The Grant County Historical Society has compiled several volumes of Grant County history. The books are available for purchase at the Historical Society Museum gift shop in Ephrata.

These are memories of Grant County, compiled from taped interviews by the Grant County Historical Society.

Today we conclude the story of Mrs. Maeky (Mae) Higashiyama. Read on:

In 1961 my change-of-life symptoms were to become the fourth child. Dennis said it had to be a boy. Cheryl said it has to be a girl. I told them we shouldn’t care just so the baby is healthy. This discussion was taking place on the way home from church. David must have been feeling very angelic for he said, “Mom, I don’t care if it’s boy or girl. I don’t care if it’s a giraffe!”

On the 27th of August, Constance Hannah was born. Guess who she’s named after. When she was to be baptized, Hannah, Aunt Katie and Uncle George consented to be godparents. When the sacraments were over, I thanked Uncle George. He said, “Oh my, we consider it an honor.” I shall never forget that.

Mack’s parents had come to live with us. This was a good thing as Mack’s oldest brother’s wife had rheumatic fever the following winter and I had to go to Ogden, Utah to care for her for two months. She was bed ridden and had three small children.

After a month, Mack teasingly told the children he’d have to get a new mommy for them, David again pops up and says “It’ll be OK if you get Dale Evans or Hannah Weber!” Now you know how Hannah rates.

The years go on with all kinds of ball games, school activities, birthday parties and fantastic times with friends and farming. Dennis went into the service, served in the CID in Germany, married Elke Paulus over there and has been here farming now for about 11years.

They have presented us with two wonderful grandchildren; Carmen May who is 13, and Darren Macky who is 10. Cheryl had graduated from Pacific Lutheran University and met Gordon Augustine while they were both students there.

They were married in 1976, taught for a year at The Dalles, Ore., spent two years in London, and now are going on their third year in Vienna with Gordon teaching language at the UN school and Cheryl teaching science to the American personnel in Austria.

David is a student at UCLA, lives on campus, and is working as a guard nights at the Wells Fargo Building in Los Angeles. Connie is now 22 and is a consultant for a computer service in Seattle.

Macky worked hard and four years ago purchased a piece of “God’s Country” from the Webers in Quincy. What more could anyone ask for when you are surrounded by such an environment filled with fantastic people and productive land, which are two of Grant County’s superb qualities.