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THANKFULLY, IT DIDNT CHANGE HER INTO A SOCIALITE.
WITH AUNT GRETA’S ECONOMIC STATUS AND SOCIETY BENT, SHE SPENT EXTRAVAGANTLY ON THEIR
HOUSE AND OTHER MAJOR THINGS. HOWEVER, IN SMALLER ISSUES SHE WAS SOMEWHAT OF A
PENNY PINCHER. MY GRANDMOTHER, EMMA, HER DAUGHTER-IN-LAW USED TO SAY, ‘GRETA
PINCHED IT OFF AT THE SPIGOT, BUT LET FLY AT THE BUNG.’ A GREAT AND DESCRIPTIVE SAYING.
MY MOTHER, ISOBEL, AND HER SISTER-IN-LAW, GRETA, WERE IN DIFFERENT SOCIAL SPHERES IN
THE MAIN PART OF THEIR LIVES. HOWEVER, AS SENIORS THEY BECAME VERY CLOSE FRIENDS AND
ENJOYED EACH OTHER, ESPECIALLY AFTER BOTH HUSBANDS WERE GONE. THOUGH ISOBEL STILL
DROVE UNTIL SHE WENT BLIND IN THE MID 70’S, BY CHOICE GRETA WOULD DRIVE TO LONG BEACH
TO VISIT, AND THEY WOULD GO PLACES AND DO THINGS TOGETHER. AFTER ISOBEL WENT BLIND
FROM GLAUCOMA, GRETA FREQUENTLY CAME TO VISIT. THESE VISITS WERE ESPECIALLY
ENJOYABLE FOR ISOBEL AND MUCH APPRECIATED SINCE SHE COULDNT GET OUT ON HER OWN
ANYMORE.” 48
They had the following children:
490 i. FREDRIC MONTEATH (1920-1979)
491 ii. GEORGE ROBERT (1921-2000)
280. FREDRIC MONTEATH McLAREN (EMMA ANN CHAFFEY 5, GEORGE 4, BENJAMIN 3, BENJAMIN 2,
RICHARD 1). 39 Born in Oct 1892 in MILDURA, AUSTRALIA. FREDRIC MONTEATH died in KILLED WWI,
on 12 Aug 1917; he was 24. Occupation: PILOT. Education: Leeds, England.
WAS LISTED AS MISSING IN ACTION FOR TWO YEARS UNTIL HIS I.D. WAS TURNED IN BY A FORMER
GERMAN SOLDIER IN 1919. DIED YPRES, FRANCE.
281. ISOBEL BANNERMAN McLAREN (EMMA ANN CHAFFEY 5, GEORGE 4, BENJAMIN 3, BENJAMIN 2,
RICHARD 1). 39,48 Born on 15 Sep 1898 in MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA. ISOBEL BANNERMAN died in
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, on 6 May 1982; she was 83. Occupation: HOUSEWIFE. Education: WHITTIER
HIGH SCHOOL 1916.
ISOBEL WAS BORN IN A SUBURB OF MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, IN 1898. HER CHILDHOOD WAS
DISTRIBUTED AMONG 4 COUNTRIES AS HER PARENTS MOVED AROUND THE BRITISH EMPIRE FOR
PETER’S ENGINEERING WORK--MELBOURNE; CAIRO, EGYPT; MONTREAL, CANADA; WINNIPEG,
CANADA; AND WHITTIER, CA. SHE ATTENDED HIGH SCHOOL IN WHITTIER AND GRADUATED FROM
THERE IN 1916.
AFTER HIGH SCHOOL ISOBEL SPENT SEVERAL YEARS IN WHITTIER LIVING WITH HER PARENTS.
AROUND 1920 AT THE REQUEST OF HER UNCLE GEORGE CHAFFEY, SHE WAS ASKED BY HER FAMILY
TO MOVE TO BALBOA AND LIVE WITH AND HELP CARE FOR HER UNCLE, NOT AN UNUSUAL SITUATION
FOR A SINGLE YOUNG WOMAN IN THOSE TIMES. THIS, ISOBEL WAS HAPPY TO DO. GEORGE HAD
BUILT A BAY FRONT HOUSE IN BALBOA, AND MOVED THERE FROM WHITTIER AROUND 1919 AFTER
HIS WIFE HAD DIED.
GEORGE WAS 72 IN 1920 AND BEGAN TO SHIFT INTO A SEMI-RETIRED PHASE OF HIS LIFE. AS A
RESULT HE ALWAYS HAD SEVERAL YOUNG ADULTS HELPING CARE FOR HIM. AMONG OTHER
THINGS, GEORGE STOPPED DRIVING ABOUT THIS TIME, AND NEEDED DRIVERS AS WELL AS
HOUSEKEEPERS BECAUSE HE TRAVELED QUITE A BIT.
ISOBEL FOUND THAT THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF WORK INVOLVED IN RUNNING HER UNCLE’S
HOUSEHOLD, AND HOSTING AND ACCOMMODATING A CONSTANT STRING OF VISITORS--MEMBERS
OF THE LARGE EXTENDED CHAFFEY FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND SOME OF GEORGES BUSINESS
85