Article: My History by Doris June (Kwist) Stockton

pictured ca. 1938 South Bend, In
l-r Beverly, Marilyn, Dave, June and Jan Kwist




I was born in a house on Walnut Street in South Bend, Indiana on September 4, 1922 as the first child of Jan “John” Johannis Kwist and Ethyl Bernice Bardsley. We later moved to an apartment. My grandma “Datchie” lived close by. I loved living close to her. She was the most important person in my life. My brother David was born in that apartment there on West Washington Street in South Bend. From there we moved to Greenacre Drive off of US 31 North. It was time for me to start school. 31 North was a two dirt road. I had to walk 2 miles and wore long underwear in the winter.


I hid the castor oil in the bottom of the ice box so I wouldn’t have to take it. But Mom and Dad found it. From there we moved to 1918 East Ewing Avenue. I went to Lincoln School and started 3rd grade. From there we moved to Milburn Blvd. in Mishawaka where I attended La sale school in the 5th grade. It seems that whenever the rent was due we moved again. I remember there were tough times and the country was just starting to come out of the depression.



When I was 9 years old, my mom spent summers with her mom, my Datchie, because we kids made her nervous. It was up to me to watch over David, Marilyn and Beverly since I was the oldest. We would wait patiently for my dad to come home from work because we knew he would have trays of food in the back seat of his car for our supper. After supper was finished and the dishes were clean, my father used to play with us on the front lawn doing gymnastics, turning cart wheels and walking across the lawn on our hands. Dad loved good poetry. His favorite book was The Book of Lines. He would recite poetry for us while we did the supper dishes.

From Milburn we moved to Indiana Avenue in South Bend. I went to Studebaker school in the 6th and 7th grade. Then I went to Riley High School in the 8th grade. While I was in the 9th grade my family moved to Brookfield street in South Bend where I went to the 9th grade at Washington High School. Then we moved to Western Avenue.

pictured young June with baby Dave and her father, early 1930s

While living on Brookfield I met my future husband Erlin “Bud” J. Stockton who lived across the street. He had a sister called Henrietta who was in the same grade with me at Washington High School. My parents did NOT like Bud at all. They tried over and over to break us up. While living on Western Avenue I went to Central High School and finished my school years there. I was involved in gymnastics in High School, I am sure it was because I enjoyed it with my dad.
In 1940 I married Bud. We snuck off with his mother and sister Henrietta and were married in the preacher’s home. We moved to an apartment. When we went to my parents home and announced what we had done, my father said, “I wipe my hands of you and don’t come (back) here.” (or something like that). But the following Sunday Bud and I showed up for Sunday dinner and my parents invited us to eat.

My sister Marilyn was upset with me because I had gotten married and left. She felt that I had abandoned her. “Who is going to give me my bath and comb my hair?” she asked.

In November 1940 my son Gerald (Jerry) Eugene was born. In 1943, another son, William (Bill) Erlin came into our family. In 1945 the boys received a beautiful sister Judie Kaye, (who dropped the E from her name in High School). They love each other, but especially Jerry & Judi. They are all very good to me.

From our apartment on Main Street in South Bend, Bud, I and our children moved to Marion Street in South Bend. And later we moved to Howard Street. Bud worked at Studebaker for 24 years until they closed. Then he started up Stockton Landscaping and worked at this until he died on December 31, 1980.

In 1958 I got a job working in the Odd Fellows Building in South Bend. I worked there for 20 ½ years as a dental assistant to Doctor William F. Holland. In 1978 Dr. Holland got cancer of the bone marrow and passed away the following year. I then worked at Bendix Energy Controls as a receptionist for 10 ½ years, then retired. Before going to work for Dr. Holland I had worked at various other jobs including Robertson’s Department Store, Carbuner Sales, Whitesell’s Varitey Store, Carburner Furniture Store and Dairy King. Most of the jobs were close to home so I could be close to the kids.

I’ve gone on many beautiful trips with my children, mostly Judi and her husband Charlie. In the winter I spend a month or more with them in Florida. During the year I visit their beautiful home in Brownsburg, Indiana (near Indianapolis) and visit Jerry too.

In September 2005 I will be 83 years old, but I feel 35 inside. I have been so blessed and am very grateful for friends and family!