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Friday, March 02, 2001

Georgia Faye (1925-2001)


Georgia Faye Kaseberg nee Henry (1925-2001) spent the last year or so of her life as a resident of a nursing home in Cameron, Texas, a victim of Alzheimers . . . she died exactly ten years ago today . . . on the 2nd day of March in the year 2001 . . . her burial on the 5th of March coincided exactly with the 101st anniversary of the birth of her mother, Willie Ruth (Jennings) Henry . . . her Daddy (George Rettig Henry) and my maternal Grandpa (Robert E. Henry, Sr.) were brothers . . . Georgia Faye was a witness at my Mom and Dad's wedding in Freeport in 1950 . . . she was an editor of Matchless Milam which was published during the Texas Sesquicentennial (1986) . . . and she was a wonderful supplier and sharer of a wealth of genealogical info on our family . . . we loved her dearly and are forever in her debt . . . she is missed . . . the following is Georgia Faye's story written c. 1986 . . . in her own words . . .






Georgia Faye Henry was born August 31, 1925 in Norton, Runnels County, Texas to George Rettig and Willie Ruth Jennings Henry. She (had) one brother, Weldon Lee Henry, born August 30, 1927.





Georgia started school at Norton School; later that year transferred to a two-room schoolhouse in a cotton field at North Norton. After finishing grade seven, she graduated in 1942 from Norton High School.


Georgia came to Rockdale in January 1943 looking for work. She applied for an opening at Western Union as a morse code operator trainee. Mable Luckey trained several such students in what is now (1984) Promenade Building. Upon completion, she worked in Bastrop, Texas, near Camp Swift. She later worked in several Texas towns and in 1943 went to teletype school in Springfield, Missouri. After graduating, she worked in several towns making vacation reliefs. In 1944 she was offered a six-week job in Freeport (Brazoria County) Texas, which extended until June 1960. During her life in Freeport, she saw the streets of Freeport paved and saw the town of nearby Lake Jackson created where only trees and marsh once were. She witnessed several hurricanes, staying through two. All that water was a far cry from dusty West Texas. She learned about the Gulf, beaches, deep sea fishing, and enjoyed seafood which definitely was not in her hometown of Norton. While in Freeport, she married Albert Samuel Edward Kaseberg, Sr. June 14, 1956. They moved in 1960 to Baytown (Harris County). A son named Albert Samuel Edward Kaseberg, Jr. was born July 27, 1961. Georgia divorced Albert, Sr. in 1966.


Georgia and Albert, Jr. moved to Big Spring in 1968, then to Lafayette, Louisiana and Lake Charles, Louisiana. When that telegraph office closed, they moved to Rockdale in 1974. They moved to Monroe, Louisiana later for six months, and returned. Georgia took her retirement after 35 years of service. Georgia later worked from 1976 to 1982 as manager of Gold Bond Stamp redemption store in Rockdale before it closed.


Many interesting and sad times are recalled during her career. How can you explain to a sweet lady you cannot wire her homegrown flowers to a daughter? How can you explain you cannot wire some papers to a son to be signed and wired back? The work was gratifying by delivering messages about a new grandchild or offer of a job. Many times though, you got a nervous stomach, grabbed a box of kleenex and deliver a death message, many during World War II and Vietnam and Korean conflicts. Often these were about persons she knew personally. You got the feeling everyone dreaded to see you approaching. She still has her old morse key and the later model called a bug. Both still work. She came a long way from morse code to computer operation in 35 years!




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