Rolader Siblings...

The oldest child of the Rolader family was Dorothy. I remember she was born the same month and year as my daddy (May, 1920). Dorothy is a very nice person, and looks a lot like their mother. She married George Tucker and had three sons and a daughter (Cleveland (or Pete), Gerald, Don and Juanita). Pete died a few months ago. He was the oldest and I didn't know him very well. Gerald is a very "friendly" man. When I was a teenager I used to hate it because he would make me (or any of us girls) sit in his lap and hug us (NOT sexual). But still...hehe. He used to be a large man, but I haven't seen him in years. He wasn't able to come to the funeral home when momma died because he was in poor health. I used to think Don was really cute. But when momma died he was a middle aged man with a long gray/white pony tail and beard. I haven't seen Juanita in a very long time either, but I always thought she was pretty. George died many years ago (I'm not sure I ever met him, but if I did I don't remember). Dorothy waited until her children were grown to remarry. She married Wylie Smith (a very nice man who had a stroke and became "the little man who follows Dorothy around"). After many years he also died and she married J.T. Pratt (who according to the rest of the family wanted a "maid").

Next was Viola - momma always said she was the "pretty" one. She's a very petite woman, talks very fast, dresses nice, still wears make-up at 85 years old, and falls to pieces during a crisis. I remember when my parents were in an auto accident she fell to pieces when she saw momma afterwards. She married twice (the first time to a McMillan and the second time to a Johnson). Both men committed suicide (shot themselves). One of her husbands was in WWII, and seemed to have a hard time (according to what I've heard) adjusting when he returned. She had four daughters by her second husband (Donna, Linda, Karen and Teresa). She has been a widow since Teresa was a baby. Donna lives out of the state. Linda was always kind of short and dumpy and had very poor eyesight. Karen was closest to my brother's age, and I remember him talking to her some. Teresa was the youngest (only a year older than me). Momma said that people used to say, oh Viola's the pretty one - or would talk about how pretty she was in front of the other children.

Then came momma (the middle child - I'll talk about her later).

Then Hattie Lee. Hattie Lee married a very quiet mild-mannered man named Manco Higgins. He does everything for her as she is now in bad shape healthwise (but then so is he). They have three daughters (Janice, Carol and Susan). Janice was about my brother's age I believe. Carol lives out of state now, and Susan was a year younger than me. Hattie Lee is the opinionated one of the bunch - but she has a good heart.

Then last is Garland, Jr. (momma always refused to call him Garland - but called him Junior until she no longer knew him). His first wife was Fay, and they had two sons and a daughter (June, Greg and Wesley). Shortly after the youngest was born they divorced, then they remarried and later divorced again. He then married another woman (she was a doozie), but they also divorced after a short time. Later on he married Marion - and they're still married. He's several years younger and spends a good of time carting his older sisters around. I remember momma telling me he was kicked in the head by a mule when he was two years old, and they didn't think he would live. As of today he's still alive along with all the rest of momma's siblings.