Grandma Swartz: “Never Trump Your Partner’s Ace” and Other Sage Advice
Great-Aunt Lois and Grandma Leta were one of two sets of twins in their class (on the left above). I do not know who the other twins are. Grandma Swartz was a warm, loving person with a great sense of humor. She was exactly what a grandmother should be—interested in your life, full of wise counsel, a terrific cook, and a pleasingly plump hugger. She was my mom’s mom, and her full name was Leta Elizabeth Green Swartz. I wonder where her parents got the idea to name her “Leta”—it’s not a very common name. Grandma’s fraternal twin sister was Lois Parker. I barely knew Great-Aunt Lois because she and Great-Uncle Lloyd lived “Out West” all my life. But I was often told how different Leta and Lois were. Lois was what we called “a corker.” Blunt, profane, a smoker, masculine in her manner, and not in the least bound by propriety. I’ll bet her parents went through times of despair during her growing-up years. My mom told the story of visiting Lois and Lloyd one time before I was...