Our sister, Verna Jean, was number seven of eleven kids born to Hugh and Lydia Holstine in 1937, in Whiteville, Arkansas. She was kind hearted and generous and close knit to family and siblings.
Our Uncle Willie Holstine who lived with us from time to time gave her the moniker of ‘sheriff’ because she would get her younger siblings into a rocking chair on the front porch of our house and rock really big and sing and our uncle saw some parallel between her command of the rocker and siblings, and law enforcement. It was almost a ritual on a daily basis in good weather.
Verna was really a smart kid and excelled in school. She was greatly prepared when she started because her older siblings used flash cards, which were popular as a training technique back then, to teach her and her junior siblings the alphabet and words by sight, which was in vogue back then, and numbers for counting and basic arithmetic. She was well prepared to start school and ready to read in 1943 in Buford, Arkansas.
She was on her own and living in California when she met and married ‘Del’ De La Garza, a career army sergeant in 1954. ( Every one called him Del because we couldn’t remember nor pronounce his long spanish given name.) To this union six kids were born, Tony ,Cynthia, Patty (Trish), Brook, twins, Brad and Brent. When Del retired from the army thanks to Verna they moved a lot till Del said no more and Verna kept on moving, Met Matlock and to that union daughter Wendy was born. Both Cindy and Wendy have already broken the bounds of earth and kissed the face of God and now Verna has also broken that bond to earth and joined them for evermore.
The whole Holstine family thought highly of Del De La Garza as a good man, a great bread winner, dedicated to family and his kids. I still think of him often and hold his memory in high esteem. He was a great cook, great parent, a great brother-in-law, a great friend and a great patriot who served America well. Someone we can all be proud to have known and to have had as one of us.
Verna rest in peace for sure, you’re loved as you were and you’re still one of us for evermore.
I’m brother Bill and number five of the Holstine eleven siblings and Judy (10) and Jay (11) are are the remaining ones.
