My Mother...
Joy Callista Robison
My mother, Joy Callista Robison was born on the 4th of November in the year 1926 in Los Angeles, California. Mom was the third born child of her parents, she had two elder brothers and an elder sister, but her sister passed within a month of birth, making my mother the only daughter my grandparents had living.
Mom's father is William Earl Robison, born in Oklahoma, and her mother is Freda Maureen Thomas, born in Kansas City, Missouri. Her parents married straight out of high school, and lived in Kansas City until my mothers elder sister died as a baby unexplainably - that's when they decided to move west to California, where my mother and her brother James were born.
Like her parents, my mother got married to her first husband right after graduating high school, but she continued her education and went on to graduate college and also was in medical school for 2 years aiming to be a doctor. When she realized she didn't do well with blood, she shifted gears and in addition to having a family, she went on to work for McDonald Douglas aircraft where she worked her way up from being a "Rosey Riviter" making aircraft to a Quality Assurance Inspector overseeing their construction all together.
​
My mother and her husband Aaron Julian McDaniel would go on to have 4 sons, each two years apart in age... she also got pregnant in between the two last of their sons and also during their divorce, but she had an abortion both times. Their eldest son Glenn Lee McDaniel crossed over when he was 16 due to a combination of both a heart murmer and also because of the drug use he was doing.
​
Her second eldest son id David Earl McDaniel. He never set out to accomplish any sort of legacy for his life and ultimately proved to be a severe embarrassment and disappointment to she and the whole of our family because of his own personal life choices, and I will just leave it said at that.
​
Her third born son was the pride of her life, Aaron Julian McDaniel Jr. is his name and ultimately he continues to prove to be the best and with the most potential out of all of her kids. Aaron is the only one of us who actually finished school, meaning high school, and like mom, went on to graduate college. He also went to and graduated from the San Francisco School of Arts and proves to be a hell of a photographer and artist. He also got credentials as a Photo Journalist. Aaron also went into the US Army and Voluntarily served in Viet Nam, and through the military also got credentials as an electronics engineer and proves a natural master when it comes to computers and most all sorts of electronics overall. He's a jack of all trades and has proven to live life the most honorably out of her children, especially of her sons, and is her as well as my heart.
​
The final son born of her and "Mack's" marriage was Bobby Jo McDaniel, which was actually "Bobby Joy" as mom said she believed he would be the last child she had as she knew by then that the marriage was on the rocks and that she was going to ultimately be ending it, which she did when baby Bobby was around 5 years old. From then mother raised all 4 of the boys together as best as she could until ultimately they would prove it wouldn't be possible as an option.
Initially at this point, mom had gotten remarried to her second husband Enrique Gonzales, "Henry" is what he was called though initially he didn't speak a word of english. Henry was from Mexico, his brother was like a presidente of the area of their family. Henry and mom actually got married down in Mexico, but they lived in Los Angeles where he worked his way up from busboy in a restaurant to actually Owning at least one restaurant, of coarse that would be After he and my mom would long divorce. Mom and Henry never had any children together, and according to mom, she is the one who chose to end their marriage short after her eldest son Glenn passed away in 1965 and she ultimately went to prison for drug dealing. All agreed that overall Henry was good people and I've never heard any say a bad thing or word against him. Mom lost contact with him over the years but as far as it's known he remained in Los angeles and did pretty well for himself.
Mom was the apple of her father's eye as well as her mothers baby girl, but too, she was declared a "Black Sheep" of the family because of her personal life choices... Especially getting a divorce which was a BIG no-no back then, Especially with children and more-so with 4 young boys... and then, to have married a mexican too, and working in a Bar, then the whole partying scene and getting convicted as a drug Dealer... it was sad but understandable to her, and too, it's not like she was exiled from the family or anything.
Mom's parents had divorced after she had grown and divorced herself, and both parents remarried. Her mother married a Navy ship captain who served in WW2, and her father married a mexican woman who actually Murdered him (and several other spouses) not long after mom lost Glenn, which was extremely tough on her and long Before I was born. Her step-dad Joe died when I was around 4 years old, he and her mother were the only grandparents I had when I was born, and the way she was toward me, I'd been better off not having had a grandmother at all - she HATED me, it wasn't personal, it was because of my mother making "Black Sheep" choices according to the "Standard" of expectations set upon her as her mother's daughter.
My mom and dad got together in 1969... the "Summer of Love"... the problem was is that my father was in a marriage with 2 children still in the family home. For her to have wound up pregnant By my father, was the icing on the cake as far as Her mother was concerned as far as her "Shame" upon the "Family." What my grandmother didn't KNOW was that my dad's divorce had just become Finalized about the very same time I was conceived, but the bottom line was is that she had "wrecked a home" and had a bastard child because of it." She still loved and continued to try and strengthen their bond with one another, she just had resentment and jealousy of me being the apple of MY mom's eye, though too, honestly speaking, she wasn't the Only one, just the first of the many who were.
I was 3 1/2 weeks old and actually literally At my parents wedding. I grew up the only child in the family home and my father Insisted that he be the bread winner while she was to stay home and raise me, so she and I had the tight bond that her mother always strived for them two to have, and she wasn't Able to try and build with her sons as they grew up - she had no choice but to be the bread winner for them and worked 3 jobs throughout most the boys lives, so especially Bobby has Always had "issues" with my being born... he had been her baby 20 years until me... but I got Quantity of Quality and they didn't so I always tried understanding that.
We lived in southern California until December of 1985 when my Father decided and announced that we were moving to Oregon so He could be closer to his son who was in prison there. So, we lived out our lives there, even after dad passed in 2006, from Central to south valley area mostly but also have some land out in the central eastern part of the state as well and are looking at possibly Hopefully getting in the position to establish elsewhere as well, especially as her eldest son left intentionally sets out to torment her. Her youngest son gave up on her in 2008 when she had a pretty scary bout with cancer, the eldest was by then legally Restrained from being around her, but her 3rd born Aaron and I proved to be her pride when we stuck right there, lept into action and ultimately ensured she BEAT her battle with cancer - which she did though it did cost her a breast Thankfully it was stopped and then ridded right snack At her sternum and heart... a true blessing she has and continues to be to us.
She and we two proved the same again when she had a "Major stroke" in progress While behind the wheel of her Car! According to the doctors, the whole side of her brain where the "motor" is but thankfully Not the motor itself, completely had "blown out". For over 6 months they did all they medically could but ultimately declared her "new baseline" as being Severely imparred... within a few Months of Aaron and I caring for and working with her, they "revised" their diagnosis to "major stroke Minor damage" and she continues to take care of herself, self sufficient and even "Healthier" than I am medically speaking, lol.