below: Emil John and Walter were three years apart.  Martha writes on the back that she thinks this
was taken in Sault St. Marie but no date. Don't know the occasion. Interesting that they wear ties.

Walter worked in construction so probably did it all, in this case what we used to call a steam shovel
though it probably wasn't powered by steam anymore. He worked, I recall, a 4-lane stretch of highway in
Marquette, that went over the hill, dividing Shiras Hills from Lake View Heights - actually neither of
those up-scale developments existed at the time. The old road was 2-lane and ran along Lake Superior,
between railroad tracks and a row of houses nestled against a steep rise up to what became Shiras Hills. His work
took him all over and had been living in Dearborn, Michigan when he died of heart attack in 1960, aged 63.
He went into work that morning, as usual, and was just setting down his lunch pail when it took him.

Speaking of traveling, this was one of the places he stayed on one construction project. Martha has written
on the back, "Escanaba once was a happy home sweet home." You can see the wood pile that needs
splitting and the clothes  hanging out to dry, icicles nearby, smoke out the chimney. tar paper siding. brrrr!


Not sure where they are but having their coats on suggests that somebody decided to photograph them maybe just before they left.
On the back is "Dad & Edna, 1956"  Four more years for Walter. They were married in 1942, Alma having died 7 years earlier.

This shot captures Edna's jolly side, which she definitely had to have to live with Walter who
was kind and full of joy, a common characteristic among the Kallios I have known. Edna had
an interesting raspy voice which, far as I know, didn't come from smoking. Photo is twenty
years after the one above.  1896 - late 80s.

This is Alma Hill's family. Her brother Arvid Hill, sister-in-law Selma Torma (John's sister), husband Walter Kallio,
Arvid's wife Jenny holding daughter Bertha, Alma holding my Mom Martha, Maria (Hill) and John Torma (their
wedding photo way below) holding foster daughter Lempe Ranta and Maria's son John Hill. This must be about
1917 since Martha, born in 1916, looks about one year. That makes Alma 17 with a year old daughter. Walter is prime
age for the WW I. insanity... maybe having a family exempted him. Maria was a widow, married John Torma and
adopted, informally, Lempe, who I always knew as Aunt Lempe, assuming without thinking much about it, either my
Mom's sister or aunt, the latter being closest to the mark. They were life-long friends. The Tormas, Kallios and
Fergusons were neighbors in Chatham. Down several photos is a shot of Arvid and Alma as very young kids.

A shot of Alma with youngest son Leslie, on the back, "1926 or 1927, Ma & Leslie at..."
I like the photo despite being out of focus.



above right: Alma and Walter - I never knew him to be so crumpy looking... might just be squinting in the sun.
It's a detail from the group family photo of 1932. So Alma here has less than 3 years to live.



The above shot I find hilarious of Arvid.  on the back: "Arvid & Alma Hill when they were babies - 1901 -
 (Mother on the left Alma) Arvid about 3, I think." Nanny used to tell how someone would say,
"Sound your A, Arvid", as they were tuning up, so some music on the Hill side, where, I imagine,
 Nanny learned the piano I remember her playing early on.



Alma is fooling around here, big smile suggesting that she too shared the contagious Kallio jolliness gene.
back of photo: "Ma and the Jack Hills of Kipling" That ol' river's probably stilll flowing.




above are Alma's parents, on the back, "Parents of Alma Elma (Elma comes first then it seems corrected
with Alma), Bob, Arvid Torma, Martha Kallio Ferguson's grandparents John and Maria Torma". The
resemblance is obvious from Maria to Alma, and probably from the woman in the photo below to Maria,
which I would guess was of Maria's parents. Maria was a Hill until she married John Torma and Hill was
probably her husband's name, not her parent's name. She brought to the marriage with John, three children:
Arvid, Alma and John, Alma being my Grandmother who died far too young, at 35.



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