Aunts, Uncles, Cousins

Doris and Rupert

My dad's eldest sister, Doris Jasper, married Rupert Norris Goodwin in about 1940. They had three daughters: Linda Sharon (b. 1942), Sandra Michell (b. 1944?), and Mary Kathryn (b. 1947). The girls were known as Sharon, Shelley, and Kathy.

For most of their marriage, Doris and Rupert lived in West Monroe, my dad's hometown. I think it was only after his mother's death (early 1970s) that Rupert, a geologist, was wililng to re-locate. They spent several years in Denver before returning to Louisiana, settling in Shreveport.

In 1985 Doris was diagnosed with lung cancer. Shortly afterwards, she and Rupert divorced (after more than 40 years of marriage.) Doris died in early 1986, the first of the five siblings to do so.

Sharon, an M.D., married Phil Daspit, also an M.D., from Franklin, La. They had four kids: Clayton (b. 1967?), Laura (b. 1969), Corey (b. 1972?), and Shannon (b. 1974?). I'm pretty sure Clayton was born in New Orleans; Laura was born in Pensacola while Phil was doing his flight surgeon training for the Navy. Corey and Shannon were both born in California. Sharon and Phil divorced in the late 1970s, as I recall, and although Phil remarried Sharon never did so. In 1985, when I was finishing up library school at Emory in Atlanta, Sharon and her younger kids moved from Walnut Creek, California to Augusta, where Sharon joined a pathology practice. As far as I know, she's still there. Likewise, I think Clayton, an architect, lives in Atlanta (and not far from Janet and the kids.) I received a wedding invitation a couple of years ago but was unable to attend.

Shelley, a CPA, married twice but no children from either marriage. I think at various times along the way she served as a surrogate mom for Kathy's two children (see below.) Last I heard she was living in Atlanta, also.

Kathy was married multiple times and was widely considered the problem child of her generation. She produced two children, Karl Schoen (b. 1967?) and Rachel Lenard (b. 1974?) Kathy was found dead in her apartment in May 2001, of an apparent heart attack, just a few weeks before my partner Jeremy passed. Kathy was 54 and the first and thus far only of our generation (grandchildren of W.G. Jasper and Grace Baker Jasper) to pass away.

Joyce and Dusty (and...)

My aunt Joyce is the only one of my father's siblings still alive; she'll be 82 in November. I think she married her first husband, Thomas Bennett "Dusty" Rhodes, during World War II or right after. Dusty already had a daughter, Linda, from a previous relationship, but Joyce raised her as one of her own. Joyce and Dusty together had four children: Dana Ladd (called "Ladd"), Michael Kevin (called "Kevin"), Kim, and Rebecca Jo (called "Becky"; b. April 30, 1957.) I don't know Ladd's and Kevin's and Kim's dates, although I'm guessing Ladd and Kevin were born in the late 40s, Kim in the early 50s. I know Becky's birthday because she was the first of the four grandchildren born between April 1957 and April 1958 (I was the last...)

Linda was closer in age to my dad than to me so I really never got to know her. I believe her husband's name is (was?) "Bobby," that he flew (flies?) helicopters to oil rigs, and that they had one or two daughters (who would be in their late 30s now or early 40s now, I think.) Other than that...?

Ladd's first wife was Charlene. If I recall correctly, they had two sons, whose names completely elude me. At some point along the way, Ladd, who works in advertising and public relations, and Charlene divorced; later on Ladd married "Webbie" (short for Webster), who has a famous literary cousin (but I can't recall which one now.) The younger of the sons was killed in a tragic car / truck accident while he was a student at LSU.

Kim camped out in our backyard one summer (early 1970s) with her then boyfriend, Mickey. They were on their way to the Keys, I think, and had a bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle. A couple of years later, she was travelling / working around the world with another boyfriend. As I recall, they started out in New Zealand and got as far as Thailand before she gave up on (a) the trip and (b) him. I think 20 years ago she was married with kids and selling real estate in Los Angeles but I don't have a clue now.

More in a bit...