July 30th, 2010

Agnes Rhodi English 's Story

Birth Year: 1929




Table of Contents





    My name is Agnes Rhodi Aldworth English. I am of Irish descent and a Catholic. Joseph and Agnes English were my father and mother. My father was in the tobacco business. It was on one of his ships that he and my mother were lost. My mother was a housewife. She was a good singer and I guess that is where I picked up my musical ability. Both were taken from me early in life. They/we were on a voyage to come back to America when the ship they were on sank. I lost them both. They told me to go with my uncle Gene and auntie Lil and get off the boat. My uncle and aunt lived in Oak Park. Illinois.

    My parents were working on the ship when I don't know what happened, it just started to sink. They were shipping their tobacco when their ship went down and the ship took them with it.

    Before it was to late, I got off the ship into a smaller boat. I didn't know what else to do. I went to live with my uncle and aunt in Chicago. He was deaf as a post yet a very nice man. They were great to me. I still feel it, the pain, here in my heart, it hurts really bad. I don't know why my parents did that. Maybe they were loosing money or something. But I feel so bad about that. They were wonderful people.

    April 25, 1929 was the day I was born. I grew up in the country of Turkey.

    I have a sister Kathleen English who disappeared. It was Kathleen and Rhodi, Kathleen and Rhodi. We played so much when we were just kids. I have looked all over to find out where she is. But I never found her. Some how we all got separated. I also had brothers Jimmy and Richard.

    We also played tennis quite a bit.  You know, I had a lot of friends back then. But now I can't remember their names. There was a young man I met in Turkey that I liked a lot. He was a regular American. I really fell for him and then I had to leave. But back then we would just get together and have fun. There was no big romance. We would play tennis together and things like that.

    We had maids and cooks where I grew up. The Turkish people worked for us. So I never learned to cook with my mom. I don't remember doing anything on the domestic side back then. I don't remember my family being rich. But we had plenty. I was a happy little girl. We had a swing set that I played on. We had vegetable gardens and also the most beautiful flower gardens. The gardener would take very good care of the flowers. One time I remember walking through the garden and got my dress caught on something sharp and tore my dress. It was not too much trouble because I had a nanny Schatzi that made my cloths. Schatzi was hired to take care of us kids and boy did I lover her. She was such a wonderful person, a beautiful lady. I missed her so much when I came over to the US. I sat there in my room and cried and cried and cried, but I got over it.

    One of my favorite holidays in Turkey was Barroom, the festival of the drums.  There was dancing and lots of food. One of the songs from back then comes to mind right now and I'm singing it to myself. It is Turkish music. The women back then would wear their veils and the people are very nice and I loved the Turkish People. They don't now wear the veils. But in those days I always dressed like an American.

    Sometimes we would go to the beach. It was some ways away. When we went we would go by car.

    The city I grew up in was called Alsanjack. But that was so long ago.

    I went to a dancing school as a young girl. I remember that I had to take acrobatics. They were mostly floor exercises. We would run a few steps and jump and flip in the air. But it was never for the circus. We had to do it.

    I love to play the piano, sing and dance. I guess you could say I was a musician in life. If I could be dancing today I would still be doing it. I now play with a group at a place called "Jammer's" I believe it is like a senior center. I don't know where it is. Someone comes and takes me there. It's a small group of about 8-10 men and women that get together a few times a month and we play. I like to play piano and the flute with them.

    There is one man that plays the tuba and another the clarinet. There is another lady that plays piano and I play also. We like to play the older melodies. And I love to hear the waltz music. My daughter Amy has been so good to me. She is a good girl though, I haven't seen here for a while. She helps me get to where the Jammer's are playing. WE like to play the popular music.

    I love chocolate thought I don't think it is too good for you. I guess that would be my favorite food. I guess now at this point in my life it doesn't really matter any longer. I can enjoy it! If you wish to add to this list I would say ice cream is right there at the top of my list. I do love ice cream too. Yummy, Yummy! MM, MMM! So I suppose you can figure it out that chocolate is my favorite flavor. I also like tea; just regular tea. Sometimes I will put a slice of orange in it. That makes it a little more flavorful.

    I went to a Christian School for High School up in Oak Park, IL. It is near Chicago. I think it was Oak Park High that I attended as my life began to become established here in the United States. My grades were pretty good. I did well.

    We had one maid there at my uncles and had some beautiful flower gardens at his home also. I love the flowers and anything that is pretty. My favorite colors are red, ah, also blue and green.

    I went to college to study music. I guess it was for two years. My friends and I didn't have much money to do much. We had our group and we walked around a lot.

    I married Jim Aldworth. We were good friends together. There was no hunky dory with us. We just got together. He is a sweet man. I like him a lot. We are not living together now. We just split. He, I think is living up in Chicago still.

    We played some cards in life. I became a mother of 5. I had Julie, Amy, Eileen, and Kathy who is my youngest daughter. I had a son also; his name was Jimmy. They were real nice kids. I have a really good relationship with my kids. Eileen every now and then calls me now. I keep their picture on my dresser so I can see them. I don't have their names on the back. I should have put their names on the picture.

    Some things I have done in life for entertainment would include playing cards. Some poker and other games though I never went to a casino. I would have to have a big strong man take me there to protect me.

    I have been on a cruise and though I don't remember the name of the ship it was a good ship with good food. I would have danced on the ship but I didn't have anybody to dance with. We did have a nice stateroom. Everybody got their own bed and we had windows that looked out over the water. Now I love the ocean, but I don't want to drown in it. It is not likely that I will drown in the ocean now that I live in Colorado. I know how to swim but I am not a great swimmer. I get tired to quick.

    Some other sports I have enjoyed in life were tennis and basketball. When the boys would come over we would also play baseball.  I like the games. But as I got older the bigger bats became too heavy for me. But it was fun. I must have stopped playing these games around the age of 15-16. I also enjoyed bowling though I was never very good at it. Now we have the computer bowling, Wii games and I have the chance to participate in games that use the computer now and then.

    As an artist in life I have tried painting but I was not very good at it. So mostly I stick with the music that I love to play. I can still sing though not as high as I did when I was younger.

    I have had a good life. I really have. I have been living here in Colorado now for about 3 years. I came here from Oak Park. I live at a place called "The Retreat" and I have my stuffed animals for company everyday. When I get up in the morning. I kiss all my animals. They all get kisses! It makes me laugh. I have a little doll I keep in my window. It's a country bunny and I just love her. She is so cute in her straw hat and with her long ears. I think the cutest of them all is my fluffy snowman.