A New Family

February 18, 1985

My mother, Elva Crabtree Harris Rodriguez, was widowed at the age of 57 in 1972 when my father, Daniel Lawrence Harris, died of complications following a heart attack and stroke. They had been married for almost 32 years. 

Although she still traveled to all the places they had planned to see together, she was lonely. She once told me she never expected to be alone for so very long. But then she met Ernie (Ernest Raymond Rodriguez) and they married when she was 70, on February 18, 1985. Their life together was truly wonderful and she greatly enjoyed her expanded family.

I'm so glad that someone thought to take this photo of the combined family--the newly married couple; Elva's two daughters, Clair (that's me) and Jean; Ernie's three daughters, Linda, Diana, and Patt; plus our children. Many thanks to Linda Griswold for helping me with all the names I wasn't sure of.

In the front row, left to right:

Benjamin Daniel VandenBoom (Clair's son)

Breca Rodriguez Griswold (now Mariscal--Linda's daughter)

Ernie Lopez (Patt's son)

Colin Rodriguez Griswold (Linda's son)

Middle row:

Clair Harris Zarges (Elva's daughter)

Jocelyn Elise Goldsmith (Now de Sena--Jean's daughter)

Diana Rodriguez Muñoz (Ernie's daughter)

Linda Rodriguez Griswold (Ernie's daughter)

Patt Rodriguez Lopez (Ernie's daughter)

Back row:

Bill Zarges (Clair's husband)

Jean Harris (Elva's daughter)

Elva Crabtree Harris Rodriguez (the bride)

Andy Muñoz (Diana's son)

Ernie Rodriguez (the groom, holding his grandson, Andy)

We think the man who is partly out of sight on the right is Jerry Griswold (Linda's husband)