Historical February 1994 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
In October Karen Brown died after a long bout with cancer. Many Skinker-DeBaliviere residents will remember George and Karen.
They moved into the neighborhood around 1973 and were the kind of people who helped make this neighborhood what it has become. Job opportunities took them away from St. Louis about 10 years ago but they never lost touch.
They came from Tennessee, and later, Florida or Illinois for Progressive Dinners. And occasionally they would just show up in St. Louis to spend the weekend and visit old friends.
We will miss Karen–she was a good friend and we have some great memories, some of which we would like to share.
We moved to St. Louis on June 28, 1973.
It was a hot day and the two friends who had helped us load a truck on the 27th were helping us unload and getting tired, hot, and very cranky. Out of nowhere, a number of neighbors showed up to help.
This was the first time we met Karen.
The Browns lived in 58xx Pershing and had heard there were new neighbors on Waterman.
The help everyone gave us that day was really appreciated, but Karen arrived with a most important plus, cold beer.
She always had her priorities in the right order and knew what was most needed on a hot summer afternoon. Venita: Karen and George shared our interest in model trains.
This led to the joint project of building train layouts in the Brown basement and the Lake basement.
We would spend one night a week working on their layout and after four weeks move to the other house for one night a week. Both layouts were really beginning to take shape by the time that Karen (and George, of course) moved away. House renovations and graduate work have put us on hold, but we have begun to start building again and there will certainly be a town or an important business on the layout with Karen’s name on it. Rich: Then there was the party at the Brown’s when Karen and I, after a little too much wine (another shared interest), expounded at length to anyone within earshot on the differences between STEAM and diesel power.
As I remember the explanation we were making some pretty sexy implications about STEAM. Looking back I know it couldn’t have been as funny as we thought it was but it is still a favorite memory.
We have lots of canoeing stories.
On one trip Karen very neatly snatched the canoe out from under me.
We had beached on a gravel bank to have lunch and Karen, our daughter Beth, and Marty Wright had gotten out onto the gravel.
I was in the stern and just as I stood up to walk forward Karen grabbed the bow of the canoe to “pull it up further on the bank.” She swore that she didn’t see me standing up in it.
I did the only full back flip I will ever do in my life over the back of the canoe and into the Osage Fork.
As I waded to the shore Karen began laughing while protesting her innocence.
She may have been innocent but she sure did have a wonderful laugh.
I never did have the chance to get pay her back for that one but she knew the “threat” was always there. Venita: There are other, less personal, but equally important memories about Karen’s contributions to the neighborhood.
She and George personally bought, rehabbed, and then sold two houses on 58xx Pershing.
They made very little (if any) profit on the houses but they did it because it was good for the block and the area. Karen stripped woodwork in her house and then in the two rehabs because it looked better that way. (Many of you will remember the neighborhood passion for stripping.) Karen was someone you could always count on to lend a hand, a rope, a ladder or whatever was needed.
During the worst part of our renovations (no working bath and no kitchen), they lent us their shower and for a week, we stayed at their house. (Yes, that’s why Rick left their house freshly showered every day just before George came home, in case you wondered.) Karen chaired the Art Fair/House Tour in 1979 and worked on various other committees over the years.
On Halloween, the kids on their block knew the drill—through the front door and out the back for hot dogs! And then there was the chain saw– you could trim tree limbs or cut down dead trees anywhere in the neighborhood and even if you’re only 4 foot 10, if you wear a hard hat, no one will question your right to be there. Lots more memories…. We’re glad that we knew Karen.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February 1994.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1994_02.pdf, printed page(s) 5; PDF page(s) 5.
