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People we remember
Biographies are where we share about family & friends to connect with others who remember them.
Kathy Pinna:
Richard Joye Baker was born on October 5th, 1863 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Benjamin Baker (1819 - 1867) and Ann (Joye) Baker (1837 - 1866) and he had a brother, Benjamin Baker.
Richard Baker married Honora (Curtis) Baker (1863 - 1921) on May 21st, 1884 in South Melbourne, Australia and they had children Annie Joye (Baker) Griffith, Adelaide Catherine (Baker) Noyes, Albert Otway Baker, Queenie Norah Cliffy (Baker) Graham, Ernest Frank Baker, Arthur Valentine Baker, Beryl Floris Doreen (Baker) Cameron and Richard Joye Benjamin Baker.
In 1923, Richard married Beryl Floris Doreen (Baker) Cameron and they were married until he died.
He belonged to Masonic Lodge Dromana.
Stephen Sardi:
"Back in the mid '60s, our grandmother gave Paul and me a dime each to spend any way we wanted. It was incredible -- such a gift!
In those days, you could do quite a bit with 10 cents. Paul's idea was simple -- he wanted to go to a candy store, not for candy, though -- he wanted a glass of soda. Whatever he wanted -- so did I.
There was a corner store in downtown Devon (part of Milford) near our house. Paul and I convinced our mother to let us walk there together to spend that dime for something we would really enjoy: a glass of Coca-Cola. Picture this: it wasn't just a can of Coke. You sat at a soda bar on tall chairs that swiveled, where the man behind the counter served up a big glass of 'fresh' Coca-Cola -- first, he filled it with the most carbonated water you ever tasted, then added two pumps of Coca-Cola syrup using a big hand pump -- then used a long spoon to stir the mixture. For 10 cents, you never tasted anything better.
We handed over our dimes for the fun and excitement of enjoying something we seldom had as kids. So commonplace today, but back then, it was a serious treat.
A short time later, emboldened by our trip to the store, Paul and I walked around the big block near our house. Part of our trip took us alongside the Boston Post Road, even then a busy road. We hadn't informed our mother, though -- and she came looking for us. Eventually, she calmed down when she saw we were 'just out for a walk'. Those were different times.
When we were walking home together, she asked me: wasn't I afraid? I told her no -- I was with my big brother who would always look out for me."
Amanda S. Stevenson:
1959–1973: International recording star
Following another idea from her father, Francis traveled to London in August 1959[9] to record an Italian album at EMI's famous Abbey Road Studios.[7] Titled Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites, the album was released in November 1959. It soon entered the album charts where it remained for 81 weeks, peaking at number 4 and becoming Francis's most successful album. "Mama", the single taken from the album, reached number 8 in the United States and number 2 in the United Kingdom.[17]
Following this success, Francis recorded seven more albums of "favorites" between 1960 and 1964, including Jewish, German, and Irish, among others.[18] Francis's 1960 album of Jewish music included songs in Yiddish and Hebrew, such as "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena", "Oifen Pripetchik" and "Hava Nagila".[19] Some Jews, particularly immigrants, saw her album as validating the acceptance of the Jewish community in American society.[19]
Nevertheless, Francis continued to record singles aimed at the youth-oriented market. Among her top-ten hits on the Hot 100 were "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" (1961, number 7), "When the Girl in Your Arms is the Girl in Your Heart" (1961, number 10), "Second Hand Love" (1962, number 7), and "Where the Boys Are" (1961, number 4).[16] The last one became her signature tune and became the theme song of Francis's first motion picture. The movie introduced the concept of spring break, as the once sleepy town of Fort Lauderdale became the hotspot for college students on their spring vacation in the wake of the movie's success.[20] The film is also noted for being a precursor to and influence on the later beach party genre.[21]
The success of "Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites" in late 1959 and early 1960 led Francis to become one of the first American artists to record regularly in other languages.[22] She was followed by other major British and American recording stars including Wanda Jackson, Cliff Richard, Petula Clark, Brenda Lee, the Supremes, Peggy March, Pat Boone, Lesley Gore, the Beatles and Johnny Cash, among many others. In her autobiography, Francis mentioned that in the early years of her career, the language barrier in some European countries, especially in Germany, made it difficult for her songs to get airplay.[23]
Francis used these reflections as the basis for her April 1960 recording, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" which would go on to become the first single by a female artist to top the Hot 100.[24] Veteran lyricist Ralph Maria Siegel penned a set of German lyrics, named "Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel", which, after some friction between Francis and her MGM executives, was recorded and released.[4] The song peaked at number 1 in West Germany.[25] She had two more number one hits there, "Paradiso" in September 1962 and "Barcarole in der Nacht" in July 1963.[26]
It was not until her number 7 on the U.S. charts, "Many Tears Ago", later in 1960 when Francis began to record cover versions of her songs in foreign languages other than German. Over the years she expanded her recording portfolio to 15 languages. She also sang in Romanian during a live performance at the 1970 edition of the Golden Stag Festival in Brașov, Romania. Francis was not fluent in all of these languages and she had to learn her foreign language songs phonetically.[22]
Billboard ad for Francis's final top-ten hit, "Vacation", July 14, 1962
In the wake of "Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel", Francis enjoyed her greatest successes outside the United States. During the 1960s, her songs not only topped the charts in numerous countries around the world, but she was also voted the number 1 singer in over 10 countries. In 1960, she was named the most popular artist in Europe, the first time a non-European received this honor. From mid-1961 to mid-1963, Radio Luxembourg closed each day's broadcasts with "It's Time to Say Goodnight", a song Francis had recorded especially for them and was not officially released until 1996.[27]
Francis's enduring popularity overseas led to television specials in countries around the world such as Great Britain, Germany, Spain, and Italy. Even at the height of the Cold War, Francis's music was well received in Iron Curtain countries, and some of her recordings were made available on state-owned record labels such as Melodiya in the Soviet Union and on Jugoton in Yugoslavia,[27] although it was common knowledge that rock 'n' roll was highly disparaged in Eastern bloc countries.[28]
In the U.S., Connie Francis had a third number-one hit in 1962: "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You" Becoming the first woman to achieve three number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and her success led MGM to allow her complete freedom to choose whichever songs she wanted to record.[7]
Francis's first autobiography, For Every Young Heart, was published in 1963. On July 3 that same year, she played a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II at the Alhambra Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland. During the height of the Vietnam War in 1967, Francis performed for U.S. troops.[29][30]
Between 1958 and 1964, Francis was the most popular female singer in the United States, with her popularity and chart consistency rivalled only by Brenda Lee.[31][32] However, due to music trends in the early and mid-1960s, especially the British Invasion, Francis's chart success on Billboard's Hot 100 began to wane after 1963. Her final top-ten hit, "Vacation", co-written by Francis herself, was released in 1962. A number of Francis's singles reached the top 40 on the U.S. Hot 100 in the mid-1960s, with her last top-40 entry in 1964 being her cover version of "Be Anything (but Be Mine)", a 1952 song made famous by singer/bandleader Eddy Howard. Despite her declining success on the Hot 100, Francis remained a top concert draw, and her singles—with a more mature style—were charting on the top quarter of Billboard's Adult Contemporary Charts and sometimes even reached Billboard's Country Charts. Francis enjoyed lasting chart success in the U.S. until her contract with MGM Records expired in 1969.[17]
Jennifer (Hutton) Goertler:
My grandmother, Trudie, was funny, sassy, and an awesome cook and baker, hard working, and thoughtful. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her at the home she lived at in Kirtland, Ohio.
I truly wish I would have asked more about her life, her family, and any dreams she had while growing up. I miss her everyday, even after all of these years.
Curtis Beitans:
The Argus. Melbourne. 21st October 1950.
ROACH. - On October 16 ( suddenly ), at
Violet Town, Ida Irene, beloved wife of
Arthur, loved mother of Reg, John, Marie
and Jennifer. - Sadly missed.
ROACH. - On October 16 ( suddenly ), at
Violet Town, Ida, dearly loved daughter
of Margaret Ann Walter and the late
August Walter, loving sister of John, Leila,
Arthur, Neta, and Eileen.
Roma Gryte:
21 July 2025 - I found out through a DNA match that I am Dell's daughter. I know very little about him. He died when I was a senior in high school. I was adopted at 7 days and did not meet my biological mother until I was 24 years old. She only knew Dell's name. They met as neighbors in Merced, CA.
My half sister shared that there were 6 children. I was the second oldest and she is third. The youngest girl passed away. I believe both, she and my father, died of heart attacks. He was an accountant and musician. The musical talent seems to be shared by all the siblings.
Any information would be welcome.
Cheri Lamouroux:
Elsie was my Paternal Grandmother - Elsie was my sounding board anytime I was trying to deal with a personal problem. When I was little, she loved brushing my long, curly hair. She would always say it was just like hers, growing in all directions.
One of my favorite funny things I remember about her was that she was a great cook and created these huge delicious meals for holidays, but was notorious for also creating a giant mess in the kitchen. She didn't clean anything as she cooked, it was all left for us to clean up after the meal was over!
Brian Joiner:
Cherished Caregiver - Maude was a cherished caregiver that took care of just about everyone in my family at one time or another. I knew her as a child and she was always extra sweet to all of the children, unless you jumped on the bed. She was a dear soul with a strong faith in the lord and her life was testimony to that faith.
Allan Anderson:
Nephew - I Never Did Thank You Uncle Herb For Giving Me The Help You Gave Me At A Very Trying Time In My Life. You And Your Mother, My Granny Helped Me When I Needed It Most. I Am Sorry If I Let You Down. You Were A Good And Caring Man. So I Thank You Uncle Herb. Love, Your Nephew Allan
Heather Grimshaw:
Robert Grimshaw was my father - Bob Grimshaw was my father. I was the youngest of his 3 children and the only girl. We lost my Mom when I was 9 years old. My dad never recovered from that loss. He didn't know how to proceed in life without her, how to raise a daughter and made a conscious decision to retreat from society. I know now that he had no resources, like we do today. I also know he did the best he could. He was kind, generous, pleasant, well mannered and spoke highly of most everyone he knew. He never swore, rarely raised his voice and had a wealth of information that I was never able to elicit from him.
He met his grandson, Tyler Lee on one occasion but was not cognizant enough to appreciate the importance of who was on his lap.
My Mom was his source of happiness, his compass and reason for getting up in the morning. He passed 2 days before his 3rd grandchild Bronson James Makana Lee was born. I miss him dearly.
Matthew Vianna:
My safe place - No one might ever see this because it’s been a long time since your passing. I knew you as Marge and I was just a child but I always came by to visit you on Somerset Drive. You were my safe place if my parents weren’t getting along. Thank you for all that you’ve ever done for me. I will never forget. If I remember correctly you had a dog and a little parrot. You had these little red candies with the strawberry wrappers that I loved so much and the old style marshmallow mints. You were always so amazing and when I heard about your passing I was completely devastated. I am happy to come across a space to share my memories with you and anyone that might be left in your family. I will be looking for your burial place sometime soon. Hope you’re resting easy my sweet angel.
Kim Jackson:
A Loving best friend - I miss my best friend. We shopped together, sang together, wrote together, worked together. So many days I wish you was here. You was my family, in my heart you still are. I miss the boys. Was recently in bethel but couldn't find anyone.
Maybe they will see this and get in touch with me at [contact link]