Muriel Silk Calvert
Birth: 19 Oct 1905, San Francisco, California
Death: 12 Mar 2001, South San Francisco, California
Spouse: Elbridge Bernard Calvert
Birth: 18 Dec 1898, Bellview, Jackson, Iowa
Marriage: abt 1930
Death: 23 Sep 1967, San Francisco, California
Children: Charles Bernard (1931-2017)
Muriel Idell Silk was born on October 19, 1905, at 2602 Mission Street in San Francisco. At six months old, she survived the Earthquake and the burning of the Mission District. She was four years old when the family moved to 3965 – 25th Street where she would spend most of her life. Her mother Marie was always concerned about appearing old due to the age of her children, so she always dressed Muriel as a child.
The 1940 US Census showed that Muriel had graduated after 4 years of high school and would have graduated in 1924. She most likely attended Immaculate Conception grammar school and high school, though it is not confirmed. St. James’ (where her brothers went) was all boys and St. Paul’s (where Maxine attended) was not opened until 1925.
Muriel had something of an extended childhood. Her mother was always concerned with appearing old because of the age of her children, so she dressed Muriel and Maxine as children well into adolescence. Also, she was the baby of the family for eight years. Charles was nine years older than her and, though closer in age to Vincent, Vincent was on the road when she was only seven, so Muriel was with Marie constantly as a child. Once Maxine was born, the sisters were always together, and Maxine’s dominant and confident personality made Muriel appear to be younger by comparison.
As a child, her parents’ cabin in Fetters was one of Muriel’s favorite places. Though it was “rustic” (there was an outhouse and no running water or showers), the gathering of friends and family every summer was always a happy time. Vince would take the train up with some of his vaudeville friends and they provided the entertainment. Muriel remembered, as a child, waiting in line with the other summer visitors to get into the local swimming pool. She continued to summer in Fetters well into adulthood.
After graduating in 1924, she decided not to go to college. She was often in the society pages in lists of attendees at various parties and dances, though she rarely appeared without her sister Maxine. Like many women at the time, Muriel entered the workforce as a stenographer. Like her cousin Catherine, she must have learned Palmer Method handwriting, Underwood Typing, and short hand in high school. In 1926, she was working for the Art Letter Shop at 771 Market Street and, in 1927, for Young’s List and Letter Company at 505 Market Street. The next year, she went to work for MC Keenan where she was a multigraph operator. This meant she operated all the office machinery was well as standard stenographer duties. Sometime around this time, she met Elbridge Calvert.
Death: 12 Mar 2001, South San Francisco, California
Spouse: Elbridge Bernard Calvert
Birth: 18 Dec 1898, Bellview, Jackson, Iowa
Marriage: abt 1930
Death: 23 Sep 1967, San Francisco, California
Children: Charles Bernard (1931-2017)
Muriel Idell Silk was born on October 19, 1905, at 2602 Mission Street in San Francisco. At six months old, she survived the Earthquake and the burning of the Mission District. She was four years old when the family moved to 3965 – 25th Street where she would spend most of her life. Her mother Marie was always concerned about appearing old due to the age of her children, so she always dressed Muriel as a child.
The 1940 US Census showed that Muriel had graduated after 4 years of high school and would have graduated in 1924. She most likely attended Immaculate Conception grammar school and high school, though it is not confirmed. St. James’ (where her brothers went) was all boys and St. Paul’s (where Maxine attended) was not opened until 1925.
Muriel had something of an extended childhood. Her mother was always concerned with appearing old because of the age of her children, so she dressed Muriel and Maxine as children well into adolescence. Also, she was the baby of the family for eight years. Charles was nine years older than her and, though closer in age to Vincent, Vincent was on the road when she was only seven, so Muriel was with Marie constantly as a child. Once Maxine was born, the sisters were always together, and Maxine’s dominant and confident personality made Muriel appear to be younger by comparison.
As a child, her parents’ cabin in Fetters was one of Muriel’s favorite places. Though it was “rustic” (there was an outhouse and no running water or showers), the gathering of friends and family every summer was always a happy time. Vince would take the train up with some of his vaudeville friends and they provided the entertainment. Muriel remembered, as a child, waiting in line with the other summer visitors to get into the local swimming pool. She continued to summer in Fetters well into adulthood.
After graduating in 1924, she decided not to go to college. She was often in the society pages in lists of attendees at various parties and dances, though she rarely appeared without her sister Maxine. Like many women at the time, Muriel entered the workforce as a stenographer. Like her cousin Catherine, she must have learned Palmer Method handwriting, Underwood Typing, and short hand in high school. In 1926, she was working for the Art Letter Shop at 771 Market Street and, in 1927, for Young’s List and Letter Company at 505 Market Street. The next year, she went to work for MC Keenan where she was a multigraph operator. This meant she operated all the office machinery was well as standard stenographer duties. Sometime around this time, she met Elbridge Calvert.
Elbridge Bernard Calvert was born on December 18, 1898, in Bellview, Iowa, to William and Katherine Calvert. They were first generation Americans and his grandparents were from Luxemburg and Germany. William, who had been a livery stableman in Dubuque, died when Elbridge was only three. Katherine worked as a cook on her cousin Harry Weis’ farm in Jackson County. In 1920, Elbridge and his mother moved to San Francisco after Harry died. Initially, they lived at 903 Post Street with Katherine’s cousin Mayme Weis. Later, they moved to Fell Street and then to 1526 Francisco. Mayme did not move with them. Elbridge was a salesman at Economy Auto Parts Inc., where he moved up to vice president by 1926 and president by 1930.
It is not known how Muriel and Elbridge met. They married in 1930 or 1931, and she moved into the apartment on Francisco. On August 5, 1931, she gave birth to her only son, whom she named Charles after her brother. Like his cousin Rodney, Charlie had asthma as a child and his mother worried over him. But he loved sports, especially basketball and baseball, so she let him play outside more than probably made her comfortable. His asthma cleared up over time, but the shared worry established a close bond between Muriel and Florence. They became very much like sisters.
El’s mother had moved out, but, two years later, they moved in with her at 1157 Geneva Avenue, in Epiphany Parish, after Economy Auto parts closed. Elbridge got another salesman job in 1934 at ML Morrison (another auto parts store) and they moved again, this time to 1011 Hyde Street. Living with Katherine was difficult. The urban, San Francisco-Irish and rural, Iowa-German outlooks on life were different. San Francisco was a wild town and the Irish would take their children with them to dances or to bars. Katherine expected Muriel to stay home with Charlie and “be respectable.” Used to doing what her mother Marie told her to do, she tried to do what her mother-in-law felt she should do, but the expectations were stifling. (Elbridge was also something of a drinker and that did not help.) Muriel vowed that she would be a better mother-in-law than Katherine.
It is not known how Muriel and Elbridge met. They married in 1930 or 1931, and she moved into the apartment on Francisco. On August 5, 1931, she gave birth to her only son, whom she named Charles after her brother. Like his cousin Rodney, Charlie had asthma as a child and his mother worried over him. But he loved sports, especially basketball and baseball, so she let him play outside more than probably made her comfortable. His asthma cleared up over time, but the shared worry established a close bond between Muriel and Florence. They became very much like sisters.
El’s mother had moved out, but, two years later, they moved in with her at 1157 Geneva Avenue, in Epiphany Parish, after Economy Auto parts closed. Elbridge got another salesman job in 1934 at ML Morrison (another auto parts store) and they moved again, this time to 1011 Hyde Street. Living with Katherine was difficult. The urban, San Francisco-Irish and rural, Iowa-German outlooks on life were different. San Francisco was a wild town and the Irish would take their children with them to dances or to bars. Katherine expected Muriel to stay home with Charlie and “be respectable.” Used to doing what her mother Marie told her to do, she tried to do what her mother-in-law felt she should do, but the expectations were stifling. (Elbridge was also something of a drinker and that did not help.) Muriel vowed that she would be a better mother-in-law than Katherine.
By 1937, Muriel and El had moved into the apartment 955a Dolores Street and Katherine moved in with her cousin Mayme again. Muriel was back near her family. The apartment was between 22nd and 23rd, within walking distance of her parents and the Conlans and the Leonards. After living in her mother’s house and then her mother-in-law’s places, she finally felt that she had a place that was her own. The Calverts would live there for the next 20 years. They had wonderful upstairs neighbors in Stan and Marie Kurpiel. They were about the same age as Muriel and Stan worked in advertising for the Coca-Cola Bottling Company (Muriel had a weakness for Coke). Joanne remembered that the Kurpiels had a great record collection—Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra featured prominently—and there was always music playing. The couples often got together to go out to dinner or just to socialize. Muriel considered their time on Dolores Street the happiest time of her life.
Muriel was an excellent housekeeper. She had good taste, appreciated nice things, and took care of them. She could cook, but did not particularly enjoy it. She and El liked to go out to nice restaurants, especially with Charles and Florence. Among their favorites were Doro’s on Lombard Street, Pinelli’s on Union Square, and New Joe’s in North Beach. Charlie Silk liked the last and always had the New England Boiled Dinner.
Another couple to whom Muriel and El were close was Solon and Violet Chase. Vi—who often went by “Babe”—was a member of Elbridge’s family, though how exactly she was related is unknown. They lived in Torrence, and Sol owned the Filmar Florist Shop in LA. The couples would take the train up and down the state to visit one another. Violet and Muriel were both hard of hearing and that brought them together. Even after their husbands died, Violet and Muriel remained friends and would travel to see each other.
After the loss of Economy Auto Parts, Elbridge had some difficulty maintaining a stable work life. He worked as a salesman at other auto-parts stores during the 1930s. During the War, he took jobs as a laborer for different drayage companies and was a member of the Teamsters Local 85. When Charlie went to high school, Muriel went back into the workforce. She got a part time job working for Bonnie MacLeod Melia downtown as a stenographer. Her job consisted of typing for various lawyers in the area. She was very good and rarely made a mistake. She mostly worked afternoons—she was not much of a morning person. She and Bonnie became very close and would remain friends for life.
Of course, Muriel’s best friend was her sister-in-law Florence. Charlie and Muriel were very close and, since Charlie loved Florence, so did Muriel. The same held true for Florence. They were also a good pair in that Florence was outgoing and could bring Muriel into a wider group of friends. Florence’s friends, like Eda Chichizola and other members of Vittoria Colonna, became Muriel’s friends. For Muriel’s part, her gentle manner and kind demeanor contrasted with some of the anti-Italian attitudes Florence faced and made her feel welcomed and at home. They each also had only one child, and a son with asthma at that. They had an additional connection—Muriel and Florence shared the experience of having an alcoholic in the house in Elbridge and Rodney. The women attended Al-anon meetings in the late ‘50s and ‘60s and that shared experiences drew them closer.
Like her siblings and cousins, Muriel was raised Irish-Catholic and attended Mass on Sundays and Holy Days early in her life. She became less active over time, though. She felt strongly that the Church was repressive and that Mass in Latin was “snobbish.” Part of the problem was that her sister was a nun and the Orders relied heavily on the families of their members for financial support. Muriel and El were not well-off and were just getting by, but she still felt pressured to give to the BVMs. Vatican II came a little to late in her life to ease her feelings, though she did got to Mass on high holidays and enjoyed the guitar-masses and singing at All Souls in South City when she went there with her son and grandchildren. Muriel had a personal sense of God and spirituality. She would often say, “Let go and let God,” a phrase she picked up from the Al-anon meetings she attended with Florence. Joanne remembered that she always had a magazine called The Daily Word. This had started in the mid-1920s and was a bimonthly magazine with a prayer, message, or poem for each day. Oprah Winfrey and Denzel Washington say they start each day with a reading from there.
In 1957, with her father’s health failing, Muriel moved her family back into her parents’ house. She missed her own place on Dolores, but she would stay on 25th Street for thirty more years and make the house her own. Elbridge got a new job, this time as a laborer at the Western Pacific Railroad. For some reason, Polk’s City Directory listed his name as Charles Bernard Calvert for the next three years. That switched back to Elbridge in 1961, after Michael died and after El went back to working as a platform loader at Robertson Drayage. He would work for the rest of his life.
In 1958, Charlie Calvert married and moved out. Charlie and Joanne moved nearby, and, with the arrival in 1959 of Jasmyn, Muriel became a grandmother for the first time. Over the next four years, she would have three granddaughters. She was absolutely delighted with and reveled in her new role. She took every chance to babysit, giving Charlie and Joanne a chance to go out to dinner or socialize with other adults. She loved her grandchildren and appreciated their differences in personality. Jasmyn was quiet and calm like Muriel’s brother Charles, while Lorraine was active and animated like Vince. Susan was like Muriel herself. In addition, Florence had grandchildren of the same age and that drew them more closely together.
Muriel was an excellent housekeeper. She had good taste, appreciated nice things, and took care of them. She could cook, but did not particularly enjoy it. She and El liked to go out to nice restaurants, especially with Charles and Florence. Among their favorites were Doro’s on Lombard Street, Pinelli’s on Union Square, and New Joe’s in North Beach. Charlie Silk liked the last and always had the New England Boiled Dinner.
Another couple to whom Muriel and El were close was Solon and Violet Chase. Vi—who often went by “Babe”—was a member of Elbridge’s family, though how exactly she was related is unknown. They lived in Torrence, and Sol owned the Filmar Florist Shop in LA. The couples would take the train up and down the state to visit one another. Violet and Muriel were both hard of hearing and that brought them together. Even after their husbands died, Violet and Muriel remained friends and would travel to see each other.
After the loss of Economy Auto Parts, Elbridge had some difficulty maintaining a stable work life. He worked as a salesman at other auto-parts stores during the 1930s. During the War, he took jobs as a laborer for different drayage companies and was a member of the Teamsters Local 85. When Charlie went to high school, Muriel went back into the workforce. She got a part time job working for Bonnie MacLeod Melia downtown as a stenographer. Her job consisted of typing for various lawyers in the area. She was very good and rarely made a mistake. She mostly worked afternoons—she was not much of a morning person. She and Bonnie became very close and would remain friends for life.
Of course, Muriel’s best friend was her sister-in-law Florence. Charlie and Muriel were very close and, since Charlie loved Florence, so did Muriel. The same held true for Florence. They were also a good pair in that Florence was outgoing and could bring Muriel into a wider group of friends. Florence’s friends, like Eda Chichizola and other members of Vittoria Colonna, became Muriel’s friends. For Muriel’s part, her gentle manner and kind demeanor contrasted with some of the anti-Italian attitudes Florence faced and made her feel welcomed and at home. They each also had only one child, and a son with asthma at that. They had an additional connection—Muriel and Florence shared the experience of having an alcoholic in the house in Elbridge and Rodney. The women attended Al-anon meetings in the late ‘50s and ‘60s and that shared experiences drew them closer.
Like her siblings and cousins, Muriel was raised Irish-Catholic and attended Mass on Sundays and Holy Days early in her life. She became less active over time, though. She felt strongly that the Church was repressive and that Mass in Latin was “snobbish.” Part of the problem was that her sister was a nun and the Orders relied heavily on the families of their members for financial support. Muriel and El were not well-off and were just getting by, but she still felt pressured to give to the BVMs. Vatican II came a little to late in her life to ease her feelings, though she did got to Mass on high holidays and enjoyed the guitar-masses and singing at All Souls in South City when she went there with her son and grandchildren. Muriel had a personal sense of God and spirituality. She would often say, “Let go and let God,” a phrase she picked up from the Al-anon meetings she attended with Florence. Joanne remembered that she always had a magazine called The Daily Word. This had started in the mid-1920s and was a bimonthly magazine with a prayer, message, or poem for each day. Oprah Winfrey and Denzel Washington say they start each day with a reading from there.
In 1957, with her father’s health failing, Muriel moved her family back into her parents’ house. She missed her own place on Dolores, but she would stay on 25th Street for thirty more years and make the house her own. Elbridge got a new job, this time as a laborer at the Western Pacific Railroad. For some reason, Polk’s City Directory listed his name as Charles Bernard Calvert for the next three years. That switched back to Elbridge in 1961, after Michael died and after El went back to working as a platform loader at Robertson Drayage. He would work for the rest of his life.
In 1958, Charlie Calvert married and moved out. Charlie and Joanne moved nearby, and, with the arrival in 1959 of Jasmyn, Muriel became a grandmother for the first time. Over the next four years, she would have three granddaughters. She was absolutely delighted with and reveled in her new role. She took every chance to babysit, giving Charlie and Joanne a chance to go out to dinner or socialize with other adults. She loved her grandchildren and appreciated their differences in personality. Jasmyn was quiet and calm like Muriel’s brother Charles, while Lorraine was active and animated like Vince. Susan was like Muriel herself. In addition, Florence had grandchildren of the same age and that drew them more closely together.
By 1967, Elbridge’s health was failing. He was stubborn and refused to go to the hospital. When Charles and Joanne finally convinced him to go to Kaiser, he turned to Muriel and said, “This is the last time you’ll see me.” He was wrong. He recuperated, but his life had taken a toll on his body. On September 23, 1967, he passed away from heart disease. He was 69 years old. He was buried in section L2 at Holy Cross Cemetery.
For Muriel, life went on. She spent more time with her family, coming down to South City for weekend dinners and for the holidays. She would travel with them on family vacations. On one ski trip, Joanne broke her ankle and had to stay in the car while the rest of the family had dinner in a restaurant. Lorraine ran around the restaurant telling everyone the exciting story of her mother’s injury. Muriel was tickled pink by her energy and excitement.
Muriel’s granddaughters loved to spend time with her, going to lunch with Muriel and Florence and/or staying the night. The girls loved the lunches with the adults—it made them feel grown up. Sometimes, they would all spend the night at Muriel’s house together and other times one would stay and bring a friend. They loved the basement on 25th - Street. The back half was separated from the garage by a wall with a low door in it. It was dark and full of Vince’s stored show props. It had wood planks and cobwebs everywhere. There was the old cast-iron furnace where Granny Silk would heat the water to do the laundry. The girls would dare each other to go into the back room. It was spooky.
Muriel’s friends and neighbors would look in on her, but the neighborhood slowly changed. The Kurpiels moved to Santa Rosa. Muriel’s granddaughters grew up, married, and visited less often. Charles and Florence passed away. Muriel became lonely and a little bored. Joanne and Charlie contacted a senior services board about finding a companion for her and hit the jackpot with Gerry McGovern. Gerry was another San Franciscan of Irish descent who became a great friend and a boon to Muriel’s twilight years. She was a painter and poet who taught art classes at the San Mateo Adult School Senior Center and, later, at Hillside Extended Care. She would visit Muriel once a week for tea and they would paint their nails—Muriel always had beautiful nails, according to Joanne. As Muriel’s macular degeneration progressed, Gerry would read to her. Muriel loved autobiographies, especially about Hollywood. Like her cousin Catherine’s daughter Dolores Quattrin, she was always interested in movie stars and what they were up to.
For Muriel, life went on. She spent more time with her family, coming down to South City for weekend dinners and for the holidays. She would travel with them on family vacations. On one ski trip, Joanne broke her ankle and had to stay in the car while the rest of the family had dinner in a restaurant. Lorraine ran around the restaurant telling everyone the exciting story of her mother’s injury. Muriel was tickled pink by her energy and excitement.
Muriel’s granddaughters loved to spend time with her, going to lunch with Muriel and Florence and/or staying the night. The girls loved the lunches with the adults—it made them feel grown up. Sometimes, they would all spend the night at Muriel’s house together and other times one would stay and bring a friend. They loved the basement on 25th - Street. The back half was separated from the garage by a wall with a low door in it. It was dark and full of Vince’s stored show props. It had wood planks and cobwebs everywhere. There was the old cast-iron furnace where Granny Silk would heat the water to do the laundry. The girls would dare each other to go into the back room. It was spooky.
Muriel’s friends and neighbors would look in on her, but the neighborhood slowly changed. The Kurpiels moved to Santa Rosa. Muriel’s granddaughters grew up, married, and visited less often. Charles and Florence passed away. Muriel became lonely and a little bored. Joanne and Charlie contacted a senior services board about finding a companion for her and hit the jackpot with Gerry McGovern. Gerry was another San Franciscan of Irish descent who became a great friend and a boon to Muriel’s twilight years. She was a painter and poet who taught art classes at the San Mateo Adult School Senior Center and, later, at Hillside Extended Care. She would visit Muriel once a week for tea and they would paint their nails—Muriel always had beautiful nails, according to Joanne. As Muriel’s macular degeneration progressed, Gerry would read to her. Muriel loved autobiographies, especially about Hollywood. Like her cousin Catherine’s daughter Dolores Quattrin, she was always interested in movie stars and what they were up to.
As she got older, keeping the house up became more difficult. By the late 1980s, the house was falling apart around her and she did not have the energy to deal with the needed remodel. Her health also was deteriorating. Her son was visiting every day and Gerry came in weekly, but Muriel need more close care. Charlie and Joanne had put her name in at Magnolia Plaza Senior Apartments in South San Francisco. The description on their website reads:
Welcome to Magnolia Plaza - a senior community for persons 62 and older - combining high standards of quality living with affordable, spacious, and convenient homes. Preservation of the architectural past is reflected in the Northern Italian Renaissance style of the main buildings and gracious courtyards. The Baden Bungalow, the oldest school structure in the city, has been renewed to serve as a beautiful lobby and community space for Magnolia Plaza residents. One can spend time with many new friends strolling the garden walkways of Magnolia Plaza, attending a variety of classes at the adjacent Magnolia Senior Center or enjoying nearby Orange Park with its indoor swimming pool, picnic and recreation areas.
She was looking really forward to moving there but said, “I probably won’t live to get in.” In 1991, she got in and spent the next ten years there. She sold her parents house and moved to South City where she could be closer to Charlie and Joanne and where there were more people to help take care of her. She had many good neighbors at Magnolia and having a more modern and newer building was somewhat invigorating for her.
One of those people who were there to help was Mary Ellen Hickey. Mary Ellen had been born on a farm in Mayo, Ireland. Beside companionship, Mary Ellen provided physical care. She was one of the few people who could get Muriel out of the house. She was a bundle of energy. Muriel said she knew Mary Ellen could not stay in one place for too long and so Muriel felt compelled, out of her sense of courtesy, to go out for a walk. Plus, Muriel really enjoyed Mary Ellen’s company.
Gerry McGovern continued to visit Muriel in South City every week. She wrote the following poem to and about Muriel:
Welcome to Magnolia Plaza - a senior community for persons 62 and older - combining high standards of quality living with affordable, spacious, and convenient homes. Preservation of the architectural past is reflected in the Northern Italian Renaissance style of the main buildings and gracious courtyards. The Baden Bungalow, the oldest school structure in the city, has been renewed to serve as a beautiful lobby and community space for Magnolia Plaza residents. One can spend time with many new friends strolling the garden walkways of Magnolia Plaza, attending a variety of classes at the adjacent Magnolia Senior Center or enjoying nearby Orange Park with its indoor swimming pool, picnic and recreation areas.
She was looking really forward to moving there but said, “I probably won’t live to get in.” In 1991, she got in and spent the next ten years there. She sold her parents house and moved to South City where she could be closer to Charlie and Joanne and where there were more people to help take care of her. She had many good neighbors at Magnolia and having a more modern and newer building was somewhat invigorating for her.
One of those people who were there to help was Mary Ellen Hickey. Mary Ellen had been born on a farm in Mayo, Ireland. Beside companionship, Mary Ellen provided physical care. She was one of the few people who could get Muriel out of the house. She was a bundle of energy. Muriel said she knew Mary Ellen could not stay in one place for too long and so Muriel felt compelled, out of her sense of courtesy, to go out for a walk. Plus, Muriel really enjoyed Mary Ellen’s company.
Gerry McGovern continued to visit Muriel in South City every week. She wrote the following poem to and about Muriel:
Muriel lived at Magnolia Plaza until 2001. That year, she had a fall and, during her recovery, she developed pneumonia. This was aggravated by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Muriel passed away on March 12, 2001. She was 95-and-a-half years old. She was the third longest-lived grandchild of John and Bridget Silk (after Isabelle Coogan Flynn and Maude O’Rourke Daley). After private family services, she was interred with Elbridge in Holy Cross Cemetery, just a few rows away from her cousins Lillian, Walter, and James Conlan and Maude O’Rourke’s husband Walter Daley.
Muriel was a kind and gentle soul without a mean bone in her body. She kept her vow to not become the kind of mother–in-law that she had in Katherine Calvert. Muriel was described by her daughter-in-law as “sensitive to the feelings of others,” “hard not to like,” and a “blessing as a mother-in-law.” It was well known in the family that she had a great dislike for cottage cheese with fruit in it. When cottage cheese with fruit was served at a luncheon to which Florence had brought her, she politely ate it and did not say a word. She was always careful not to offend anyone.
In her long life, Muriel had many successes and tribulations, and she thrived throughout. She was blessed to be able to enjoy her grandchildren and to live long enough to hold her great-granddaughter Kayla. She regretted that she would not live long enough to watch Kayla see up, but, overall, it was a blessed life. And Muriel’s life was a blessing on all those who came into contact with her.
Muriel was a kind and gentle soul without a mean bone in her body. She kept her vow to not become the kind of mother–in-law that she had in Katherine Calvert. Muriel was described by her daughter-in-law as “sensitive to the feelings of others,” “hard not to like,” and a “blessing as a mother-in-law.” It was well known in the family that she had a great dislike for cottage cheese with fruit in it. When cottage cheese with fruit was served at a luncheon to which Florence had brought her, she politely ate it and did not say a word. She was always careful not to offend anyone.
In her long life, Muriel had many successes and tribulations, and she thrived throughout. She was blessed to be able to enjoy her grandchildren and to live long enough to hold her great-granddaughter Kayla. She regretted that she would not live long enough to watch Kayla see up, but, overall, it was a blessed life. And Muriel’s life was a blessing on all those who came into contact with her.