Dad was the youngest of four children born to Orville D and Florence Leona (McClure) Means. Brother Wayne was born in Ottumwa in 1914, Homer was born in 1916, Mary was born it 1917, and Ray was born in 1919.

The only thing we heard from Grandma about Grandpa was that he "was not a very good provider. Nevertheless, she and the children wound up in Chicago sometime after Dad's birth, where she work as a nurse, having put herself through nursing school before she turned twenty.

Dad said all the kids helped to earn money to make it through the hard early years. Newspaper routes and delivery of clothes that Grandma washed, dried, and ironed, were some of the things they did to help out. All four of the kids loved their mother very much, respected her and protected her all their lives,

We learned to revere her also. She was a lady who stood for what was right because it was the thing to do.

Ray M Harlan