STORYWORTH by Barry Rahn
Who are the funniest people in your family?
Hands down the funniest person in my family was my father John Rahn. He could tell a joke better than most people I knew and made dinner time at our family meal for my Mother, brother Bob and sister Bonnie a joyous event. Dinner was always at 6PM sharp and many nights the five of us laughed until we had tears in our eyes.
His talent never passed on to me but I remember asking him where he acquired it and he told me his brother Paul ( the Minister ) was the best in the family. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to see that side of my Uncle because we saw each other so infrequently.
-Barry Rahn, May 01, 2022
Have you ever won anything?
I believe the most important thing I ever won on my almost 82 years of living my life is the love of my family and friends. However, as a young man just out of college and working my first job for Xerox in Ventura County, Ca., one day a co- workers of mine, Steve Brown, convinced me to accompany him to Hollywood that evening to try out for a game show called “Hollywood Squares”.
To my surprise I made it thru the audition portion process and was selected to go on the show live that evening. The host of the show was a man named Peter Marshall. A well know celebrity in Hollywood in those times. My competition was another amateur.
One of the requirements was to bring 5 changes of clothing because they filmed 5 days of shows in one evening. Consequently, if you kept defeating your opponent you changed clothing for the next show.
I breezed along answering correct questions winning a fur coat for my wife, a BBQ, some lesser items, and almost $900. which was a 2 Barry Rahn small fortune in 1964/1965. But alas, I answered the final question incorrectly, packed my bag and said good bye to Hollywood.
-Barry Rahn, April 25, 2022
*Brooke I just Googled Hollywood Squares and Barry Rahn! Nothing came up! Would have been great if they had an archive of the shows.
Describe one of your most memorable birthdays
The BiG Five O. I meet Grandma Pat 7 months earlier and on the evening of 6/30/90 she threw me a surprise birthday party in the back yard of the Atherton home with so many friends and family members there. I’m guessing 125/150. My parents came out from Pa.
All four sons where there including Brooke's new bride Kelly and probably Beau's girlfriend of the month. Bret came up from So. Cal. and I can’t remember if Bart was living in Colorado at that time, but he was there too.
It was a 50 themed party with a live band playing Rock and Roll music and most people dressed up in cloths from that era. It was a catered BBQ. I found out later that Beau helped Pat with the guess list of my friends from the tennis and golf club I belonged too including neighbors, friends and co- workers. It was one hell of a birthday party that Pat and I still talk about today.
-Barry Rahn, May 01, 2022
What are your favorite Christmas Memories?
My favorite Christmas memories revolve around Christmas Eve which started right after dinner when with my brother, sister, parents and I would start the night by going to my Grandfather Alfred Rahn’s church for worship. The next stop was to Uncle Bob and Aunt Ginny Moyer’s house. Aunt Ginny was my mothers sister She and Uncle Bob ran a funeral home and many times there were bodies laying in coffins in the part of the home used for funerals.
Aunt Ginny and my mother came from a large family. 15 kids!!! So Aunt Ginny's house was always full of Aunt’s, Uncle’s and cousin’s from my mom’ side of the family. Those Christmas Eve parties were some of the best parties I ever experienced.
As a side note to all family members reading this. You should recall that my Dad’ brother Paul Rahn traced the history of the Rahn family back to the 1600’s when Jacob Rahn left Germany and settled in Pennsylvania. Every Rahn was given copy of his research.
None of us know any thing about my mothers family history. She was born to Russell Trumbore and Stella (Allebach) Trumbore in 1917.
She had 3 older brothers, one younger sister, Ginny and then her mother died giving birth to the 6th child. my Grandfather gave all 5 children away to family. my mother went to Clarence and Florence Raudenbush. Florence to the sister of Stella and my mother became a Raudenbush at the age of two.
My Grandfather Trumbore remarried and had 10 more children. I knew and liked all of my Grandfathers children but never really got to know my blood Grandfather. To me, The Raudenbushs were my grandparents just like they were my mom’s parents.
-Barry Rahn, January 01, 2023
Do you have any particularly vivid memories of your grandparents?
I was extremely fortunate to be raised in a small town in Pa. Surrounded by both sets of. My grand parents and many relatives on my mothers side. Pop Pop Rahn was a minister at the church we attended. After graduation from F&M college his church was the one in Souderton where he preached and died giving the last sermon 39 years later while in the pulpit. He and Nanny had 4 kids.
My dad being the 2nd son. Dad had one older brother and one younger brother and sister. She, my Aunt Arlene was my 3rd grade teacher. Her husband was a teacher at my high school.
My other set of grandparents ( the Raudenbush's ) is more complicated .Her father, Russ Trumbore married Stella Allabach. Clarence Raudenbush married her sister Florence Allabach.
My mother was born in 1917. Russ and Stella had 3 sons older than my mother and one younger sister. Stella died giving both to their 6th child. The 5 living children were give away to family members. Her Aunt and Uncle Raudenbush took hay mother at the age of 2 and raised her as their own child.
They became Mom and Dad to her and Nanny and PopPop to me, my brother and sister. Russ Trumbore ( my real grandfather ) went on to have a second family of 10 kids. We, my brother and sister, were close to the 10 kids but not to our real Grandfather.
-Barry Rahn, March 16, 2023