This all happened in the 1950s.

My grandparents  Robert (Pa) and Goldie (Nannie) lived at the end of Johnson St. Road--I guess now called Danford Lane. You had to park the car, open a gate and walk down a sandy road to get to their cabin--my grandfather had a Willy jeep so he was able to ride down the road right to the cabin..

We walked past wild strawberry plants--my sister and I fighting over who got the first strawberries-- and caught tiny sand frogs. It was just the best place--a 2 room cabin--tiny glass windows along the entire front-- a bench made out of a halved tree outside to sit on, no running water, (we went to a clear stream with a bucket and dipped the coolest, clearest water) no electricity, (a wonderful coal oil lamp to tell my grandmother's (Nannie's) ghost stories by) and a pot bellied stove whichefood from that smelled and tasted better than anything!.

My grandfather (Pa) would come into town for ice as they had the "real" icebox outside--we thought it great sitting in the back of the jeep with that huge block of ice between us.

A train would come on the track and all us kids would run out in an open field and pull our arms so they'd toot the whistle for us.

They had huge hills behind them--my cousin and I climbed them often--you could see the Des Moines River Valley-- it was very beautiful.

We would have the greatest picnics and Holiday family gatherings--one I remember was Easter when my mother got all 5 of us one of those large chocolate eggs with our names on it. My grandmother told us she saw the Easter bunny in the early morning and she thought he might have left us some things. We all ran everywhere and eventually found our eggs.

We would make dandelion salad and roast hot dogs and marshmallows, my grandfather would make homemade root beer, we'd play ball games--my mother could really hit that ball!!

What a wonderful, safe, innocent time it was --what a feeling--just the greatest place on earth!!

Oakland Catholic Cemetery
These names are not on the cemetery record.

The one you have on the list is Leo H. Billups 1902-1922 He was the son of Henry "Peter" Billups and Flora Billups Schamper. My brother checked (in 1999) at the library and at the County Clerks office but they did not have any listing for him so the assumption is he must not have passed away is Keokuk.. Leo was my great Uncle.

Next to his right is Thomas Billups. Born July 4, 1936 and died July 4, 1936 in Keokuk, IA). He was the son of Robert R. Billups and Goldie Schneider Billups. My brother also checked in 1999 at Greaves but they did not have anything in their records. He checked at the County Clerk's office and they did have the birth and death date as above--he was still born). Thomas was my mother's brother and my Uncle.

To Thomas' right is Goldie Billups,--born Feb. 11, 1897, died Oct. 18, 1990 in Keokuk, IA--wife of Robert Billups)) She was the daughter of Emma Schneider. Goldie was my Grandmother--our Nannie.

To Goldie's right is Robert Billups--Born June 17, 1900 in Memphis, MO--died August 21, 1959 in Keokuk, IA) He was the son of Henry "Peter" Billups and Flora (Hart??) Billups Schamper. His wife was Goldie Schneider Billups. He was my grandfather--we called him "Pa"

As I mentioned before the stones for the last 3 listed were put on around 1991- -something my mother always wanted to do so she bought the stones and my father and brother set them--it was a special need of my mother's to get those stones on her brother and parent's graves as she was ill from cancer and passed away a year later.