Friday, September 2, 2011

Josephine of Binghamton

In response to the Sepia Saturday theme post, Beatriz of Spain, I give you Josephine of Binghamton! Josephine Tomecek was born in Binghamton, New York in 1931. She was a bright spark all her life, with a positive outlook that often defied reality. Here she is in about 1937 with her brother Milton.


Josephine had known her husband John from an early age, but he didn't pay much attention to her until he returned from World War II and found that she had matured into a lovely young woman. They were married in 1949. The picture below is thought to be an engagement photo.


John and Josephine had five sons. I married one of them. After raising the boys, Josephine suffered cheerfully through many physical ailments until she died on September 3rd three years ago. She was an inspiration and is greatly missed.

Josephines's parents, Gabriel and Elizabeth, came from Strážnice in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. After they came to the United States, they both worked at the Endicott Johnson Shoe Company in Binghamton. I will post some cards from the Endicott Johnson Shoe Company next week.
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27 comments:

  1. Bob ScotneySeptember 2, 2011 at 6:24 AM

    A beaytiful woman who became your mother-in-law. A post about someone you know so well always makes you feel good.

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  2. Postcard RoundupSeptember 2, 2011 at 7:02 AM

    Marvelous photos and great story! Josephine was a beauty for sure.

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  3. L. D. September 2, 2011 at 9:56 AM

    You can see the spark in two beautiful cards.

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  4. Little NellSeptember 2, 2011 at 10:09 AM

    What an ‘engaging’ couple of pictures.The first one is so charming- the way they are seated like little bookends. Both pictures delicately coloured too.

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  5. Cappuccinoandartjournal.blogspot.comSeptember 2, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    She was lovely! What a nice post.

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  6. Liz StrattonSeptember 2, 2011 at 11:30 AM

    Lovely photos and a wonderful tribute as well.

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  7. AnonymousSeptember 2, 2011 at 2:15 PM

    A lovely tribute! Wish I could have met her. My best to you both on this holiday weekend. hope to be in touch soon! Karin

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  8. Brett PayneSeptember 2, 2011 at 3:23 PM

    Josephine and Milton certainly made a fine pair of charmers. The second portrait appears strangely two-dimensional to me - I suppose it's due to the effect of the colourisation removing the shadows which one expects to see. Thank you for sharing these fine images.

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  9. HowardSeptember 2, 2011 at 4:01 PM

    Quite a beauty! Brett is right, it is interesting how the colourisation has removed the depth of the second photo.

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  10. AnonymousSeptember 2, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    A nice shout out to Josephine. She looks like she was a nice lady with a warm smile. Is Uncle Milton still around?

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  11. Christine WallaceSeptember 2, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    Such beautiful photos of your family! I just love those old hand-tinted photos from the past. Just lovely to look at, thanks for sharing their story!
    Christine

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  12. JudySeptember 2, 2011 at 7:10 PM

    What a lucky man John was. Josephine's sparkly smile makes you want to smile right back at her.

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  13. Archie TechtSeptember 2, 2011 at 10:07 PM

    Christine neglected to mention the suffering my mother endured while actually raising us 5 boys too... she burst into tears on the delivery table when the last of us was born- another boy, how she wanted a daughter! To compensate for the loss, she tended to dress me and the youngest in coordinated clothing for the first 12 years of my life- sort of like pseudo twins. None of us ended up in prison though, so I guess she managed to keep us in line, but I'm sure it was a challenge.
    Although many people think their mom is the greatest, I'd have to say that Josie's parenting skills probably only ranked in the 'above average' range. But she was indeed the most kindhearted and gentle person I have ever known, and in a species that often stuns me with our capacity for self-serving cruelty and deceit, that was truly a beauty to behold.
    And yes, Steven, Uncle Milt is still around. He is in an assisted living facility now, where the staff probably have to ask him to refrain from wandering the halls playing polkas on the accordion like he did at all our family gatherings...

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  14. Karen S.September 3, 2011 at 2:32 AM

    What beautiful photos of a lovely lady, and her adorable brother, and such a nice tribute you gave for a dear mother-in-law!

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  15. PostcardySeptember 3, 2011 at 5:54 AM

    I love the photo of Josephine as a young lady. She looks unusually happy, and the decorations on the dress add a lot to the image.

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  16. UnknownSeptember 3, 2011 at 8:50 AM

    beautiful photos; look at the pose of the two, legs opposite sides folded. She certainly was very pretty.

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  17. tonySeptember 3, 2011 at 9:46 AM

    Josephine has the kindest eyes.

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  18. HaddockSeptember 3, 2011 at 9:55 AM

    This was the era when colour was just creeping into photography I suppose.

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  19. LiT Web StudioSeptember 3, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    what a wonderful and poignant post and fabulous memorial...thank you so much for sharing these images!

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  20. Sheila @ A Postcard a DaySeptember 3, 2011 at 1:55 PM

    I like the look of Josephine. Her character shines though even at a young age.

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  21. AnnSeptember 3, 2011 at 6:46 PM

    such a beautiful,touching post!! She was a BEAUTY!!
    THANKS FOR SHARING HER STORY.

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  22. dakotabooSeptember 4, 2011 at 3:32 AM

    Lovely pictures and story.

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  23. Martin LowerSeptember 4, 2011 at 7:45 AM

    She was certainly beautiful, and an interesting story as well.....

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  24. Mike BrubakerSeptember 5, 2011 at 8:51 AM

    A very charming post! Perfect choice for this week's theme.

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  25. Bruno LalibertéSeptember 5, 2011 at 6:37 PM

    beautiful pictures and her spirit shines through in her eyes. she must have been very kind indeed.
    :)~
    HUGZ

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  26. Tattered and LostSeptember 6, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    Wonderful images. Especially love the hand tinting on the second. In the first she looks like a little girl who liked to dance. I can imagine her doing some serious Shirley Temple taps.

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  27. Oregon Gifts of Comfort and JoySeptember 8, 2011 at 7:57 AM

    Your MIL was beautiful. I can tell by the pictures that she was also beautiful inside.

    Thanks so much for visiting me last week. I've just posted a bunch of McKenzie River photos over the past couple of days if you want to take a look ... I sure hope that the fire by Hoodoo doesn't take a turn for the McKenzie.

    Take care,

    Kathy M.

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