I don't typically write about family in Random Camera Blog, but the passing of a wonderful woman that just happens to be my Mother-In-Law deserves recognition here. Charlotte Murphy was born on June 26, 1926 to Fred and Fanny Hoose. She was the oldest of three daughters, who have preceded her in death. If you have read a copy of Monochrome Mania No. 13, Home and Farm News, published June, 2024, you would already know a great deal about her. I was so pleased to be able to finish the book last June, and even more so, that she loved what I had done. Charlotte left us on Feb. 2, 2025, and Adrienne and I were able to visit her just a couple of weeks before. She had been in home hospice care, and she died peacefully in the home that she had designed in 1948.
It was a bit strange going back this past week to an empty house and not hearing her "hello!" as we entered the kitchen. Her hospital bed and accoutrements had been removed, and the den where she had spent the last six months of her life looked rather barren. I had done all the photography in the house I needed to do while she was alive, and I was not inclined to photograph it any more. The Home and Farm News was my testament to the life that she had lived. The gathering of family and friends at the house and at the funeral home, and then the funeral, was a reminder that in her long life, she had been deeply involved in the community, and with her extended family.
A lot happens in the span of 98 years. So many changes in culture, politics, science, technology, and so many notable events, both large and small. Charlotte may have been a dairy farmer's wife, but it was her that kept the books, raised 7 children, volunteered in the Amenia Ladies Fire Dept. Auxiliary for 70 years, was an Amenia Free Library trustee, received a Citizen of the Year Award in 2021 for 50 years of service to her community, and a plethora of serving other organizations. The expansion of the Amenia Free Library in 2021 was due to her fundraising efforts. She never forgot a birthday card, nor the cards for the major holidays. In my nearly 50 years of knowing her I don't think I ever heard her complain about much of anything. I treasure all the conversations that we had. We could talk about art, nature, politics, religion, books, world events, and society, and I think she enjoyed the fact that I'd listen to what she had to say. She also had a good laugh.
Over the years, Charlotte's camera(s) chronicled her family, her summers at Twin Lakes, CT, where her family cottage was located, as well as her trips in the USA and abroad. There are thousands of photographs in albums and boxes and I am sure there are more scattered about in drawers somewhere. The cameras span 1930s Kodaks to 35mm point and shoots. The images represent the "American Experience" in so many ways. This photo that she took of a 1939 World Series game in Yankee Stadium is unforgettable.
As we were preparing to leave for home, I looked in the corner cupboard and found 4 undeveloped rolls of film, probably dating from the 1960s-1970s. I'll develop them and see if I get anything. Two are 127, and I'll have to develop the roll of C-22 as B&W. The C-41 will get developed normally. The Fotomat cartridge could be interesting, as it's probably from the late 1970s.
Rest in peace, Charlotte. You made the world a better place for so many, including me.
