Remembering Thelia Swarthout, favorite vehicles, and falling in love
By Chuck Wiser, I write the words to share what my eyes see and my heart feels
As I begin this Wrambling writing I’m trying to organize my thoughts regarding which topic to start with and if that particular topic is going to be enjoyed or meaningful to most readers. Once my ego, and appreciation of the readers, got a boost from a reader comment a while back, I had to level off and do what makes these Wramblings enjoyable but a little humble. The reader said she enjoyed the Wramblings because I write about the things that she often wonders about. My favorite topic in addition to writing about locally known people, is exactly to research topics and then write about things that amuse me, mystify me and/or make me smile.
On that last topic, this past Tuesday opened the 2025-26 Genesee Valley Chorus fall/winter season. Sadly, it started out missing yet another singing member in that Thelia Swarthout passed away very recently. Thelia was a long time, very active, member of the chorus and was the sister-in-law of former longtime director Norma Bartlett. Our hearts go out to her son Randy and other family members. New singers are always welcome and you don’t have to be a music professional.
Viewing for Thelia will be at J.W. Embser Sons Funeral Home, 17 Schuyler Street, Belmont, on Saturday September 13, 2025 from 12:00 – 2:00 PM With funeral to follow immediately.
I’m pretty sure that most readers will have a favorite vehicle whether past or present. When trying to pick one for myself I had to create categories as there were three that stood out for various reasons. There were other spin-off reasons but I will limit myself to what is probably the three most legitimate categories. In no particular order, 1st Would be; Most Economical. This would include not only its initial cost but also operations cost. One of my former Air Preheater bosses was Greg Theoclitus. He had a 1964 Chevy Corvair Convertible that his son (I believe) wrecked. Those cars were a “Uni-Frame” construction and having nailed something head-on, the car “accordioned” a little bending the frame slightly into a “U Shape.” Against my stepfather Paul Miles opinion I bought the car for $40. The front wheels were rubbing against the fender walls. No problem…I simply hooked the front end to a tree, via a stout chain, and rapid backing (jerking backward) managed to straighten the frame enough to allow clearance of the wheels. Inspections weren’t then what they are today so I put it on the road and drove it for a few years. Given it’s “beat up condition” I used it more like a pick up truck than a passenger vehicle. It cost very little to buy and was quite economical gas wise so that’s its claim to fame.
Next up was the Most Fun. If any family members or close friends are reading this, they will know that this vehicle easily takes this category by storm. I wanted a Jeep for on road and off-road use. In my wife’s brief outside-the-home working experience she worked with Jane Green who lived on Clark Road just west of Andover. Through her I met her husband, John. Most likely because he was a car mechanic I needed and utilized his help with car fixing. His dad was Dale Green who was the “offset press,” printing guru at The Air Preheater Co.. John became aware that I was looking for a jeep so suggested that a southern trip would likely get me one that had not been eaten away by our salty winter roads. So we headed south. I don’t recall exactly which town/city we ended up in, but we would grab a newspaper from each local diner and go searching.
We managed to find a fairly low mileage black 1979 open top Jeep. We haggled price a little, came to an agreeable price, and I contacted my bank which transferred funds to a bank down there and we were off and running.
If you have never driven a short wheelbase, open top vehicle with 33” tires at 70 miles per hour you are likely smarter than I was (am). But I, and we, had great fun with that “Black Jeep.”
We happened to be camping at Deer Run Campground in Andover at the time and the Jeep was the most popular “I wanna go for a ride” attraction at the campground. After getting all of the enjoyment we could out of it I sold it to one of the Hallsport Fanton’s. There’s a fine line between adventuresome and “wreckless” and we walked that line many times. You wouldn’t believe just how far up the Knights Creek you can go with a jeep decked out like this one was. When I say “Knights Creek” I mean just that, the creek, not the road, Cty. Rte 9, Knights Creek Road. I couldn’t go very far up the Genesee River North of the bridge carrying Rte. 9 but we tried. More “woodsy” off roading was celebrated with aforementioned John Green and I let him do the driving. He certainly knew his way around the oil lease roads in and around Andover and other surrounding towns.
Ahhhh! Memories. RIP Mr. Green. We loved you, and sure do miss you.
Closing this topic out I will only mention that driving a 1961 Black Chevy Impala Convertible is certainly enjoyable and prideful. I was in the Navy at the time of ownership and if memory serves me I bought it for $900 From the old Lester’s car sales in Wellsville. Picking back up on the Navy theme, I must admit that it was, or I thought it was, a “babe magnet.” Living in Little Creek Virginia, and then part time living with the Ray Whitwood family with Friendship roots, I spent quite a bit of my free time at and around Virginia Beach. I absolutely loved that place. I had short-lived hopes and expectations of making that area my home when my enlistment ended, or, if I re-upped and stayed in the Navy. Love intervened and nearly 60 years ago I was blessed with the person that I’m pleased and proud to spend the rest of my life with.
Having and driving a car like though can also contribute to losing your driving license for a year if you don’t follow your own advice. That would be; “If you’re going to do something stupid, do it in a smart way.” Having your wife as the only eligible driver on a honeymoon to the Catskills isn’t a good start to a marriage. When home on leave shortly before my discharge from the Navy I managed to accumulate three driving infractions (Some would call it speeding, but I blame the 348 motor and “four on the floor” for most of that 😉).
After having lost my license, I ended up letting brother Rolly Miles take over payments for the car as a way of selling it to him. He turned around and sold it to another Friendship guy who managed to wrap it around a tree. That BROKE my heart. I couldn’t justify keeping it and making the payments when not able to drive it. The payments cut pretty deeply into my $91 per week salary, and it was no longer affordable if I wasn’t driving it.
The birds, one each of a female Cardinal and Grosbeak, in the accompanying photo are not “Birds of a Feather,” but they certainly think they are.
We have noticed this year that many of the aviary species that we are blessed with are not only cordial but rather almost familial. The female grosbeak shown is the last, or certainly one of the last of this species still in the area.
The Cardinals have multiplied in numbers, so I think we are going be feeding a slightly larger “flock” this winter. I tried to “crop” this photo as much as I could, but the extraordinarily long tail of the female Cardinal made it difficult.
Mentioning the vehicles in the earlier comments reminded me of a somewhat less than ideal design flaw in my wife’s GMC Acadia. I wanted to open the hood on her car and so started my search for the button, switch, or identification of same. Searching high and low, and I mean really low, when I found it, but only with the assistance of the owner’s manual. Even given the so called “lower left of the instrument panel” I still had difficulty locating it. The button with the identifying “picture” on it was almost out of sight, nearly underneath the front panel. Once found the next chore was to find the “under hood” release latch. I hope I never have to do that in the dark, but at least I now know where it is.
Falling in Love in Fall
When Summer Nights Shorten, and Leaves Start to fall
A Beauty Transcends Us and Brings Love to All
Tranquility Comes, With Leaves all Ablaze
And Our Love Had its Start in Those Cool Autumn Days
Some Say That Springtime is the Season of Love
But I Beg to Differ, With the Full Moon Above
The Flowers That Grow and Bloom in the Spring
Give Way to the Beauty That Only Fall Brings
The Glory of Fall When its Beauty Abounds
Pales Even Yet to the Love We Have Found
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or would like me to look into and report on any topic, please email me at IM.Wiserdad@gmail.com
