The Lidke Memoirs

This website shares the life story of Don and Doris Lidke, our maternal grandparents. My sister and I initially embarked on this project to document all of the amazing family stories that captivated us as children. However, the experience of collecting these memoirs evolved into something much greater. 

Throughout the process, we’ve gained a deeper understanding of who we are and where we come from. We’ve also regularly found ourselves challenged by their example to seek adventure, humor, simplicity, and friendship more deliberately in our own lives. And lastly, we’ve been inspired by how their stories demonstrate how progress is made through small, daily acts of love and tolerance.

Here is a cliff notes version of their story:

Born in New Jersey in the 1930s, Don and Doris met and fell in love in Bermuda. (Laughing Ever Since, the name of the project, came from this story, which you’ll have to read in full to get all the details). 

As a Navy family, the Lidkes traversed the country many times from the 1950s to the 1980s. Their adventures took them to Mississippi, Alaska, California, Louisiana, and Nebraska before they put down roots in Colorado, later retiring first in Arizona and eventually in Florida. 

Often finding themselves in the crosshairs of major national events, they had a front row seat to the rapidly changing landscape of American culture -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Their stories are characterized by the following themes:

Mischief and pranks - Nearly every story from my grandpa involves at least one prank, from him evading “Johnny the Cop” at the age of four to going “cactus napping” under the cover of nightfall as retirees in Arizona. 

Planes and automobiles - Their story is one of forward motion, documenting their many moves across the country, the Volkswagens that carried them over the years, and my grandpa’s many adventures in flight as a Navy pilot. 

History & Diversity - Don and Doris lived in Mississippi at the height of segregation, lived in Oakland, CA in the 1960s at the height of the counterculture movement, and raised children in New Orleans in the 1970s during the integration of the school system.

Military Life - My grandpa recounts many military stories, such as searching for Russian submarines during the Cold War, meeting the pilot that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, leading search and rescue missions in sea planes in the remote Alaskan wilderness, and ferrying servicemen back and forth on the California coast on their way to Vietnam. 

Friendship - Extremely social people, our grandparents describe the colorful characters who played a role in their lives (like the mayor Jim “Landslide” Peterson), many of whom would make Hollywood writers envious. 

Cultural Identity - My grandfather documents his reconciliation with his German heritage as a second generation German immigrant who grew up during WWII. My grandmother shares her experiences navigating the working world as a woman in the 1950s and the hilarity that often comes along with raising a family.

A Changing America - Both of my grandparents describe what it was like to come of age in an era of historically low crime and high levels of social trust before GPS or smartphones. They share what it was like to witness transformations in American popular culture, like seeing Louis Armstrong and Sammy Davis Jr. live in NYC. 

The Goings On of Daily Life - And of course, they share what their daily lives looked like -- the challenges of navigating health issues and natural disasters, accomplishments like building a small business, and joys like seeing their children get married and embark on their own adventures.