Ethel was arguably the meanest woman of the 20th century. Quite the party girl in her youth, I don't think she was ever actually fun to have around. When I knew her, she was famous in the family for, among other things, leaving minor ingredients out of a recipe when you asked for a copy, so it would never taste 'just like hers'. On the other hand, there wasn't a illness that you could catch that she hadn't had, only much worse. I heard her last days were spent trying to hit my grandmother with her cane.
Harry spent a lot of time at the local bar...
Elsie had passed away from cancer before I was born, so I only knew John, and not very well. I was always told that Elsie was the sweetest and most amazing woman on the planet. The picture makes her appear that way, too, although John looks like quite the handful.
I guess yin and yang can exist even in a stoic German family.
