#1: Pearl Gladys Best Piper is seen here as a young woman and at age 94. Clippings from the local newspaper that interviewed her, appear in the four corners of this image. Between the newspaper clippings are pieces of the will she wrote and typed herself. The recipients of the simple objects she cherished are listed on the right in black type.

#2: Elizabeth Rose, Pearl’s maternal Great Grandmother married William Kirk in 1829. There is no picture of Elizabeth. Her only remaining possessions that are pictured in this square came from her bible that held a “Holy Bible” bookmark, a rose pressed between the pages and her church membership card with the verse “when thou passes through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. — Isa xliii, 2.”

#3 Sarah A. Kirk, was Pearl’s maternal grandmother. She married George Washington Best and settled in West Point Lee County Iowa before George took his chances in the Gold Rush of 1849. When he left, Sarah was pregnant. George instructed her to name the child “Zach” but was never able to see his son, having died in California shortly after arriving. Sarah named the baby George Washington Best II. In the center of this quilt square is an image of Sarah superimposed with a segment of one of the three letters he sent home.

#4 George Washington Best II.  Pearl adored her “Papa” who worked long stretches of time working on a Mississippi steamboat. This no doubt motivated his moving the family to St. Joseph Missouri where he worked for the railroad and became a high- ranking member of the Reformed Church of the Latter Day Saints. The newspaper clipping in this image refers to his memorial service after being hit by a train in 1921.

#5  Lucy Caroline Kirk was Pearl’s mother.  She met George Washington Best in Montrose Iowa where they married and birthed Pearl before moving to St. Joseph Missouri. After 1921, with her husband and son deceased and Pearl married living in Kansas, it appears Carrie was quite lonely by the words of the letter around this square. Later, when Lucy’s eyesight deteriorated she moved in with Pearl’s family.

#6 George Madison Best, Pearl’s brother was a favorite only son of his parents. Oral history has it that Pearl worked to contribute to the family income (serving as secretary to the manager of the Standard Oil Company in St. Joseph Missouri) while her brother was quite indulged.  When he died at a young age, (the cause unknown) his parents were over wrought.  A condolence letter to Pearl’s father is typed around the edges of this square and signed by Joseph Smith, head of the RLDS church.

#7 Cora Pearl Best and Dr. Dorus Piper pose for their wedding picture.  Pieces of the newspaper clipping describe details of the wedding that took place around 1905.

#8 Pearl and Dorus Piper struggled through the lean years of the great depression with the help of the WPA. In 1940’s, Dr. Piper joined the staff at Osawatomie State Hospital. Pearl’s letter in the middle of this square alludes to tensions that had built in their marriage at the time of my birth in 1947. The image shows a photograph of Dr. and Mrs. Piper in this period of their lives along with newspaper clippings Pearl saved with some of the advertisements on the reverse side. Together they depict the morality and/or immorality of the time.

 #9 Dorus Piper Jr. was Pearl’s oldest son. During the depression, he moved to Bakersfield California to earn a living and soon after married his high school sweetheart.  Around the edge of this square are words from a letter he sent to his mother that describe his difficulty making ends meet. The images in the center are taken from a postcard Pearl sent to him on the road to visit him in 1937.

 #10 Donald Kirk Piper was Pearl’s second son. In 1935, after working his way through college, Don tried to save money for med school working at a gas station in Bakersfield California. Later he returned to Kansas University Medical School, graduating before being called up for the Navy during World War II. In 1944, he married my mother Betty but was called up again in 1952 to serve during the Korean War, interrupting both his residency and family life in Kansas City. Betty and the kids moved with him to San Clemente California where he was briefly stationed before being shipped to Japan.

 #11 Vincent Kirk Piper, Pearl’s second son, died shortly after his birth in 1917.

 #12 Robert Piper was Pearl’s forth and youngest son. He served in the Army during World War II and married a woman he had met before he being called to the South Pacific. Divorced after the war, Robert continued flying commercially and died in an plane crash in 1947 leaving behind an infant son. His letter, written shortly before the crash, expresses his abiding love for both his parents who were devastated by his death.

 #13 Pearls three grandchildren by her oldest Son Dorus.

 #14 Pearl’s four grandchildren by her son Donald.

 #15 Paul Steven Piper.  Pearl did her best to stay in touch with Robert’s son after his mother moved East and remarried. Paul came to visit his grandparents around 1962 after Dr. Piper had retired to a farm near Olathe Kansas.

 #16 Betty Kirk Piper My divorce in 1973 occurred shortly before Pearl’s death. I regret that she was unable to get to know my 2nd husband Mark and her granddaughter Jenny whom I’m certain she would have adored.