This is the story of how Mimi and Nina arrived in New York City and relocated in Tarrytown, as told by Mimi to Cindy and Peter.
After their mother died in Pasadena in September of 1927, Mimi and Nina were cared for by their mother’s brother William Diez and his wife Madge (their Uncle Will and Aunt Madge). Initially this was in San Diego, but in the summer of 1929 Will and Madge relocated to Panama where he worked intermittently as an engineer on the Panama Canal. Aunt Madge had been willing to adopt the two girls but only if they also adopted her two children (Lansing and Marguerite) by a previous marriage. Uncle Will was willing to adopt his nieces Mimi and Nina but unwilling to also adopt Madge’s two children by her previous marriage. During the two years this was being negotiated, Mimi and Nina attended Mrs. Edna R. Ritchie’s boarding school at Los Arboles Private School at 1430 N Marengo Avenue in Pasadena for 1927-1928 and 1928-1929.
Mary’s and Nina’s half-sisters Catherine and Carolene Dutcher (known to us as C & C) were living at that time in New York City, Carolene working as a teacher and Catherine as a laboratory technician. They agreed to take Mary and Nina in, and in the summer of 1929 the two girls, ages 10 and 9, were brought to New York City to meet Catherine and Caroline for the first time.
Initially, they stayed in NYC for several days. Mimi stayed with Catherine at Mrs. Keating’s house, and Nina stayed with Carolene at Carolene’s dressmaker’s house. They saw Sonny Boy (Davey Lee) in ‘Frozen River’ which was the first Rin Tin Tin movie.
They then went to Tarrytown where they stayed in Mrs. Mortimer’s boarding house while the Irvington house on Hillside Terrace was being completed, about 6 months. Mimi remembered spending a Christmas at the boarding house. They would take a bus from Tarrytown to Irvington to do shopping, often getting something first at Cushman’s Bakery and drinking from a public spring in Irvington. Mimi and NIna always looked for loose change in the bus cushions.
In the fall of 1929 they started school in Irvington, Mimi in 5th grade and Nina in 4th grade.
.