Brian Lynn Lightfoot ²

  General Notes:

In June 1999, Brian officially retired from his job at Stanislaus Glass Company in Modesto, California and began to collect his monthly pension checks earned through the Glazier's Union.

In June 2010, Brian began to collect his monthly Social Security checks.
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Contracted COVID-19 on November 18th, 2021. Hospitalized for 2 days and recovered at home. Total time either sick or recovering from COVID: about 6 weeks. Mild post recovery heart afflections requiring the services of a cardiologist.
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  Birth Notes:

Name: Brian Lynn Lightfoot
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 04 May 1947
Event Place: Winona, Minnesota, United States
Father's Name: Franklyn Lee Lightfoot
Mother's Name: Margaret Elizabeth Drugan
File Number: 1947-MN-058704

Citing this Record
"Minnesota Birth Index, 1935-2002," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VCFZ-DB8 : 6 May 2014), Margaret Elizabeth Drugan in entry for Brian Lynn Lightfoot, 04 May 1947; from "Minnesota Birth Index, 1935-2002," database, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2004); citing Winona, Minnesota, United States, Minnesota Department of Health, Minneapolis.
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  Noted events in his life were:

• He was described as tall with brown eyes, brown hair.

• He resided in Winona, MN in May 1947.
³

• Birth Image: 4 May 1947, in Winona, MN. ²

• He resided in Portland, OR Sep 1948 to Feb 1949.
³ This is the only time that we lived in the NW part of the US as most of our other residences were in the mid-west or eastern part. I've yet to learn of any particular reason for moving the family here as there were no relatives in the area. I think Frank Sr may have been in the area during his years in the navy and liked the area so much that we ended up moving there for a few years until he decided we may as well move to where he was stationed with the navy in California.

This house was a large two story house with white painted clap-board siding, typical of that era. We have some photographs showing us playing on a large wooden porch but I am not sure if this would have been our house or perhaps a neighbor. The photos also show a yard with a white painted wood picket fence.

• He resided at 4833 McNab Avenue Mar 1949 to May 1952 in Lakewood, CA.
³ This area is now within the city of Lakewood but apparently in 1952 was called Long Beach as evidence by a letter from the navy to Margaret Lightfoot giving a summary of Frank Lightfoot's naval record. I think we later moved a mile or so north into the Bellflower Garden Apartments in the city of Bellflower. It was a neighborhood that was predominately two story apartment buildings.

• He resided in Moline, IL Dec 1952 to Jul 1953.
³ I have no recollection of what this house looked like but Lee says it was right across the street from the Moline Police Department.

I remember practically nothing about living in Moline and have gotten little additional information from Lee and Frankie. I believe this is where we first got Roxie, the cocker spaniel puppy. Of course, when we left Moline bound for our next destination, Dad stopped somewhere along the highway, opened the car door and got rid of the dog. I wonder how many different dogs we owned as kids growing up? I think Roxie was the last dog we ever had.

• He resided at 1907 Kathleen Street Nov 1953 to Jun 1954 in Tampa, FL.
³ The was another rental house that, if I remember correctly, came furnished, something was not all too uncommon back then. And good reason it was furnished: we had little more than several suitcases of clothes to move it. The house was not too far from the Hillsborough River and us three boys found plenty of places for play including some back water area where we would throw a bottle into the water with a string tied to it. Inside the bottle were several pieces of bread and within minutes we would pull the bottle out full of "guppies". There was also some sort of man-hole which we would climb down into and use fish nets to catch tropical fish that were discharged from a nearby aquarium or fish factory. It wasn't too important to us that the vast majority of these tropical fish were diseased and would die within days.

Mom also noted on one of the photographs that apparently we couldn't pay the rent on the house after a few months and had to move into a small apartment, a place of which I have virtually no memory.

• He resided at 2907 Woodrow Street Jul 1954 to Dec 1954 in Tampa, FL.
³ I have no information about this place other than Mom described it as a small apartment. It was about 10 blocks away from the previous location on Kathleen Street and across the Hillsborough River.

• He resided at 2737 Saint Paul Street Jan 1955 to Jun 1955 in Baltimore, MD.
³ All I can remember about Saint Paul Street is that it was one of the typical row houses in Baltimore with the marble steps out front.

This was a rental apartment that I believe was on the 3rd floor in a somewhat run-down area of Baltimore...working poor would be appropriate. As Mom wrote on one of the photos, "We were really in bad shape at this time!" I can remember horse drawn carts coming up the alley with the Negro driver yelling out "Rags, Rags". This is also the place where thieves came up the wooden back stairs to steal Frankie's Raleigh bicycle that was chained down tight.

• He resided in Grand Isle, VT Jul 1955 to Oct 1956.
³ Why we ever moved to this remote location in 1955 is still baffling to this day. There is some suspicion that Frank owed a bunch of money to some people back in Baltimore and that he needed to "get out of town". Whatever the reason, we ending up moving right back to Baltimore about 2 years later.

• He resided at 3020 Reisterstown Road in 1956 in Baltimore, MD.
³ This was an older two story house on the corner of Wichita Avenue. There are several photos showing Mom and Brian near the front porch of the house.

We lived in the upstairs apartment on the right side (near the side street). Below us lived some relatives of Curly Stein of the 3 Stooges fame.

• He resided at 3002 Reisterstown Road, Apt A3N Mar 1957 to Oct 1958 in Baltimore, MD.
³ This was a large brick, apartment building. We lived in Apartment A3N which meant the "A" wing, 3rd floor. And as I recall, there was no elevator back then.

Following one drunken brawl, we were given a "Notice to Quit" which I remember seeing on our apartment door. It was our eviction notice and the beginning of when our parents began to split up.

• He resided at 2302 Ocala Avenue in 1958 in Baltimore, MD.
³ This was the 3rd apartment that we lived in along the Reisterstown Road area after moving here following the eviction when Frankie stabbed Dad in the arm after his big drunken brawl in the apartment and trailed blood down the hallway and out the front entrance. I'm not sure of the exact address where Mom moved us 3 boys but I know it was only a block or two away as I remember using a toy wagon to move what few possessions we owned down the back alley. There appears to be some redevelopment of the brick apartment buildings along Reisterstown Road where we used to live so it is possible that we moved into one of these buildings located on the next side street, Ocala Avenue.

• He resided in Davenport, IA in 1959.
³ Following the parental split that occurred in Baltimore, our parents tried one last time to get together. This time we moved to Davenport, Iowa where Frank's parents still lived. It was the 2nd floor of a large house. I think Mom had no choice but to try and reconcile because she had no assets and no job experience.

I can remember we had a screen room or porch area and had purchased this red hammock which we all found somewhat amusing to try to sleep on.

It was also on this screen room where I remember mixing up a bunch of "Hy-Lite", the battery additive that Dad was selling to make extra money. Hy-Lite was nothing more than epson salt crystals with blue food coloring. We used to go to the grocery store and buy half a dozen packages of food coloring. We'd use the blue and throw out the rest.

I can also remember riding my bicycle out to Grandma and Grandpa's house just to stop by and visit them. I don't remember ever being greeted with warm hugs but it was more like "we're busy, what did you want". I was either too young or too naive at the time to realize that I was getting a cold shoulder.

I still remember Frank coming home frequently dead drunk at which time he would pass out on the red hammock. Mom had very little money and we were all living on a "starvation diet" while Dad drank untold sums away. I had to low-crawl out to where he peeled off his clothes prior to passing out on the red hammock and attempt to retrieve some money from his billfold.

• He resided at 427 West Jefferson Street Oct 1960 to Aug 1961 in Springfield, IL.
³ This is where Mom moved Lee and Brian to following her final breakup with Dad after another drunken brawl in the Lincoln Hotel in Chicago where he insisted she come to for another attempt at a reconciliation. He apparently forgot to mention that he had Ann Scharf stashed away in another room in the hotel.

This apartment near downtown Springfield was nothing more than a 3rd floor attic loft with very cheap rent as it was all that Mom could afford on her salary from Myers Brothers Department store in Springfield as a hosiery saleslady. We took many pictures from the small rooftop balcony with the Illinois state capitol buildings in the background. This entire residential neighborhood has since been demolished for redevelopment as state office buildings.

• He resided at 105 Forest Avenue Sep 1961 to May 1962 in Rockford, IL.
³ Mom's new job as an Unemployment Insurance Claims Examiner required her to relocate from Springfield to Rockford so Lee assisted in moving us by getting a U-Haul trailer attached to his 1957 Plymouth Fury and drove us to our new location. At this time, Frankie had started school at Winona State College.

This was a 2nd floor studio apartment with only one real bedroom to speak of which is all Mom could afford at the time. The photo shows Mom standing with William Mitchell, a fellow Unemployment Claims Examiner whom she met. They are standing in front of the garage which serviced the 1st floor apartment. Our entrance to the small 2nd floor was the little door to the left of the garage door.

• He resided at 1532 West State Street Jun 1962 to Nov 1963 in Rockford, IL.
³ Within one year of moving to Rockford, Mom had enough money to move out of the small studio apartment into a more spacious but still modest apartment. This was another 2nd floor apartment with the only entrance via a wooden stairs on the side of the building (where were the fire codes back then?). It was located over the Honey Boy Pizza Bakery which apparently made the dough for many of the local restaurants but was no longer in operation. Mom had already met William Mitchell who also worked at the Unemployment Compensation office and who was recently divorced. Within a few months they were married in Rockford and continued to live here for at least another year.

The entire block of West State Street has since been torn down for urban redevelopment projects.

• He resided at 2115 West State Street Dec 1963 to May 1964 in Rockford, IL.
³ Strangely, we have no photographs that show this house or surroundings. There is some old 8mm film taken from inside the house but no other images exist. Once again, this was a 2nd floor apartment where Mom and Bill lived. Brian lived there part of the time but he also left for about 6 months to go live with his Dad in Detroit. Lee also lived here but he was moving out to California to be with Bob Westphal around this time and for a number of months he also had his own sleeping room elsewhere in Rockford on Benderwirt Avenue. Across the side street, Webster Avenue, was "Red's Gas", an old gas station where both Lee and Brian hung out to do some small work on his car.

For some reason, I seem to recall living even further out on West State Street, perhaps into the 3500 block or more but perhaps I am confusing it with this building at 2115. I have no other pictures to prove another residence on West State Street.

• He resided at 718 North Court Street Jun 1964 to Apr 1966 in Rockford, IL.
³ Mom had been laid off from her job with the state as an Unemployment Claims Examiner but William continued to work there and had been promoted to a Deputy Claims Examiner. By this time, Lee was living in California and working with Bob Westphal. Brian was mostly living in his own sleeping room on Benderwirt Avenue, the same one that Lee used to rent.

This was a brand new two story apartment building with about 30 units in which Mom and Bill were hired as "resident managers". The rent was free and all they had to do was simple maintenance such as changing light bulbs in the hallways, vacuuming the hallways, and serving as a collection point for the rent checks from all the other tenants. Of course included with that comes the tasks of dealing with tenants complaining about noise, lost their keys, can't pay the rent, showing vacant apartments, etc. Mom also liked the idea that the owner put in a phone in her name but he paid the bill just so he could officially maintain a phone contact with her as the building manager.

• He was educated at Auburn High School Graduation on 10 Jun 1965 in Rockford, IL.

• He resided at 1421 Benderwirt Avenue May 1966 to Mar 1967 in Rockford, IL.
³ This was a single sleeping room in an older two story house rented for $1 per day. It was located just about one block off of Auburn Street and Rockton Avenue. Previously, Lee had stayed there for about a year prior to his induction into the Army.

• His occupation in 1967-1970 was an Engineering aide in Rockford, IL. ³
He worked for Sundstrand Aviation Company in the Test Equipment department. The work involved special enclosures for environmental testing of constant speed drives for electrical generators used on commercial and military aircraft.

• He resided at 1333 Evelyn Court in Apr 1967 in Rockford, IL.
³ I'm not sure why Mom and Bill ever left their position as the resident managers of the new apartment on North Court Street. Perhaps they get tired of shoveling snow off the sidewalks and the constant interruptions from the tenants so they moved to their own 2nd floor apartment located on the corner of Evelyn Court and Auburn Street sometime around May 1966. By this time Bill was the Assistant Manager of the Freeport office of unemployment and he was making the 30 mile drive every day. They actually stayed at this place longer than any other place they lived at, a period of about three and one-half years.

They lived on the 2nd floor on the side of the building facing Auburn Street (with all the traffic noise).

• Military: Illinois Army National Guard, 1968-1975, Rockford, IL. ³ Brian joined the Illinois Army National Guard in Rockford, Illinois originally assigned to Company A, 129th Infantry. In 1968 he served his Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training both at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

When he returned to his reserve status with Company A, he signed up for the Illinois Officer Candidate School and graduated in July 1970 earning the Distinguished Candidate award. He started as a Second Lieutenant for the 2nd & 3rd Rifle Platoon Detachment, Company B, 129th Infantry in Rockford, Illinois. By the summer of 1972, he was promoted to First Lieutenant and was serving as the Detachment Commander and Company Executive Officer.

In 1974, he attended the Basic Infantry Officer Training Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. In 1975, he attended the Northern Warfare Training Institute at Fort Greeley, Alaska.

• He resided at Ridge Avenue Jan 1968 to Jun 1968 in Rockford, IL.
³ This was a rented house that Brian and Carol first lived in after they were married. The house belonged to an elderly couple who went to Florida for six months.

• He resided at North Court Street in Jun 1968-Dec 1968 in Rockford, IL.
³ This was a large two story house with one apartment upstairs and one downstairs. Brian and Carol rented the lower apartment. It was about 6 blocks away from their first house on Ridge Avenue and about 6 blocks north of where his mother lived at 718 North Court Street.

• He resided at 1626 - 16th Avenue in 1969-1970 in Rockford, IL.
³ When Brian went into the Army for his 3-4 months of training necessary for the Army National Guard, Carol went back home and lived with her parents. When Brian returned from the Army training, they rented this second floor apartment on the southeast side of Rockford.

• His occupation in 1970-1972 was a Glazier at Cardinal Glass Company in Rockford, IL. ³

• He resided at 1303 Temple Circle in 1971-1972 in Rockford, IL.
³ After Carol's father died, her mother bought a new house on the far east side of Rockford across the street from her other daughter, Gloria. Brian and Carol moved into the house with her.

• His occupation in 1972-1975 was a Stained glass window salesman at Cathedral Glass Company in Evansville, IN. ³

• He resided at 604 Cypress Street 1973 to Jul 1975 in Newburgh, IN.
³ Brian went to work for his father at Cathedral Glass Company in Evansville, Indiana. They rented this small duplex apartment in Newburgh which was a small town about 15 miles out of Evansville. Phone 853-6323

• He resided at 5108 Newburg Road May 1975 to Aug 1975 in Rockford, IL.
³ When Brian left his father's employment in Evansville, Indiana, he returned back to Rockford and rented this duplex house on the east side of Rockford. Carol and the children were temporarily living back with her mother at 1303 Temple Circle in Rockford.

• His occupation Sep 1975 to Mar 1977 was a Machine tool repair parts salesman at Sundstrand Machine Tool Company in Belvidere, IL. ³

• He resided at 155 Station Street Oct 1975 to Mar 1977 in Garden Prairie, IL.
³ Carol and Brian re-united and rented an old two story house in the small unincorporated town of Garden Prairie about 20 miles east of Rockford. Brian had stated work for Sundstrand Machine Tool Company which was located in Belvidere, Illinois, about 5 miles towards Rockford.

• His occupation 1977 To 1988 was a Glazier in , Santa Clara County, CA. ³

• He resided at 1476 Starlite Drive Mar 1977 to Dec 1988 in Milpitas, CA.
³

• His occupation Dec 1988 to May 1999 was a Glazier at Stanislaus Glass Company in Modesto, CA. ³

• He resided at 1547 Hickey Court in Dec 1988 in Ceres, CA.
³

• He retired on 1 Jun 1999 in Ceres, CA. ³

Brian married Carol Cecelia Renton, daughter of Roger Floyd Renton and Mary Doris Holmes, on 9 Dec 1967 in Rockton, IL.³ (Carol Cecelia Renton was born on 12 Mar 1947 in Rockford, IL ³.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• They were engaged on 24 Dec 1966 in Rockford, IL. The proposal and engagement ring were a Christmas surprise and present. Brian was still enrolled at Illinois State University at Normal (or he was just finishing up one semester). The engagement was published in the local Rockford newspaper. It lasted one year and they were married the following December of 1967.

• Marriage Image: 9 Dec 1967, in Rockton, IL.

  Marriage Notes:

Brian and Carol were high school sweethearts both graduating from Rockford Auburn High School in 1965. The High School "Prophecy" for Carol said that she would have "4 children all with very light feet". Both had part-time jobs at May Drug Company but worked in different stores in Rockford, Illinois. Carol worked at various jobs after high school such as secretarial duties at Rogers and Clark Manufacturing, WREX-TV, and other places. Brian worked at Sundstrand Aviation in Rockford for several years after they were married.

The wedding ceremony was performed at "The Church by the Side of the Road" in Rockton, Illinois which is a small town located about 10-15 miles north of Rockford. The main and only attraction in Rockton was the fact that is was the location of a motel resort, The Wagon Wheel Lodge. It sported a large ice rink and for the Sunday services for the guests, there was the Church By The Side Of The Road. The minister of the church, Rev. John Walker, was actually a retired minister from another area. Inside the church were several canaries in bird cages along each side. Whenever the organist would start up a tune, the canaries would join right in.

The wedding ceremony was performed at 2:00 PM in the afternoon and a large reception was held at 6:00 PM in the rented hall of the Machinist Lodge in Rockford. While they were in the reception hall that evening, someone broke into their parked car and had stolen several suitcases with all of Carol's clothes that she had packed for her honeymoon. For the honeymoon, they traveled by car to Florida including Cape Canaveral and the Fort Lauderdale areas.

Returning from their honeymoon in Florida, around Jan 1968, they first lived in a rented house on Ridge Avenue in Rockford. The owners had gone to Florida for about 12 months but Brian had earlier moved into this house around July 1967. When the owners returned, Brian and Carol then moved into a rented older house on North Court Street which was only about 10 blocks away. Later they moved to a second floor of an old house at 1626 - 16th Avenue in Rockford.

In 1974 they then moved to Newburgh, Indiana (outside of Evansville) where Brian worked for his Dad for approximately one year. About one year later, they moved back to Rockford where they lived in the same house with Carol's mother for a period of about one year. They later moved to a rented old two-story house in Garden Prairie, Illinois. The address in Garden Prairie was 155 Station Street, PO Box 156. Their phone number was 597-3811.

In the winter of 1976-1977, Brian went to California for several weeks where he worked with brother, Lee, in Fremont, California. Brian bought their first house in Milpitas, California and returned back to Garden Prairie, Illinois. In March of 1977, they began their move to California and rented a Ryder cargo truck and moved from Garden Prairie, Illinois to Milpitas, California. Carol drove a 1976 Chevy Suburban with a 1973 VW in tow behind it while Brian drove the rented Ryder truck. In Milpitas, their phone number was 942-1679. The children attended the local elementary school, Pearl Zanker.

In Dec 1988, they moved to their current address in Ceres, California.
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