The year was 1934. The location was Utica, New York.

Dad was four years old.

And he was on the move.

Dad wasn’t running away from home, he just had things to do and places to go.

Dear Grandma had her hands full. With the lad who was called “Big Boy” at times and “Junior” other times, plus baby Jean (a year younger than Dad) and another sibling on the way (Aunt Janet), it probably took a few minutes for her to realize her oldest was missing.

Dad knew the way to his father’s workplace, Fraser’s Department Store, and headed out.

Destination: downtown Utica.

Thankfully, a guardian angel caught sight of the little fellow and helped him find my grandpa.

Grandpa was a gentle man and loving father. I can’t image there was any sort of “whippin'” in store for Dad, but surely they had a stern talk.

I just came across this letter the guardian angel sent to Grandpa. Now that I look at the date of the letter, It was Dad’s fourth birthday. Maybe that explains his need for the trip to his father’s place of work. A four year old, after all, may want to have a say in the selection of his birthday present.

Here’s that letter:

Dear Mr. Vayo:

Since talking with you I was thinking maybe I should go to the front for my small friend, and intercede for him so that he won’t be chided. I feel that I should do this for him, for he gave me a lot of happiness and pleasure the short time it took to walk from the Kemp Bldg to Frasier’s.

About two months ago, the only little grandson I had and about the size of your little boy came to Utica on a visit and died suddenly of thymus gland, and as he always used to visit me at my office, when your little boy said he was going to see his papa, I could almost visualize him as my own little lad.

He seemed to be dazed, and I asked him his name and home, the only thing I could really understand was Fraser’s, what with the street noise, so I told him he and I would walk down to Fraser’s and trustingly he placed his little hand in mine and we sauntered down, and I want to repeat again I had lots and lots of pleasure. Your little boy is one of the sweetest manliest little boys I ever saw, and I hope that I may have the pleasure of seeing him often.

Kindly remember me to him.

Sincerely, William J. Cahill

When Dad told me about this letter a few months before his passing, I didn’t get the impression he remembered that day. He was very touched by Mr. Cahill’s letter and grateful the older gentleman walked with him to safely find Grandpa.

Since you already have a tear in your eye, here’s another piece of paper from long ago.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Dad was not my grandparents’ firstborn child. On May 30, 1929, Robert G. Vayo was born. The poor little fellow died just a few days later.

After Grandpa passed away in 1993, one of Dad’s sisters sent him this, with a note that she found this fragile receipt folded carefully and kept safely in their father’s wallet for all those years:

A few years later, Dad’s family moved from Utica to Lowell, Massachusetts, and then New Haven, Connecticut, and back. No matter where they lived, little baby Robert was forever close to their hearts.

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