Julia (Julianne) Orinick Reger (1911-1991)

Mathew and Anna's third daughter was Julia.  Although I saw her often enough growing up, I can't say I really knew her.  In the 1930 census, when she was 19, I found her working as a maid for the Sussman family in Passaic, NJ.  Sometimes after that she met and married John (Jack) Reger.  After loosing twins, they couldn't have any other children, so they adopted a daughter.  Jack was a construction worker and they lived in a number of places over the years.  I found addresses for them in my mother's address book in Ebensburg, Cambria County, PA and Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, PA.  I also know we visited them in Cleveland, Ohio when I was a little girl.  By the late 50's they had purchased a small farm in South Canaan, Wayne County, PA and that is the house I remember.  The house was up a small hill from Rt 296, with a U shaped driveway.   Julia raised chickens and sold the eggs while Jack continued to travel on construction jobs.  They also had maple trees and I remember going out with her to retrieve the sap to make maple syrup.
 
Julia was very active in St Tikhons Russian Orthodox Church.  She worked in the kitchen with other local women whenever an event such as a wedding or funeral occasioned a dinner in the church hall.

Jack died in a construction accident in the beginning of November, 1963 He was crushed by a Caterpillar that tipped while he was driving it, so the casket was closed.  That was the first funeral I ever attended.  I remember the family gathering at their house after the funeral, but not much else.  Julia continued to live in that house until after her daughter married the following year.   After she sold the farm house she rented a house between the Orinick farm and Waymart for a while.  Once when she fell and broke some bones, she stayed with my Mom and Dad for a while in their Prompton house.  I'm not sure exactly when that was or for how long, but I believe it would have been in the late 1970's. 

At some point she bought a trailer home and her brother Ted & sisters who had title to the farm gave her a 99 year lease on a small piece of property on the edge of the farm to put the trailer on.  She lived there until she died on Feb 21, 1991.  Both she and Jack are buried in St Tikhon's cemetery.  Their graves are on the same side of the road as the church, not too far from the corner.