Epilogue of a Life Well Lived

1934 had been an eventful year for both the Hockley's and the Dawson's. Life had been anything but easy. But problems were eventually worked out, and bad feelings towards one another eased. Rose and Emelia had finally become friends. They could relate to each other like no one else could. All along they had been fighting the same battles and having the same dreams.

John and Emily were married on September 15th, 1934 with over 150 loved ones and friends wishing them happiness in their coming years. They moved to Cedar Rapids Iowa in 1935, where they had their first child. Melanie Rose Hockley was a sweet little baby that made her grandparents weak at the knees every time they saw her. Later would come the twin boys, Anthony and Andrew, who strangely enough resembled their grandfathers.

Unfortunately, Ruth was unable to see any of this. She died of old age and sickness immediately after Jack and Rose returned from Philadelphia. It pained Rose to see her mother go, but she knew that she was better off this way. She would never be sick again. She could now watch her children and her grandchildren and her great grandchildren from up above.

In 1940, Katherine Dawson met the love of her life. She and Michael Calvert met in Cedar Rapids while the Dawson's were visiting John and Emily at Thanksgiving. They married and had two beautiful children- Sarah in 1943 and Elizabeth in 1950. Jack never could figure out why Rose and Micheal's father got along so well.

Right after Sarah Calvert was born, little Matthew Dawson met a young French girl while he was traveling through Europe. They fell in love and had planned to marry right away, but the oncoming war with Germany prevented it. Matthew had gone back home, taking his love with him. Unfortunately, Matthew was drafted. Though he promised to return right away so he could marry his love, he never did. Matthew Alexander Dawson died in May 1944, after fighting for his country and what he believed in.

Many deaths occurred during the war. One of which was Caledon Hockley, who died in June of 1945. Though many of the rich girls who had once envied Rose and Emelia for "winning" him, mourned for the loss of the "dear Caledon Hockley", Rose and Emelia were a relieved of the burden. Though Emelia didn't have freedom for very long. She died nearly six months after her husband's death. Some say it was the cause of a broken heart, but Rose knew it was anything but.

By the end of the 50's life seemed to be back to normal. Emily and John's kids were growing rapidly with every passing of the second. Jack and Rose were now able to just sit back and enjoy life without hurrying from place to place or worrying about their kids. During this time of leisure, they took up new hobbies such as pottery, dance classes, and photography.

When the 60's rolled around, things started taking a turn for the worse. Jack became sick often and was forced to spend weeks at a time in the hospital. Just as he seemed to recover completely, his heart failed and he died in April of 1972, leaving his beloved Rose to watch and care for their family. Rose was heartbroken to lose the only other love of her life. Although he was gone, she knew that someday she would be with him again. Just the thought of that kept her going.

By the time the wild and crazy 70's passed through, Rose had five grandchildren and nearly 15 great grandchildren. In 1981, after a painful divorce, Rose's granddaughter Elizabeth moved in to take care of her aging grandmother. She proved to help in more ways than imaginable. Both were able to comfort one another in times of need and be there to keep the other company. Lizzy, as Rose sometimes called her, lived with Rose until 1996, when the 101-year-old died peacefully in her sleep.

Rose Dawson had led a full and happy life, filled with memories that no amount of money could buy. She had defied the rules and standards of her Philadelphia lifestyle to become a person of great accomplishments. She had fallen in love with the man of her dreams and had three wonderful children. She had lived to see them grow and fall in love and have their own children. She had watched her family grow over the years. And the night that she had died, before climbing in bed for the last time, Rose Dawson went through all of her many memorable pictures taken over the years. She ran her wrinkled fingers over one in particular. One of her and Jack riding on the Santa Monica beach so long ago. She smiled to herself and quietly said to no one in particular, "We made it count Jack, we made it count."

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