Family, the first F word. The Cast Better half - Ann Hollcraft Mom - Catherine Hussman Cushman Dad - David Bernard Cushman Sister - Misty Cay Cushman   Husband- Don    Nephew- Shane Fann    Niece- Finnessa Fann Dogs - Corky, Bambi, Cissy, El Torito, Bambino, Sandy, Mandy, Teri Jo, Max Cats - Tiffy, Smokey, Marisa, Brother (adopted Snooke, Tubs & Kokobelli) Pony - Peanuts Turkey - Tom Assorted Mice, chicks, rats, hamsters, frogs, snakes, salamanders, lizards. Aunt - Sandy Kasakoff Uncle- Jerome Cushman, wife Hannah, 2nd wife Midge (step-son Evan), 3rd wife Rita    Cousins- Sarah, Debbie & Keith.    Step-Cousin - Evan Godmother - Helen Lyngar Godfather - Woody (Helen's bf) Mom- Catherine Hussman Cushman January 23, 1919, Hilo, Hawaii - January 14, 2006, Tarzana, CA Parents were Bertha White & William Hussman. My grandmother was the only relative I met on my mom's side. My grandfather left his wife early in my mom's childhood. My mom was smart, UCLA graduate. Education major, psychology minor. When my dad was stationed in Gila Bend with the Air Force, she accompanied him and was a secretary for one of his commanders. As a secretary, she had to accompany her boss to the site of a deadly plane crash of people she knew. To say the least, it scared her off from flying. She did fly one time, from Burbank up north with my sister. She always wanted to be a teacher, and she did. She taught primarily the early grades, Kindergarten to 4th. She loved her work. Loved to entertain. Loved gardening. Dad - David Bernard Cushman Jan 21, 1917, Marathon Iowa - December 28, 1983, Tarzana, CA. Parents were Maxwell & Carlotta Cushman. I never met them. I've seen pictures of them in Tarzana a couple years before my birth. Dad had one brother. My grandparents wanted kids, they had problems so they adopted Jerome. As it often happens, she soon got pregnant with my dad. My dad was in the air force, communications. Owned his own business, C&C Auto Painting on Ventura/White Oak in Encino. In 1969, my dad sold the business and went to work for the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, painting city trucks. He worked at both the Van Nuys plant and the downtown LA plant. He was retired a few years when he unexpectedly passed in his sleep. Sister - Misty Cay Cushman April 16, Los Angeles, CA. - Also adopted at birth. So we don't look alike. 4 years younger. In a way, my opposite, with a few exceptions. Dance lessons. Modeling school. Pony in the back yard. Always good with animals. I was scared of dogs, she wasn't. She has two adult children. She's married to a great guy, Don. Grandmother - Bertha White Met my grandmother, good memories. The smell of the coffee in the morning, the blackened toast. We usually baked something, like chocolate chip cookies when I spent the night. Found my first potato bug in her little garden. Her driveway was two strips of cement for the tires with lawn in between. The rear house of a duplex. 35th Place & Vermont, down the street from the USC clock tower, down the block from the Watts Riots. My parents lived in the house first, they moved out when they bought the house in Tarzana and my Grandmother moved in. Aunt - Sandy Kasakoff She is my Dad's first cousin, my sister and I just called her Aunt. When I was a little one she lived about a mile away on Balcom in Encino. Sandy and her significant other spent a lot of time with my parents. Living so close we saw her often, she was a swimmer so of course we used to go over her house to swim and BBQ. A story she recounted to me recently was when I was spending the night at her place. I was in the pool, every time Aunt Sandy would yell at me to get out I would go back under water. Sounds like me. We went to the beach, I believe she took me to Busch Gardens in Va Nuys. She worked with computers before people even knew what computers were. For as far back as I can remember, she has always had poodles. She moved to Canoga Park. Sandy & my Mom argued for years if it was faster taking Van Owen or Oxnard/Topham from Wilbur to Corbin. Sandy relocated to Lakeland Florida. She stayed there for a few years until she moved back. She settled down south of Los Angeles. In April of 2007 Ann and I picked Aunt Sandy and drove her to my Uncle Jerry's place in Santa Monica for a visit. It's been couple years since I last saw Jerry, and I've never met his wife Rita. Uncle - Jerry Cushman Jerome moved in the late 60s with his wife (Hanna) and two of three kids (Deborah and Sarah, son Keith was teaching in India) to Canoga Park. He was a professor of Children's Literature at UCLA. God Mother & God Father - Helen Lyngar and Woody Helen Lyngar lived in Burbank, on Fredric. At the corner used to be a A&W Root Beer drive in. Years ago on the corner was a A&W car-hop. Not sure what she did for a living, she didn't seem to work. Came to all the parties my parents gave. Helen, Woody, Misty, Me Being adopted, I have two families. My family and my biological family which I just found in 2007. Cleaning out my mother's belongings after her death I found a medical release form with my birth mothers signature on it. Of course I googled her without much success. My sister informed me that one of her friends that put a child up for adoption used the same agency that my parents did. Misty gave me her number, i called her immediately and found out the name of the agency and contacted them. After they went through their records they informed me that only my sister was adopted through them. My sister's adoption information was passed on to her as I was trying to figure out my next move. Ann's step-mother Karen helped by finding match for my mother's name on the familysearch.com website. Since I was born in Los Angels, L.A. County death records seemed like the next logical step. Found someone with her name and in the right age range listed so I sent away to Sacramento for the death certificate. Upon receiving it, I tried to contact the listed next of kin without any success. So I called the mortuary, explained the situation and asked them to contact the person they had dealt with and pass along my information. Got a couple hang-ups the next few days, didn't think much about it. Then I got a call from someone that identified herself as my cousin Lisa. We talked a bit, exchanged emails and I emailed her a couple pics of me. She also told me her mother had called a couple times and chickened out and hung up. She got back in touch with me and said there was no doubt I was part of the family. We made plans to meet at Charlies (?) Mexican restaurant in downtown La Jolla. Ann and I drove down and met my cousin Lisa, her brother's daughter Sarah and my grandmother's sister's son. The second I saw Lisa I knew she was family. All during lunch Lisa and her niece Sarah kept remarking not only how much I looked like Marge but even my hand mannerisms were like hers. She brought a couple pictures, I saw my birth mother for the first time. Lisa passed my email address and pics around the family. Soon I was in contact with my Aunt Liz, Uncle Bill and numerous cousins. I sent away to Sacramento for my adoption information on my birth mother and birth father. Marge moved to Los Angeles as soon as she turned 21. She went to work for the other side of the family as a book keeper at a moving/storage company. She unexpectedly quit and moved to whittier. Looking back, the pregnancy was the reason she quit. She went to work for another moving/storage company. She spoiled her nieces and nephews at Christmas. A couple of my cousins insist they were her favorite. When ever she went home to Mankato for a visit they thought of her being so "hollywood." My birth father was married when I was conceived. He died in his mid 30s as did my grandfather. No one in the family ever met my father nor did anyone know if my mother ever dated again. In August of 2007 there was my Uncle Bill's B-day/Mmeet the new cousin party in Rochester Minnesota. Ann and I flew out and spent a few days. My cousin Lisa was nice enough to haul us around. First stop was her parents, my Aunt Liz and her husband John. Aunt Liz game me my mom's bible and a few pictures. We went to the county fair. Went to Walnut Grove for the Laura Engals Museum. For those that don't know what that is, the Little House On the prairie author. My first thought walking into the door of Uncle Bills house is how in the hell did so many good looking people show up in one place. There was no doubt that I was part of this family. This This is from left to right, Uncle Fred (deceased), Marge, Pat (deceased), Aunt Liz, Uncle Bill. Check back, I'll forever be adding more words and pictures...