Remembering My Childhood (Cecelia Coronado) - Part Six

 (This is the sixth in a series of posts based on audio recordings made by my mother, Cecelia Coronado Phipps in 1983.  Here she remembers her brother, Dolph, and his first wife, Etta.)

Dolph and Etta

Dolph was the oldest of the brothers.  He was rather spoiled.  He was very brilliant and handsome and well liked by all the girls, so he had many girl friends.  He had his own thoroughbred horses, the best horses and the best carriages in Vallejo.  He married a beautiful young lady, Loretta (Etta) Kelleher, who was an only child.  She was born and raised in San Francisco.  Right after the earthquake, her mother and father came to Vallejo.  I understand the mother never forgave the father from taking her out of San Francisco – she loved San Francisco.  What a wonderful father she had.  He was maitre d' at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco – a perfect gentleman and very handsome. ... I never knew the mother very well.  She was an expert seamstress.

The only work Etta ever did was at a candy store in Vallejo, where she dipped chocolates.  That was her profession, she dipped chocolates.  Her mother made all of these beautiful dresses for her.  She was the best dressed young lady in Vallejo.  She was Miss Vallejo at one time – a beautiful girl.  But she wanted to learn how to sew.  One day she bought some beautiful material, what she thought was beautiful.  She brought it home and she thought her mother would teach her how to sew.  Well I guess her mother was a little bit offended at this.  She just took that beautiful material and tore it to shreds.  Well Etta lost hope then.  She never learned to sew or cook.

Eventually Dolph married her and they had two girls, Lillian and Dorothy – very special young ladies.  Lillian was beautiful.  She inherited the coloring that my mother had, which none of the rest of us had - high color in the cheeks, which just does not rub off.  My mother would tell us that when she was tiny, the kids would get her on the ground and try to rub the rouge off her face, but it was natural. ...Lillian was plump and Dorothy was dark – had dark hair, olive skin, like her Dad.

The mother, Etta or Loretta was my godmother.  My middle name is Loretta, Cecelia Loretta.  Loretta died before she was fifty, and her daughters, Lillian and Dorothy, also died before they were fifty.

It was a difficult life for Etta.  She was such a good person.  But she only knew happy times.  It was difficult for her to cook and never could sew.  Both the girls became very good at both. ... Frankie was her little chauffeur.  He lived with them for a while and he chauffeured Etta around and the girls.  There was one party after another, picnics, parties, and all good times.  Dolph was busy at work at the garage.  He had the original Coronado Garage in Vallejo.  Later Frank had the Coronado Garage, and brother Paul worked for him.

Dolph Coronado driving his new 1912 Overland on the Old Napa Road bordering the Coronado property in Vallejo.  His father, Mariano Coronado, planted the eucalyptus trees along the road.