Milo Livingston Sigler February 12, 1917 to June 16, 1999

Milo Livingston Sigler
February 12, 1917 to June 16, 1999

Milo was born February 12th 1917 in Glidden Iowa.  A small town in Carroll County.  He had a big sister Marion just two years older, a brother John three years younger and a brother Elwin four years younger.  His Dad, Matson Sigler, was a farmer that was strong as an ox and would take on Mohamad Ali if given the chance and a couple drinks.  His Mom was the twenty year old Bertha Mae Livingston.  Not cut out for the farm life Mom moved on when Milo was very young.  Unable to care for Milo by himself, he put Milo on the Browns ranch working for his keep.  That’s the Browns on the left and Dad Matson on the right.  

Milo was known as a prankster.  Yeah he was the one that put the little girls pony tails in the ink well.  Not able to stay under the radar when he was young, he got in trouble quite a bit.  His worst infraction was when he and a couple school buddies waited in a tree for the girls to walk under the tree on their way home from school.  He was able to hit two of the three girls with his careful aim.  A hard valuable farm worker by the time he was ten, Milo learned everything about working the farm, most importantly about leaving the farm.  Although you could never take the farm out of him, he knew there was a better life waiting.  

At nineteen, he had saved a little bit money and off he went to find his Mom and siblings in southern California.  He spent a few years kicking around with his little brother and both joined up to fight for our Country when she was attacked by the Japanese.

Next to war on the USS PC-1192
· PC-461 class Submarine Chaser:
· Displacement: 280 tons
· Length: 173'8"
· Beam: 23'
· Draft: 10'10"
· Speed: 18 knots
· Armament: 1-2 3"/50
· Complement: 65
· Diesel engines
· Built at Consolidated Ship Building Corp., New York, and commissioned 26 November 1942
Turned over to the Maritime Commission 18 June 1948

Little brother Elwin did not make it home but Milo did.  He found love at 25 and married Genevieve Ann “Opal” Thompson in San Francisco California September 6, 1942.  It didn’t work out the first time, so they tried it again on October 31, 1954. After the Navy he tried his hand at business ownership.  The restaurant business was more than planned.  From Coos Bay Oregon as a land owner to Las Vegas he and Jenny traveled and enjoyed the good life.  Then he got a chance to work for Northrup Aircraft Company and found himself in Newfoundland.  Jenny hadn’t really planned a life of cold and they finally parted ways again.  Milo worked for years testing aircraft parts and pieces under severe conditions.  From Newfoundland to Greenland to Dow field in Maine where he found the perfect girl.

The auburn hair was more than he could handle, and to his great luck this beauty came with a little boy.  (Allright, a not such little boy) They started 1959 out a little busy.  They had a little boy named Farrell (Her Mom’s maiden name) and then off with Northrup to Wilmington California to work on new projects.  March 16 1960 they were blessed with a red headed (Just like Uncle Jr.) huge baby boy they named Matson (after grandpa Sigler) Matthew (after grandpa McClintock) Sigler.  The little guy never had a chance and passed away two days later.  A quick move to Waterford Connecticut and then to get away from the quick sand an even faster move to Uncasville Connecticut and then a little girl Leslie Lea on June 22, 1961.

Milo was making marks fast and moving up the ladder.  Northrup got a huge contract award and they sent Milo to Vallejo California to work with two guys that were putting the office together on Mare Island.  It wasn’t long before the big guys left and Milo took care of everything after that.  Building the 600 class submarine project would last almost 10 years. And see another baby girl Roslyn Ann on October 28 1963.

The family would start the 70's in the move mode.  In an effort to keep his family together Milo would pack up the whole mess (and very heavy organ) and move the family to Bremerton Washington and then back to Vallejo California, and back to Bremerton Washington. (You get the point.)  Too many move stories to tell.  We could talk about moving two scotties and five puppy’s, getting lost in the fog of Ashland Oregon, or Kevin catching the T-bird on fire, but that’s for a different book.

By 1973 the Northrup project was winding down and Milo was re-assigned to Boston Massachusetts.  The kids were still in school so he thought he should keep them in school and go it alone till they got out.  Not the first time he tried to keep stability in the family.  He had two, year long, assignments in the 60's on Long Island.  This time it was different, his job wasn’t leading a group of 100 engineers, he was a courier of very fragile, very expensive parts.  Not the challenge he was used to and rather than move the family to the left coast, he retired to sunny California.

Boring, his retirement was short.  He applied for a job at Mare Island.  They saw the name and could not wait to get him.  He went to work for the electrical shop and became there head troubleshooter the first week.  Since he was retired he did not want any supervisor responsibilities, just go to work and go home.  Didn’t last long, they put him in a spot he could not refuse.  He had a small crew on swing shift just taking care of the problems the day shift would leave behind.  He retired again almost 20 years later.

This time he wasn’t going to sit around and retire for a week.  He went right to work on his own project.  It was a ten year project and the amount spent is classified.  At least the red head wasn’t supposed to find out.  Everybody thought he loved that 64 T-bird the damn kid tried to burn up.  Nothing compared to the effort that went into the Mach 1.  He could spend hours telling you everything about her.  The stock ‘69 is still in the care of the T-bird burner.

What’s to be said of Milo Sigler.  He started out life tough.  He made something of himself, without help from anybody.  A devoted family man with four proud kids and a bunch of grand kids.  Would give you the shirt off his back, but would fight to the death if you tried to take something from him.  (Ask the guy that just about cut off his arm.  He was still in the hospital when Milo went on his way.)  A protector (even when his Dad would pick fights with people larger than him)   Loyal to his family and Country.  A very proud American that wasn’t afraid to tell the big guys what he thought.  He was respected by everybody and made great pancakes.  He wouldn’t take anything from anybody, but would not hesitate to give you a five dollar bill out of his pocket.  As his younger cousin Elva told me, he was so cute, I just loved it when he would come over.  Or as Uncle Norman put it recently, “He was a good man”.

We’re not going to forget you anytime to soon Milo Sigler.  Thanks for everything Dad!

February 12, 1917 to June 16, 1999

The Gift

I have not been on vacation.  I decided to walk the walk.  A small break to create a gift for my family.  The typical December 24th trip to the Petrol Station to find three Johnny brushes would have been easier.  This year we pulled out all the stops and made a plan to develop a ancestry history present for my kids.

The plan was to first complete the form that I gave everyone last year called "Upon My Death".  Why didn't anyone tell me how much work that was?  Second, I would fill out the form that I developed two years ago "In The Life Of".  I'm still not done?  Third, I wanted to download and pass on our ancestry family site.  Just in case something were to go wrong.  That was much more complicated than I thought.  Easy to get the GEDCOM file of the 17,000 names and associated stories and pictures.  Then you have to tell them what to do with it if ancestry.com were to fall off the planet.  Forth, all the family photo's, notes, and information that I have collected over the last 3 years.  Fifth, all the family contacts.  Sixth, the family stories.  And last but not least a cover page that explains everything.  Two months of work that will never be finished.  They have everything I could get together.  Now wait 30 years and maybe they will figure out how big a gift it was.

A special thank you to all those that helped us get everything together.  To all the family members that have helped gather the family history, thank you.

Christmas Peace

You can go through your whole life not understanding the meaning of Christmas for others.  Yes, the real meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  For some it means getting presents, then you learn the true joy is seeing the face of someone light up when they open the gift you have given them.  For the marketing experts, business owners, and CEO's it is that time of year for the payoff.  The one month that funds the other eleven.

I remember how excited I would get as a little boy.  The anticipation of unopened presents.  With every Christmas carol, the excitement would build.  The day comes when you go out and get the Christmas tree, decorate the house, put the tinsel on the tree.  What we failed to understand is that one second that we will never get back but we may never forget.  Wish I would have paid more attention, had a video camera, anything that records, or a memory that could store everything and play it back in slow motion.  For many, Christmas memories are not there best moments in life, for the troops another day to far away from home.

I read a story about soldiers in the winter of 1914, the first world war.  This story is about a conflict between Germans and the English.  Trenches in some places as close as 60 feet.  Better known as "No Man's Land", the distance between enemy trenches were a world apart, separated by language and history.  Soldiers in knee deep mud a long way from home and an enemy that would shoot your head off if you stood up.  At the top of the food change the Germans proposed a Christmas truce and the English thought it was not a good idea.  In this terrible circumstance and under orders to keep up the shooting, enemy soldiers must not have been in the shooting mood.  The German boys received packages from home, candles and Christmas trees.  They lit the candles and set the trees where the English could see them.  They started singing Christmas carols.  The English would clap.  Then something magical, enemies would take turns singing and the other clapping, then they sang together, shared photos, food, games, and drink.  The worst of enemies, under orders, were overtaken by Christmas.

What does Christmas mean to you?  What are you going to remember about this Christmas?  It could be that our memories were the real gift and now it's our turn to give.  What memories can you write down today that will save history for those that will read it 100 years from now?

I hope you had a truce this Christmas?  Have a glorious New Year!    Only 357 day until Christmas.

The picture: A cross, left near Ypres in Belgium in 1999, to commemorate the site of the Christmas Truce in 1914. The text reads:
1914 – The Khaki Chum's Christmas Truce – 1999 – 85 Years – Lest We Forget.  A special thanks to Redvers.

Merry Christmas

Kevin’s Story, Part 31, Fire Department Volunteer

Some little boys are interested in family history, some want to grow up and be a soldier or a policeman, most want to be just like there dad, I wanted to be a fireman.  In the 1950's those that served their country were honored above all.  The next best thing was serving your community.  As a little boy, all I saw was the glitz and glamour of being a fireman.  I could imagine myself climbing that 30 foot ladder grabbing that little kid, putting them over my shoulder and taking them to safety.  Or holding onto that fire hose and saving a house.

With friends devoting there lives to the fire department I understand what it means to serve.  When they serve there whole family serves.  They don’t get a lot of high fives from the community like I thought they would.  Maybe a nod on the forth of July when they blow the horn of the fire engine.  Our dedicated firemen are just unbelievable.  No way I could fill their shoes.  We took a group of young boys down to the local fire department for a tour ten years ago.  The kids got way more than a tour, they got to see what a fireman’s life is like.  At the end of the tour they got out the sixty foot ladder truck and showed us how they fight a fire on a high rise.  Each and every firemen had that glint in the eye that I must have had at five years old.  Every time we dial 911, they come flying in the door ready to help.  The whole emergency response team shows up at the door in less than five minutes.

To all of you that give so much so that we can have a better life, we are thankful that your dream came true.

Kevin’s Story, Part 30, Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween.  Some would say that Halloween is this terrible day with all types of anti religious overtones.  If that’s your position, well then more power to you.  When I was five years old we moved to Wilmington, California.  Wilmington was a very rough town in the early 1960's.  We lived within a stones through of highway 1.  Not the fancy four lanes in each direction highway one, the four lane, with no left turn lanes highway 1.  With a light on every corner and people really frustrated at traffic.  If someone was turning left, that stopped the fast lane, then if someone wanted to turn right and the sidewalk was full that would stop the right lane.  Everything would clear just fine when the light changed and two cars from each lane made it through the light.  Our world was a half block down the street.  There was an alley behind all the businesses on highway 1 and we were 15 feet and an alley away from those businesses.  The kitchen window was at least two feet and a bush away from the alley.  The same window that my Mom watched as they scooped up the man that had just been shot and took him to the morgue.  So, I hope,  you can understand my point of reference.

When you are five you don’t think of dangers you think of candy.  Lot’s of it.  Southern California you don’t even have to think about rain or snow like Maine.  Fact is you don’t have to even consider a coat.  Just worry about how many houses and how much candy.  I’m sure Mom raked through to ensure razor blades were not sticking out but I don’t remember.  Halloween was a great fun experience filled with sound effects and scary masks.  I don’t remember being scared of anything but I do remember the candy.  Did I already mention that part?   The season got off to a great start.  The local refinery would dress up the oil tank and make the biggest pumpkin in the world.  One of my greatest joys and memories of being a five year old.  Fact is, I don’t remember anyone telling me how bad anything was until I was about forty.  So I had thirty five years of fun.

Kevin’s Story, Part 29, I lived down the street from

 

Thank you dailyishphoto.blogspot.com for this, the best picture of this house I have ever seen.  A perfect picture for this time of year.  I have ten pictures that don’t even come close.  Great job, I have to follow your blog and wait for another great picture.

You may have to go back and read Part 25 again because, that window was close to this house.  I guess this should be a quiz.  Well the famous writer did not live in the house when I lived close by.  I don’t even remember seeing the house when I was little.  If you get to see it in person, you won’t forget it.  It has a completely different look when surrounded by snow.

The mansion was built in 1858 for $7,000.00.  I would wager the last paint job cost more than that.  Maybe if you lived in a house like this you could write awesome books also.  So who lives in the house now?