Letters to Jackie (20 page)

CINCINNATI, OHIO
FEB 10-64

Dear Mrs Kennedy

Just a few lines as a Friend & Sister of God. I would have written before now but I have ben so filled up I coulden. I will say this if it hadn been for this wonderful man President Kennedy I don’t know what I would have done. in 1963 I wrote the president a letter for viewing my case of help. I am the mother of 15 children I have 6 children at home yet I lost there father in 1959 Social Security diden wont to help with the 6 children that was Elgeable at the time an I diden get it until I wrote to the President he wrote this head office an I got some help the next week after they got a letter from there. These people let me know it. I thank God for this.

I pray every Day an night for you & children as a Sister in God I love you an all an I will say you will always have my prayers. because I love you. Dearly. & hold up your head pray as you go along in life As I know you are a Christian.

God will everymore look upon you as his lite of this world.

Although I an colored but I love you

I will close for this time

Keeping you & children in my prayers.
Sign Mrs Bessie Williams

ELEVA, WISCONSIN

[JANUARY 16, 1964, POSTMARK]

Dear Mrs. Kennedy and Children

I know this is belated, but after seeing you on television Tues. I couldn’t help but take time out and write a few words of Condolence: in hopes you will get this letter.

Knowing you are very busy I put off writing until now, and also time heals all wounds because when this terrible thing happened, it was hard for even us to try and think clearly.

You and your Husband seemed a part of all people including “just us plain farmers,” and when my husband heard of the terrible tragedy he remarked “now we have lost our only hope we had,” in regards to many problems—including farm problems as it seems it is getting harder to try and make ends meet and now we have lost our Good leader besides.

That fatal nite we went to Mass, in Memory of your late Husband, which made us feel we were helping in our small way by Prayer for him., and so “God” would give you strength through this ordeal, and continue to give you courage.

There were many times I wanted to write to the President—when I would read in the paper of his back troubles,—as I also have had the
same experience but, being just plain country folks—I didn’t know if it was the proper thing to do, but now I wished I had.

In closing I want to say—you have Our Deepest Sympathy and May God and Mother Mary Help you.

Love from
The Duane Becker Family
Mrs Duane Becker (writing)

MRS. CHA. BINGLE
ROCHESTER IND.

Mrs Kennady,

Words are so, poor of a way to express one’s feelings and usually my words never mean much to anyone. It’s as if I were a moron or a child and so, if you never read my letter it won’t matter much at least I’ve voiced my opinion if only on paper.

I lost my father in July and while he had no money he was rich with wisdom & I leaned on him. He was a christian man & always made things right with words of the Bible. I know you have lost much more than I, but not really for he was such a good man. With the world growing wicked all the time at least he safe from what is yet to come. He was no ordinery man. While we consider America a civilized Nation we do have animals in human form here too. I know with his wisdom he knew this and went out to Battle a brave man. I know he died for me and my family.

The reason I really wrote is to tell you how I felt toward it all from beginning to end. I had 3 reasons why I resented him to begin with. One his age. I felt he was to young to take the responsibility. He proved we needed a young mind to cope with todays needs in the world. No 2 was his religion. I being raised a Methodest, knew little of Catholics except what I was told. However, as I’ve grew older I tried to increase my knowledge by examining every thing I didn’t know of. Because of Being Catho
lic, I thought the president would bring it into the government & from all I had heard I didn’t agree with it but, anyway I went to Catholic church and explored the people & etc. While it was like every other church I went to (I didn’t agree with somethings) it was more like God and the people lived by the religion more than any other church. I found myself liking it. The things folks said were untrue because they never cared enough to learn of what it really was. They preferred to critize the whole church for a few of its members.

No 3. I recented his position and money. All my life, I’ve never had the things I needed to live. I’ve worked so, hard and yet all I have is my children 6 of the nicest. They are my desires in life. They deserve better than me. All I can do is not enough for them to live normally We struggle to keep fuel in winter and when Christmas comes the relatives don’t have enough to buy anything for mine each for I have to many. So, our small town gives us used toys mine receive I’ve never had the money to buy the Groc. I need let alone toys for Christmas I’ve dreamed often I was in places & I got to take what I wanted in Groc. Clothes and toys and I knew it was a dream. My husband earns $119.00 ever 2 wks & the County say’s they can’t help anyone with a job. Yet! There are people that for generations back live from the county and are young enough to work who really have more than us. Their medical expense are paid & they receive checks for Groc & Normal things. So, due to my position I recented him but, I found he had values money didn’t buy him. He was as human as God himself. No one can take his place, no one has his knowledge, His level headness, his compassion for human race. No words can say what we’ve lost as a nation and I truly fear for our nation now. The animal that took him from us don’t know what he’s done to us all. While he done a lot and left us great values. He could have done so, much more.

I have 6 children, 3 boys, 17, 14, and 12, a girl 9, Randy (boy) age 7 who has broken both arms 2 times in past year. 1 time 2 broken at once. Penny age 6 while the small one’s knew something terrible had happen my oldest ones felt it with reality of a relative. I had to go get my 17 yr
old from school that day to take to eye Doctor and he came out of school crying big as he is (6’2” and said “Mom, I’m determined now to work my self up to being a Secret Agent.” I told him he’d never have the chance to guard a man so, good as Mr Kennedy. This boy is going to be a State Police. It has already been planned. He has put himself thru last 3 grades of school by working summer months The president’s death has given him added Vitelity to better himself & the urge to go further with his education, no matter the price.

I truly think, you’ll always be a first Lady in my heart. You carried your cross so, brave under the public eye and I know your grief must have been unbareable. Yet! The worst is now to face life alone but, you do have part of him. The children they are the symbol of your love for one another and He lives on thru them. I pray God willing give you strength and courage to bare your responsibility as well as grief. No one knows what you’ve lost only you.

Forgive the paper as it’s hard for me to come by also. but, paper can’t tell the values of a persons mind

All I can say! is the world lost a Brave & Noble leader and the next few years will show how much we really lost. There will never to be another like him.

Sincerely Yours
The Charles Bingle
Family

CHICAGO 19, ILLINOIS

MONDAY MORNING

NOVEMBER 25, 1963

Dear Mrs. Kennedy:

I don’t know whether you will ever see this letter but I feel that I must write it. Only in this way am I able to assuage my grief.

I am one of the “little” people—one who could know the President only through means of the newspapers, radio and television—but his death assumes the same proportion to me as if a member of my own family had suddenly and violently died. First, the unbelief—the prayer that this is a mistake; then the prayer for a miracle—“Oh God, let him live! Let Jackie take him home!—Then, “Oh Father in Heaven, Thy Will be done: when the news finally comes that the President is dead.

I watched you running to the hospital when they carried him in and thought—“Oh Lord, she’s just like any other wife.” When you appeared at the airport in Washington, stunned and dazed, I prayed for God to give you strength to live for your children.

Since Friday all work has stopped in our household. We get up, go through the motions daily living, read all the newspapers and listen to all news on radio and television.

We meet friends and everywhere the question is the same. Why, Why, Why? The answer is simply this—Almight God makes no mistakes. John F. Kennedy, one of the truly great men of our time, had to lay down his life to open men’s eyes and to soften men’s hearts to the ideals that he cherished.

He was criticized and rebuffed many times for his ideas of freedom and dignity for all people all over the world; for his ideas that all men need a decent living; that old people need adequate medical care; that all children are entitled to a good education; that all men need equal opportunity for fulfillment of their lives. Because he was wealthy, and had had a sheltered life, he could have led a life of ease, unaware of the needs of lesser people. Instead he chose to carry the weight of the nation and the world on his shoulders.

We, the “little” people, caught some of his spirit—because he was
young and vibrant, we were revived in youth and vigor; because he was confident, we became confident; because he was reverent, we became more aware of the presence of God; and because he was dedicated to his principles of justice and mercy, we re-dedicated ourselves in our daily lives in our dealings with others. We were privileged to have lived at the same time that he did. You were more privileged to share his personal life—to share his hopes, his dreams, his triumphs, his sorrows and his disappointments.

God expects goodness from all of us—He demands greatness from a few. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was one of these few. Because he lived with dedication to the service of mankind, we who are left to mourn his passing and to reflect on the meaning his life had for all of us, will rise from our sorrow to carry on in our own “little” way and to try to be a little bit better because of him.

May God bless you and your children.

Respectfully yours,
Ruby K. Nichols

SUNDAY NIGHT
WAUSEON, OHIO
1 _13 /64

Dear Mrs. Kennedy,

My Name is Minerva Chapa. Iam a Mexican girl. I am fourteen years of age. Weare from McAllen, Texas. We are eight in the family four are in school we are all behind in school. Because we have missed a lot of school as you might know my mother &father are labors. THISyear we stayed here in Ohio.

I am writing you to tell you how sorry Iam for what has happen.Ever since he became President of The United States in 1960 Iwas wishingI could meet him and tell him how mush I liked him and was behind him all the way in every thing he did.We are Catholics to but that is not the reason why we liked him so much. It was because of all the things he
tried to do, for example THE CIVIL RIGHTS, TEX CUT, & THE STRONG SPEECHES HE SAID AND THE STRONG STANDS HE TOOK, and how he tried his best to do his job and he did the most wonderful job Ithink many mightnot agree with me but this is the way I feel. The world lost a wonderful and great leader.

Isaw every thing on television and Icould not believe it I still do not believe he is dead. I still keep saying President Kennedy instead of President Jonson. Iwant you to know how much I admire you took it i know how you must of felt you knew he was dead. I just do not know how any one could do such a thing such a terrible thing to such a wonderful person like he was. I like you to know I will never never forget him never. Some peaple did not like him because he was rich we our seves are poor but we liked him and admired him for his courage.Please answer my letter. Ifeel so owfle and sad when I think about it. Say HELLO to Carolinne, John JR. and the rest of the family from me to them.

(P.S. We have his famous speeches, we also have three MEXICAN records that describe him so wonderful.

PLEASE ANSWER? WITH LOVE
ALWAYS,
MINERVA CHAPA

SHILOH, TENN.

NOV. 25TH

Dear Mrs. Kennedy & children,

Excuse me for writting a letter but I don’t have a sympathy card and I live 18 miles from town and being 71years old and we have no car and I don’t get to Clarksville very often. But I want to tell you that I loved President Kennedy dearly and his death has hurt me so deeply that I can’t eat or sleep. When he would appear on my T.V. screen his presence and that wonderful smile would brighten up my home so much. How I will miss him no one but me will ever know. I tried not to ever miss him
when he was to be on T.V. I have a heart condition and I didn’t know if I would make it through his funeral but I ask God for strength and he gave it to me. When he was shot I ask God to not let him die that we needed him so much but he took him any way So he needed him too. With all his wealth he was concerned with us poor people. And why would any one dislike him I will never know. I was borned and raised in Tennessee and there were lots of negroes around at that time but they never bothered the white people and we never bothered them and I was raised to that and I did feel hurt over the Civil Rights not that it would affect me but I have 7 children also grand children and great grand children that it would affect by having to go to school with them. My children are all married. I saw his grave today on T.V. I’m saving all his pictures to put in a scrap book. I get them out of the news papers. My religious belief is “Seventh Day Adventist” And many people didn’t like him because of his faith but that never kept me from loving him and I was hoping to live so I could vote for him again next year but if I’m here I’ll vote for President Johnson even if he does come from Texas. I can never like that State again. Cheer up Mrs. Kennedy for you have 2 lovely children to give you love and pleasure. And little John looks just like his Daddy. I’m so glad that you was with him as it had to happen. May God give you strength to carry on is my prayer.

Love you
Mrs. Helen Oldham