Franklin Brand Bredimus (1936 to 2019)
Apparently our Father treated Cean and Nancy very harshly. Mom sometimes mentioned it, but I was too young to notice. It seems to me that Franklin was treated much better by his Father. I’ve attached some articles to prove the point. Frank also changed Franklin’s middle name from “William” to “Brand” in remembrance of baby Franklin’s deceased mother.
I probably should have uploaded the stories about his Mother first, but I thought you would enjoy these happier moments.
The investigative journalism you have undertaken is outstanding! Thank you for doing this. There is so much information that I never heard anything about. It is inspiring.
Do not be troubled by our father and Nancy and I. Nancy still has so many issues from the trauma. She was so gently brought up by our grandparents. Although I was five years younger I defended her. She still talks about it. I had an absolute sense of right and wrong. I knew it was wrong; Nancy felt it must be her that caused it. I dealt with it all back when It occurred. That is why I can celebrate cooking, Poetry, and the written word. Nancy rejected the bad with the good.
For me I always have loved our family. I believe I did as much as I could for them. Luckily I can separate outcomes from intention. Everyone lives the path they’ve chosen. I know I do. Letting go of outcomes is how I deal with life. Robert says I’m just too buoyant to go down…..
He also reminds me I dealt with his childhood bullies in the most unladylike ways possible.
Cean, my favorite word to describe you is “fierce”. I can imagine you jumping to Nancy’s rescue. You told me how our father panicked when Nancy fell seriously ill like her poor mother.
Do you think he experienced post traumatic stress and was mentally ill? I recall him having severe mental problems after his open-heart surgery. In any case, his treatment of Nancy must have been awful for her and for you. Like you, I deal with events as they happen and don’t carry any baggage. Robert’s term of “Buoyant” also fits you.
I mentioned I have a lot of information on Franklin’s mother, but very little on Nancy’s. One explanation is that Barbara Brand was a Socialite while Mary Louise was a Farmer’s daughter.
Do you know more about how Dad and his first wife ended up in Chicago and why Nancy was born there?
