Letter from Robert Cawthon to Mary Edna Cawthon on funeral of Mother Elizabeth Shryer Cawthon

Montrose, Calif.
Jan. 5, 1939.
Dear Sister-
I have been thinking to write every day - I know you
are anxious to know about the funeral. Lawrence couldn't come, and
of course we didn't expect you to make the long trip just at Christmas.
Everything went off very nice. Dolly made the burial robe,
it was white silk with a corsage at the neck. Her hair was curled,
and she looked awfully nice and peaceful. I left it to Dolly's
folks to arrange the chapel, the music and the minister. I arranged
everything else. There was a nice crowd - all of the Santa Ana
bunch, including Aunt Mary and Pleas and family and Roy and wife.
She was buried at Westminster Memorial Park, alongside of Jim. She
died on the 19th, of a heart attack. For weeks, or even months she
had not recognized anyone, and if you had seen her she would not
have known her. It is nice that she ts at rest, for she had a
long, thankless siege of illness.
Carra is very weak and sick, and might not last the winter out.
Ernestine and Virgil are here, and Ernie keeps house. Virgil's job
is near here. It makes it nice for us, and gives me a chance to
get away when I want to.
There were lots of nice flowers - there was nothing lacking to
make a nice funeral. I picked out the casket, it was a light
silver gray, and matched well with her robe.
I have a letter from Lawrence which I am sending on to you. We,
or rather I, had to sign up for everything, and I wrote Lawrence
about standing his part. He will do so, and if you feel like you
can stand a third, it will not hurt any of us so much. I only have
$80.00 coming now, and it is very hard to stretch it to go round.
I am sending you the copy of the contract I signed. I am responsible
for all of it, so if you can help out any, just send it to me,
as I will have to send it in each month. The 31.56 had to be cash
which I borrowed and is due the 23d. After that the payments are
$8.00 for 18 months. If you can stand one third it will be only
2. 67 a month for each of us. The 7.50 on the flowers donated by
the Grandchildren can be deducted. I don't know what your financial
circumstances are now, and if you feel like you are depriving your
family, well, your family comes first. But Lawrence and I have spent
so much - I figure nearly a thousand dollars each, in the past nine
years, that perhaps now you feel like you could help us out that much.
Lawrence gets a good salary, but he was off sick a long time, and recently
had to spend $150.00 on his teeth. So let me know how you
feel about it, and return the copy of the contract to me for my record.
Hope you are all well, and I still think I may get to visit you
next summer.
Happy new Year to you and all the family.
As ever, your brother, Robert