About Cindy Downes . . .

My Childhood

I was born in Lewes, Delaware, and raised on a farm near the ocean. My mom was a LPN (practical nurse); my dad was a farmer and part time furniture builder. I have two brothers: Randy, my older brother who passed away when I was in my 20's, and Keith, my younger brother, who still lives on the family farm with his wife. Being the middle child and having a headstrong temperament, I kind of ruled the boys.

I cooked for the family; worked in the garden, and because my mom worked 3-11, I always say that I raised Keith. Life on the farm was difficult but we always had wonderful food to eat. We raised all our own produce and either canned or froze it for the off seasons. Our meat was often wild game that we hunted or gifts from local fisherman who had more than they could use.

Our home was made from a old prisoner-of-war camp that had been built on the beach to house prisoners during WWII. My dad brought it over to our land, cut it in three pieces, and used one piece for the house, one piece for his workshop, and the third piece to make the ends. He made three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Our bathroom was in the basement - an indoor outhouse!

We had no television nor running water until I was twelve years old. We cooked on a wood burning stove which was made from an oil drum on two cement blocks. My dad had cut a door in the front and hinged it so we could close it up for roasting. We called her “Big Bertha.”

I remember when we first got an electric stove and in-house water. We had a real bathroom with a tub, sink and toilet. We also bought a wringer washer! The washer had two rollers on top through which we would roll our clothes to get out the excess water. Then we would hang them on the line to dry. In the winter, they would come in the house frozen!

For entertainment, I read books, played my clarinet, and visited the three old maids who lived across the street. My brothers and I would go exploring on our 240 acres of land bringing home treasures such as flowers, wild berries, or even snapping turtles from the creek.

I sewed most of my own clothes from feed bags that were made of decorative cloth so that families could use them for other things. I began writing a diary when I was very young and kept it up until today. Unfortunately, I do not have any of those written before 1980.

I was a good student, loved school, and very active in band, choir, and drama. I received a full scholarship to college so off I went to the University of Delaware - the first in my family to go to college.

My College Years

I went to college at the University of Delaware in 1968. Unfortunately for my education, I was so excited about my new-found freedom that I wasted my college years. My main goal was to have fun, date at least one guy from every fraternity, and study only as much as I had to.

I was disappointed in my classes. I had gone to become a home economics teacher, but the classes seemed irrelevant to what I wanted to know. I took classes in psychology, organic chemistry, economics, business, secretarial, trying to find what I wanted to do, but nothing clicked. During this time, I met my husband, Bill, and after he graduated, we got married. I was 20 and this was the end of the first round of college!

Marriage

Immediately, I became a military wife. The Vietnam War was going on so Bill was training to flight helicopters for the Army. We moved to Texas, then on to Alabama. I enjoyed seeing new parts of the country and meeting new people. But after six months, it was time for him to go to Vietnam. I came back to Delaware while he went to war.

I returned to college and took a few more classes. Still not sure of what I wanted to do, I decided to get a job. My first job was as a typist for the Du Pont company. Bill came home once during Christmas and then for good after 11 months. The war was over.

We settled into a three bedroom apartment with our two cats and two tanks of tropical fish. Bill became a State Trooper and I continued working for Du Pont until, at 26, I had my first child, Wil. By then we had moved into our first house.

Children

More to come!