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My Mother and Father were married

on July 5, 1923. Barbara Dettling Vandenameele was born

on May 25, 1924 in Detroit, Michigan. It was the beginning

of Spring and the sun shone brightly upon the Dettling family.

I was born on August 3rd,1925 , fourteen months later. My

parents told me her reaction was pure excitement. She was not

an only child and was so pleased to have a little sister.

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One of my first memories is

precious to me. I would watch as my father instructed Barbara in the exercise of doing “windmills.” It was a joy to watch this interaction between them!

From the time I was born, we were inseparable. We enjoyed many activities such as hopscotch, skipping rope, and jacks. We also rode our bicycle. I say our bicycle because it was shared between the two of us. She allowed me to ride the bike whenever I wanted, always sharing and supportive of my time on the bicycle.

When Barbara started school, she asked the teacher if she could bring her sister. That was because I cried all day when she was away. Amazingly the teacher said I was welcome to attend once in a while but only if I was good.

That was explained to me and apparently, I understood because from then on I went to school every day with my sister. Yes, I even appeared in the first grade picture!

Barbara and I did have our childish tiffs from time to time. My mother was so exasperated that she mentioned we would get a switch in our stockings for Christmas if we didn’t stop moaning about doing the dishes and other petty arguments. We continued to bicker.

After an evening at our Aunt Gertrude’s home, we came back on Christmas Eve to find no lights on the tree and a switch in each of our stockings. We were heartbroken. We thought she was kidding but she was serious. We promised each other that evening we would never fight again. We kept that promise to our Mother and to each other.

On Christmas morning there were all of the presents and we never fought for the rest of our lives. The switches were gone and we learned a very good lesson.

We shared our walk to high school three miles each day back and forth. Barbara was intelligent and therefore, she was able to skip second grade and move right on to third. That trend continued into high school as she skipped seventh grade and went on to the eighth.

Barbara became an aunt when I married and my first son Martin was born. Martin was joined by brothers and sisters, Paula, Keith, Mary Ann, Anthony, Barbara, and Ken. Barbara and my mother supported and celebrated the birth of all seven! They became known as Tante and Oma to my children, the German words for Aunt and

Grandmother. They were a very important part of my childrens’ lives. We all remember the excitement of the holidays and peering through the curtains watching and waiting for the little grey Volkswagen bug to arrive!

My mother was admitted into the hospital when she had her last stroke and was dying. In the same room was another mother whose son had taken care of her for much of his life. It was then that a fateful and miraculous event occurred. Barbara met Daniel Vandenameele. She told me she fell in love with him very quickly. That meeting resulted in a loving marriage that lasted 43 years.

My sister’s character was one of loyalty, strength, compassion, and humility. God blessed us all who had the chance to be a part of her life.

There is no night without a dawning

No winter without a spring

And beyond the dark horizon

Our hearts will once more sing…

For those who leave us for a while

Have only gone away

Out of a restless care-worn world

Into a brighter day.

— Poem by Helen Stainer Rice

No Night Without