Esther was the eldest child and had a closer bond to mom than any of the other siblings. She had a bubbly, light-hearted nature. As a teenager, Esther contracted diphtheria. Instead of taking her to the hospital, my mother insisted Esther remained at home. She was determined to nurse Esther back to health. Since Esther’s bedroom was on the second story, my mother had to run up and down stairs all day long. If this were today, my mother would probably be wearing an Apple Watch and congratulating herself on reaching at least 10,000 steps each day.
After Esther graduated from high school, she went to work. She had a clerical job at an animal feed store. At age 23, Esther married Leo Vollowitz. Esther quit her job. Esther and Leo moved into Norwich and had two children: Evelyn and Marty. I would sometimes baby-sit. Evie and Marty could get themselves into trouble quickly. I had to keep a close eye on them.
Leo and Esther would come to visit the farm every Sunday. After my parents sold the farm, Esther and Leo moved to Los Angeles, California where they had two more children: Eileen and Bob.
