was a trip to remember- a boy not quite two, a baby, and a fairly new cocker spaniel puppy, which was car sick as we drove to El Paso.

We settled in, bought a house on Honeysuckle Dr., and again I was pregnant. At a bridge party, I began to realize things were soon to happen. We arrived at the hospital late on February 13, and Mark Randall Trotter arrived about 12:30am on February 14th, our biggest boy, weighing in at 9lb. 6 oz.

Again we were transferred by GMAC to Denver, CO. We rented duplex in a suburb, Englewood- then moved to a rent house, and I was pregnant again. I believed all the time it would be another boy – and I was right – Lee Roy Franklin Trotter was born on November 9th.

Now we had our family of four boys and decided that would be it. I’m sure Jim would have loved, and spoiled a little girl, but this was it for us.

We rocked along for a number of years, being transferred to Dallas, TX in 1958, back to Denver a year later, 1959, and then with early retirement, we moved to Kansas City in 1965, and that’s where we remain till this point in time.

When the boys were ready to enter 8th, 9th, 10th, and 12th grade, the American Field Service Organization called us and asked if we would be willing to host a student for a year. We agreed, and after a home visit and interview we were approved. Around August 1, 1968 we picked up Bruno Riegl at the airport. He was from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), of polish background, as his parents had migrated to Rhodesia after WWII. He had been schooled in a British school there, spoke beautiful English with a very distinct accent and had wonderful manners. He taught our boys a thing or two along those lines.

So, for a year we had 5 teenage boys. I was teaching 8th grade English–lots of papers to grade. I’d try to go to the grocery store just once a week and load up, usually filling two grocery carts full. Lots of people would look at those carts and sometimes ask me how many children I had. When I explained about 5 teenage boys and a husband, they’d just nod their heads as if they understood.

Bruno was with us his senior year at Raytown High School, returned to Rhodesia for a year, and then came back to University of Missouri where he graduated with a B.S. in Economics, received a Master’s Degree in Economics, married Ann (we attended the wedding in Columbia), is quite a successful business man, and remain a part of our family to this day.

Now our boys began to head off to college. We visited York College at one point, visited Oklahoma Christian college and then visited Harding College. With some discussion, Jim decided on Harding College (now University) Jay followed Jim in 1971, Mark in 1972, and Lee in 1973.

Jim majored in Science-Biology and in 1973 took the entry exam to UMKC Dental School a year early and was admitted. He had girl friends at Harding but when he returned home to enter Dental School, there was no firm commitment on anyone’s part. Jim had a wonderful baritone voice (a wide range) and was leading singing at church on Sunday (now this is the way I heard it). Harold and Bonnie Ensley were sitting on the back row with their daughter Sandy. When Jim got up in front, Bonnie nudged Sandy and said, “Now there’s the boy you might get acquainted with”. I don’t know Sandy’s immediate reaction, but they did eventually have a first date. Sandy had graduated from UMKC. She had also attended Kansas University for a while, a conference-type thing that would have applied to her master’s degree in speech therapy. However, she decided that was not for her. A lot of people she was working with were veteran’s returning from Vietnam, etc. and it was just a depressing environment and not for her. They had a second date a couple of weeks later, and it went on from there. They were married at the Raytown Church of Christ on September 21, 1974.

Jay entered Harding in the fall of 1971, finished his freshman year, and was in the first semester of his second year when he received his draft notice to serve in the Army having been assigned #76, of the people born in 1952 (the last year the draft was implemented). He served two years in the Army, having been stationed in Augsburg, Germany. It helped him to survive that duty because of the wonderful missionary family, Clyde and Gwen Antwine, who took him under their wing and welcomed him into their home whenever he had leave. Jay returned to Harding for the spring semester, 1975. He and Shelley Morgan had met before he left for the service. In fact, I think she told me she had even sent him cookies. When he returned, their friendship flourished, and they were married March 6, 1976, ready to enter their senior year.

Mark entered Harding in the fall of 1972. Jim, and especially Jay had had some fairly serious girl friends, so we warned him to remember that if and when he’d decide to get married, our help with college would cease. He returned home Thanksgiving, and as we were talking he told us our advice was not working. He was trying to date different girls, not get serious, but word had got around that he was just playing the field, and he was having trouble dating anyone. He returned to school and now he and Kerry McEuen began to date. Kerry had made up her mind that Mark was the one for her, and I’m sure it was mutual. They were married (secretly in June 1975, and then in a more official wedding on Oct 25, 1975.

Lee entered Harding in the fall of 1973. He and Cheryl Welch had been going together in high school. She was a year ahead of Lee, so had gone to Northern Missouri State at Marysville for her freshman year. When Lee went to Harding, she transferred there and graduated. She received her medical technology degree in Kansas City. Lee was accepted into UMKC School of Pharmacy after graduating from Harding, and he and Cheryl were married April 22, 1978 at the Raytown Church of Christ.

Now the fun really began, at least for Jim and me. One can spoil the grandchildren all you want, and send them home to let the parents straighten things out. Jim and Sandy discovered they could not have children, but after being married about 10 years, decided to adopt. They have David, a tall slender young man, never married, and living in California. They have their daughter, Leslee, who has a son Johnathan, 5 years old. She has recently married Scottie McLeroy, and they live in Austin, TX.

Jay and Shelley moved to Weatherford, OK where Jay entered pharmacy school at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Leanne arrived while he was in school. Shelley worked as a nurse in a nearby town, Clinton, OK. Justin Morgan Trotter was born two years later, and then Lindsay was born about two years later.

Mark and Kerry moved to Kansas City where Mark had been accepted into UMKC dental school. While Mark was still is school Jonathan Mark was born. Two years later Kathryn Lee was born. Then a tragedy-Laura Beth was born with a terrible heart defect. Jim and I were at Rocky Mountain National Park, where Jim was a temporary ranger for the summer, but when I got the call, I came back to Kansas City. Doctors at Children’s Mercy Hospital operated on the baby, but the defects were too extensive so they told Mark and Kerry to bring her home. I helped where I could. The baby was so sweet-she looked like a little doll. She lived about three weeks. Jim came back for the funeral, and then we returned to Colorado. Corrie Lynn was born about two years later. Anna Elizabeth was born next and it was soon apparent that she as a Down’s syndrome child. As I’m writing this, she is now 18, and just as sweet as those children usually are. About a year and 5 months later, twins arrived, Sarah Grace and Jamie Ellis, their combined weight of 14 lbs. 9 oz. They are now 17 years old and identical, but have always maintained their own identities. Two years later almost to the day, Audrey Ann arrived, with bright red hair (inherited from my mother). She’s 15, and has loved horses almost from the day she was born. A year and a half later, Andrew James was born. I Have always called Jonathan and Andrew the bookends, with the six girls in between. That would be the end of the children in that family, as Kerry died of cancer the following year, (more about that in a later chapter).

Mark had a nanny for the eight children for about a year, then married Lyla Bremer, who had two children of her own, Cassandra and Russell. Cassandra is married to Jon Perkins and Russell is married to Jennifer. We include them to make the number of grandchildren at 17.

Lee and Cheryl had been married a little more than four years when they welcomed Ryan Christopher into their family. About 4 years later, Jessica Lee joined their family, and it seemed everything was going smoothly. She and Lee were eventually divorced. She and Richard married and now live in Austin, TX.

A mutual friend introduced Lee to a lovely lady (two years older than Lee) Rhonda Munce. She had a mellow contralto voice so when they were married, they sang a duet to each other. Rhonda had four children, two boys and two girls, so that was a pretty full household. They had just a few years together until Rhonda died of cancer.

Cherlyn Peterson, member of our congregation and some years younger than Lee, had graduated from Oklahoma Christian College. She and Lee began to date, found out they had lots of things in common, and were married in August, 1998. They live in Lakewood, not to far from us.

The natural progression is when grandchildren marry, great-grandchildren begin to arrive. This is the case in our family. Jonathan and Elizabeth have four children-Nathaniel, Isaac, Hannah, and Faith. Leanne and Michael have Eden Michelle, and are expecting a baby girl, Harper Ann on October 3, if not sooner. I’ve mentioned Johnathan, son of Leslee. Morgan and Jamie have two sons, James David and Myles. Cassandra and Jon Perkins have two sons; Owen and Elijah, making a total of ten great-grandchildren, with number eleven on the way. Ryan and Diana have been married a year and have said they do want children.

This completes the Trotter family at this point, but we have the feeling that the Trotter family will continue to grow as grand children grown older and marry. We feel so fortunate to have this wonderful family.