Vintage Postcards found at SCRAP

At SCRAP, I poked through their postcards and grabbed two that had been sent long ago. Let’s have a look.

This is Athens in the 1960s, as you will find out from the next picture. It’s not super visible, but there’s a tiny pinprick near the top of the card and my bet is that this card was tacked up for a period of time.

Things we can surmise from this post card: Smitty is in the Air Force; Athens in February is not Smitty’s favorite thing (so far); he would rather be back in the states; Sidnee, according to Smitty, is still his girl, though he can’t tell her himself, even though the postcard is partially addressed to her.

I like this FDR postage, plus I have the full address, which I have redacted.

Do you want to see a picture of the house this card was sent to?

Yes?

It’s here:

It’s a great looking house. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,126 square feet, according to Zillow. Also, the site’s “Zestimate” is $786,651. That had me scrolling out on the Google Map to figure out where Heyward, California is. It’s south of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The next postcard is Noordwijk, a town in the Netherlands.

It’s two years later, and this postcard is addressed just to Dee, from Bailey.

From this card, we know that Bailey is optimistic about international mail. Christmas is three days from when they wrote the date. We also know that December is a a very cold time to visit the Netherlands.

I love this oil rig stamp. Also, props to Bailey for clear handwriting.

Given that I had so much to go on, I did a search (thanks NewsBank) to see if Dee was still with us. Unfortunately, she died in 2012. Here is her obituary, which is full of great details.

From: Daily Review, The (Hayward, CA) – January 15, 2012

Delores Del Rio Gaymon Snell 1934 – 2012 Resident of Hayward, CA

Delores ‘Dee’ Del Rio Gaymon Snell passed away unexpectedly on January 4, 2012.

She was born on April 17, 1934 in Winston Salem, NC to the late Betty Gaymon and Frank Greene and was raised by her aunt and uncle, Lula Mae Burgess and William Burgess, Sr.

She married William Snell II in 1955 and from this union Sidnee and William III (Tre’) were born. She moved to Hayward, California in the summer of 1963 arriving in a green Volkswagen Beetle.

She was preceded in death by her mother and father, her aunt and uncle, her son, and her brother, William Burgess, Jr.

Delores graduated from Chabot Community College (Associate in Arts Degree), California State University East Bay (Bachelor of Arts Degree and Teaching Credential), and the College of Saint Thomas (Masters of Fine Arts). Delores was employed as an art teacher by the Long Beach Unified School District. She also sold insurance through Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. In addition, she created a line of artistic products and marketed them through her company, Wee B Nappi.

She was a devoted teacher, artist, freelance model, and philanthropist. She loved travel, books, theater, humanitarian causes, fund-raising, and her little dog, Brandy. She was a member of Grant AME Church in Los Angeles, Brookins AME Church in Oakland (where she was instrumental in starting the food program), and attended South Bay Community Church in Fremont. She was a dedicated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., the Queen Jean Book Club, the Hayward Arts Council, the Aids Ministry of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, and the annual Hayward Martin Luther King Celebration Committee. She participated in weekly sewing and knitting groups in Hayward.

Delores leaves to cherish her memory a daughter, Sidnee Snell ; son-in-law, Alan Petersen; grandson, Marshall Petersen; granddaughter, Alex Snell ; sister-in-law, Delores Burgess; nephews, William and Michael Burgess and a host of caring friends and neighbors.

A memorial service will be held Tuesday, January 24th at 11:00 am at Brookins AME Church (Rev. Mark Smith), 2201 73rd Ave., Oakand. (At 10:30 am, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc will perform the Delta Omega Omega Ceremony at the same location.) In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the AIDS Ministry, Allen Temple Baptist Church (Att. Gloria Cox Cowell), 8501 International Blvd., Oakland, CA 94621.

And here’s a picture. Wouldn’t you have liked to know her well enough to write her a postcard on your international travels?

The question remained. How did these postcards make their way to Portland?

I think the answer lies in her daughter who is also an artist and lives in Portland. She makes very striking fiber art. You can see a video of her if you follow this link. I recommend it.

Thanks to the Snell family for donating two postcards that let me peek into their lives.