Holiday Waters Nye

Those of you who know me well know that my children are named after family members so I thought I would start with those people. Since my oldest son Anthony James is named after my oldest brother, Mark Anthony and my ex-husband James Arthur and they are still alive I will not share anything more than that on them.

So that brings me to my daughter, Victoria-Holiday Waters, she is named after my mother’s father Holiday Waters and his father Victor Perre. They were both men who were greatly love by their family, friends and community.

My grandfather, Holiday Waters Nye was born February 1, 1910 in Fombell, North Sewickley Twp., Beaver Co., Pennsylvania to Victor Perre and Mary Louella (Graff) Nye. He was the second child to the couple and the first born son. Holiday grew up on the family farm in Fombell with his parents and his ten siblings. His family grew apples, raised pigs and cows and he learned to ride horses and shoot a gun. One time while talking about growing up he said he always enjoyed when the men would come back from hunting because there would be music, food and they stayed up late into the night. He also said that he had to take turns with his father standing guard over the chicken coop at night, shooting foxes and wolves that would come to claim a price. When he became school age he attended a one room school house on Soap Run Road in Fombell.

As a young adult Holiday continued to live at home and help care for the farm. His sister Alma said that he was a shy young man and had difficulty talking to the girls. However, in 1935 many changes came to the Nye family’s life and to my Pappy’s life as well. In February soon after Holiday’s 25^th birthday Victor passed suddenly leaving the family with no income, then before the family was getting past their overwhelming grief one of Holiday’s brothers, George was killed in June in an auto accident. Things for the family were really hard that year, but for Holiday he would meet and marry the love of his life.

Pappy met my Grandmother, Susan Louise (Ritter) Nye at a Halloween dance and then on November 9, 1935 they eloped and were married. Pappy told my cousin that he met Louise at a dance and that he knew as soon as he saw her that he would make her his wife. As the story goes Holiday approached Louise and asked her for a dance, she told him that he could have one if he took his mask off, however he didn’t have one on. That was the kind of humor my Grandma had. After posting this story originally I received an email from my Aunt Janice and this is what she wrote to me: The story of how they met is not true, that is just something they always said as a joke. Mom was dating Roy Gordon & took him home for Sunday dinner,. Grandpap Ritter didn't like him as he didn't eat the crust of the pie Grandma had made. He told Mom to move on. Shortly after that Aunt Pete introduces her to Pap at a church function. I want to think he went to it with Dorothy & Alma. 

As I said Holiday and Louise eloped and were married on November 9, 1935. My Pappy sold his hunting dog to pay for gas money and they headed out on a snowy winter night with Louise’s sister Mary Ellen and her husband, Clarence Horner. Grandma told me that they were heading to Ohio where they knew they could get married, but they ended up on Wellsburg, Brooke Co., West Virginia instead. When I asked why they eloped Grandma said that her father didn’t care for Pappy. She said that Heyward felt that any man Pappy’s age that was not married must have something wrong with him. They were married just short of 56 years when Grandma passed.

My Grandparents had five children: Heyward Charles Nye born November 23, 1936; died 5 Dec 1936 and Daniel, Janice, Mary Jane and Roger, all still living. In a conversation with my Aunt Janice in 2001 when asked what Pappy was like when they were young she said, “He was never around much. I asked Mum one time why he spent more time with the grandchildren than he ever did with us. She said he was always working to provide for all of us." When asked if all she remembered of him was that he was never around and he worked hard she said, “Well, he was a likable man. He was funny, Mum never found any humor in him though. He liked to fight. He used to go to the bar with Uncle Bill & they always got into a fight with someone. He always rode horses. I can remember him having them for us. He rode like a real cowboy. He could rope and ride too." "Pap always saw we had what we wanted. I always tell my kids the story of the time we had no money at Christmas. I got a hat & gloves and your Mum got a big doll. I was supposed to understand because I was older, but I cried and cried. Pap called up Jane Marvin (she owned the grocery store) and asked her if she would open up so he could get a doll for me on the grocery bill, and she did. To this day I will not wear hats and gloves. I was scared. ha ha" When I asked my mother, Mary Jane for thought s of Pappy she said the same thing as Aunt Janice, he was a hardworking man, not home much because he was always working,  she said she always felt safe when Pappy was home.

Pappy worked at the steel mill in Ellwood City as long as I could remember as well as kept chickens and a large garden at home. I don’t remember anyone ever calling Pappy Holiday, but I do remember Grandma called him Hawd and everyone else called him Husky. This was the nickname he was given at the steel mill because he was such a small man. He loved to go fishing and his favorite fishing buddy was his cousin and close friend Walter Moyer.

He loved my Grandmother dearly and always put her needs before his own. I don’t remember his smoking, but my mother said he did until he has a severe asthma attack and thought he was going to die. Pappy was not a big drinker, but he did like his four roses whiskey and I can remember him pouring himself a shot. He was so funny tossing it back and then he’s kick his right leg while hopping up and down and then he’s say, “good stuff.” He didn’t like cursing and when hearing Grandma or one of his children curse he would say, “harrr” and that the queue to watch your mouth.

I don’t remember Pappy being a religious man, but he grew up in a family that attended church and he had a strong sense of what was right and wrong. He loved his mother, Mary dearly and did for her anytime she called. He enjoyed football, but wasn’t a huge fan. He loved wrestling and roller derby races.

I always thought of my Pappy as being a strong man and when he got cancer for the first time that is when I think I realized that he was not a super hero. At that time the only thing I knew about cancer was that it killed you. I remember being so afraid that he would die and I wanted to do anything I could help to make him better. I was so excited when he asked me one day if I would take the electric raiser and shave his face for him. I didn’t know how to do it, but I knew that my Pappy needed me and I was going to do it.

Pappy beat the cancer the first time and things went back to normal. He gardened and fished, make up his silly little songs that made us laugh and life was perfect again. I cannot remember how long it was between the cancer episodes, but I know it was years because I had finally felt that nothing would touch him again. Then after my Grandmother passed Pappy was diagnosed again with cancer again. By the time the cancer was diagnosed it was beyond the point of survival. Pappy passed away on October 19, 1991 and he was laid to rest next to his beloved wife at the St. Mark’s Lutheran Cemetery in Franklin Twp., Beaver Co., Pennsylvania.

I am proud to be the Granddaughter of Holiday Waters Nye and I hope that my daughter will always be proud to know that she carries his name.

Dianna