Grandparents Part 3

My Nan

My Granddad, Uncle Tom, Aunty Vi
My dad, Nan, Uncle Mike, Uncle Pete and Uncle Dave

My Nan and some kid

My Nan, cousin Char and some kid, again

Born Violet Ellen Hayes, 17 March 1942, Auckland NZ.
Passed away 3 January 2010, Waikato Hospital
Married 3 times.
Mother of 7, Step-mother or 4.
Nan to 29 grandchildren.

Birth
My nan was the oldest of 5 children. So the story goes, my nan's mother, Ellen Goulton, was pregnant with my nan to a man named Richard William Jaguard. .The couple were not married and William Jaguard went to war. I am told that in those days it was not ok for a woman to be pregnant and without a husband, so Ellen married a man by whom I know as Mr. Hayes. When my nan's mother Ellen passed away, she was told this story and sometime later met who she thought to be her paternal father, Richard William Jaguard. We called him Poppa Jaguard and my grandparents lived with and looked after Poppa until he passed away. As far as I know, my nan believed that he was her birth father but to this day, I guess we are not really sure without any real DNA evidence. I am told that my nan was too scared to go through with DNA testing, because she wanted so badly for Poppa to be her father. I know she loved Poppa very much and for me, I would like to know for the purpose of keeping my family tree as 'true' as possible. To me, the truth doesn't change mine or my nan's feelings for Poppa, but just to know would be peace of mind.

Marriage and Children
My nan was a young mum and had her first child quite young, about 16 or 17 I believe.
My nan's first husband is my paternal grandfather, David Brown. Together they had five children, Violet, David, James, Thomas and William. William, the youngest of the first family, is my daddy. I do not know exact details, but for the most part, my nan's first husband was not really around to raise their children and I know my dad learnt who his biological father was at about the age of eleven. My nan's first husband is still alive.

Nan's second husband is Michael Casey. Together my nan and granddad Casey had two sons, Michael and Peter. Granddad Casey raised my dad from a young age. Granddad Casey is still alive.

Nan's third husband and love of her life is my granddad Gubb, Graham Charles Gubb, known as Taff Gubb. Born in Wales in 1929 and passed away November 12 2013. Granddad Gubb came into my dad's life when he was about 8 years old. But considers Granddad Gubb as his dad.


My Nan as my nan
I am the second oldest grandchild to my nan and first granddaughter. As the second oldest, I know my grandparents placed a lot of responsibility and expectations on me and even though my nan is not here, I still feel those responsibilities now.
I love my nan. I miss my nan. She was tough woman, opinionated, but I love her very much and I know she loves me too. I have many little memories about my nan. We had this 'thing' my nan and I, almost like a game, where she would ask me 'how much do you love me Ash?' and I would reply 'this much nan' only putting up 1 or 2 fingers, then my nan would say she loved me more than that, and we would carry on and on for a while until our love got bigger and bigger. These are just some little things I remember about my nan...

Cold creamed corn straight from the can
Moles with whiskers
Loud laugh
Hearing my nan speak softly over the phone, "oh hello love"
$5 birthday cheques
"How much do you love me Ash?"
Lake Ohakuri
Gumboots and singlets
Card games, score books
Old movies, Jaws, The Vigilante, On Golden Pond, The Sound of Music
The best way to eat Marmite on toast, thick hard butter with a smidgen of Marmite