Carol's family

Carol Warriner began life October 31, 1921, in Marinette Wisconsin, a small town near Green Bay.  She was the fifth child to be born to Don and Elsie Martindale

This is a very old photo. Carol's handwriting is on the back of it, stating," 1873 Dunlap, where Carol was born."

This is another photo of Carol's family home:  The writing on the back of the photo states, "where I was born 1873 Dunlap Ave, Marinette. It was not Carol's handwriting.
The house looks different in this newer photo.  Looks like they added the porch.  Carol said the house was always being added to over the years.

Her older siblings were Don, Amy, Nina and Ray. Then after Carol was born, the parents took an 8 year break in the action.

Here's another shot, with Don, Amy, Nina, Ray and Carol standing in age order. Already you can tell little Carol's attention is elsewhere.  I think she marched to the beat of a different drummer from day one!

Here is one with their parents, Don and Elsie.

Then they had four more kids:  Joan, Lois, Dick. and Dave. Elsie started having kids in 1915, and finished up 20 years later, in 1935.In this shot, taken around 1934, Elsie has not yet had the youngest child David. Back row from left: Don, Amy, Ray, Nina. Front row, from left: Carol, Mother Elsie,Lois, Joan, Dick, Father Don.


All of the kids had nicknames.  I can't remember all the names, but Carol's was "Coosie." Don't know why, don't know how she got that name, but that's what her father called her.

Carol adored her oldest brother Don and sister Amy.  Don was serious, studious, went to college and became a professor of sociology at a University in Minneapolis/St Paul. He wrote some textbooks in the 50s and 60s.

 Amy also graduated college with a degree in childhood education.  An interesting little tidbit that I remember about Aunt Amy:  As a childhood educator, she was dead-set against shows like Sesame Street.  When it first started airing on PBS back in the 60s, she happened to be down visiting from her home in Ephrata, Washington.  She had custody of her grandkids at the time, and they were enrolled in some kind of Head Start program.  But she would not let them watch Sesame Street.  Her words, and I remember it well were, "Its too quick, flashing too many images in too quick a time.  Its going to affect kids ability to pay attention in class later on.  They won't be able to focus on a slower lesson or on getting through a reading assignment." I think she was right, judging by how many kids have to be on heavy duty drugs these days just to get through a day in school.

Carol absolutely hated, with a capital H, her sister Nina.  She said Nina threw her shoes in the fire and burned them.  Whenever she spoke of Nina, it was never a happy story. I grew up under the impression that Nina was a bad sister.  I never met her.  As adults, they had no contact with each other. Carol told me a story, leaving out many details, about having to go live with Nina, for a time. Seems like she may have dropped out of high school during this time, according to the 1940 census, which indicated she completed only 3 years of high school, compared to others who completed 4 years of high school. She didn't tell me anything about school,  but it appears that Carol was the only kid out of nine who failed to graduate.

On the back of this photo, in Carol's handwriting, it says, "Carol and Jerry.  This is the bike Carol earned and bought by herself."

In 1939, Nina was married, had a little boy named Jerry, and lived in Detroit Michigan.  Carol didn't like having to do what Nina told her to do.  She didn't like Nina's little boy, and didn't like the fact that he was a red-head. Carol said that she was sent there to help Nina take care of the boy.  I am not sure how long she was there, but while she was there, she met and married her first husband Bill Tompsett, when she was about 18 years old. That got her away from Nina and the little red headed boy, but it obviously did not give her the freedom she was craving.

Ray was the brother closest in age to Carol.  She got along well with him, and the two of them got into a lot of mischief together as little kids. They used to hang around a cheese factory and somehow get their hands on cheese samples.  Evidently the cheese makers would stab the wheel of cheese to get a piece out, to see how it was coming along. They also used to wander around the railroad tracks looking for pieces of coal.  She told me that when they were small, the two of them would hop the train as it slowed through town and ride it for a little while, then jump off. One day, they saw a shoe near the tracks, and there was a bloody foot inside it. That should have spooked them away from train jumping, but it didn't.  One day someone who knew their father told him what they saw the kids doing, and Little Ray and Carol got their butts blistered by "The Persuader," which is what her parents called the belt that was used for punishments.

Carol didn't talk much about her four younger siblings.  I think she was not around much as they grew up. She was 7 or 8 when Joan was born, and 14 when Dave, the last one, was born. If she was out of the house and living with Nina in 1939, then she probably never got to know them.  She always cruelly insinuated that one of her younger sisters could not have been fathered by their dad, Don Martindale, because she was taller than the other girls.

Aunt Amy was the sister who kept track of everyone, was in contact with all her siblings, and was the go-to sibling when you needed to tell her your problems.  Carol was on the phone talking long distance to Aunt Amy, at least once a week.

When Amy called her in 1970 with the news that Nina was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, Carol didn't have any change of heart about her feelings for Nina.  She didn't care if she was suffering through experimental cobalt radiation treatments.  It seemed like she was jealous that Nina was getting too much of Amy's attention.  When Amy reported Nina's death a few months later, Carol didn't shed a tear, and didn't go to the funeral. Cancer ran rampant through this family. I am fairly certain that Carol is the only sister who did not get breast cancer.

Aunt Amy drove down with her family to visit us maybe three times.  Uncle Dick came down to San Diego one time for a quick visit, ,because he was in town on business. Uncle Don sent a letter every so often, and would send copies of his newest publication. But that was it.  We kids knew she had a huge family, but we only were acquainted with Aunt Amy. Carol just didn't seem close to any of them except Amy. And more telling, none of them seemed too interested in her or her kids.