LORAN SMITH: Romance transforms hard life into good life

BROOKHAVEN — A mention in this space of Eiderdown, the heavy duty comforter which the British have used to ameliorate the dark cold of winter for centuries, brought about an introduction to Sylvia and Gene Fallon whose love story offers the kind of charm that would make any sentimentalist swoon.

He was a small town boy from Duryea, which is near Pittston which is the coal mining Pennsylvania community from which Georgia’s great All-American, Charley Trippi, sprang. While he was growing up with news reports of what was taking place in Europe during World War II, Gene was uncertain about what was going on, but lived in relative peace because the fighting was “over there.” At the same time, Sylvia was surviving in an austere environment at a Catholic boarding school not far from her home in Hendon, a suburb of London, but far enough away to be overwhelmed with constant homesickness. She was lonely, often hungry, and constantly in the dark.

When you are six years old in any society, you want your mother. You want the peace that comes with family togetherness, but war has a way of tearing families apart. When dusk approached, especially in winter, the lights went out and dark curtains over the windows were drawn. Sylvia sought comfort and refuge from her loneliness by cuddling up under her Eiderdown. For years, the mention of Eiderdown made her lonely for home which she gave up to help Gene raise a family of two boys and a girl, all of whom became graduates of the University of Georgia.

Gene had arrived in Hendon, a sailor boy in 1952, during one of the heaviest fogs in London’s foggy history. London was only seven years removed from the conclusion of World War II. There still were ruins from the bombing and rationing for certain products like sugar remained. By that time Sylvia was a vivacious teenager who had been reunited with her Italian parents who ran a grocery store in Hendon. She loved to dance which would bring about an introduction which would take her to America and a new life. While they never lived in the lap of luxury, life over here offered more than what she was used to. One problem remained. Separation from her parents brought back memories of those days during the war when she spent those lonely nights with her Eiderdown. A stiff upper lip, as the Brits say, enabled her to accentuate the positives, with family trumping all challenges. However, she will never forget those days during World War II.

Whenever dusk began to encroach, all the lights went out and the dark curtains were drawn. The viscous and relentless Luftwaffe needed no advantage. In the darkest days of winter, with the United Kingdom’s position in the universe, daylight comes mid-morning and night time begins late afternoon. Winter nights are long and can be depressing, especially for a 6-year-old girl who did not understand what the world was up to. When the war was over, she was reunited with her parents and life without fear was renewed.

When she reflects back on her life, she says cheerfully and without resignation, “It (the tough times) made us stronger.” Interestingly, the austerity of those years when she seldom enjoyed a full meal — when leftovers were a staple of her existence — she thought the Catholic nuns who ran the boarding school were being mean to treat the children the way they were treated. It was years later when she realized that they were making do — the best that they could.

She loved dancing, and that is how romance changed her landscape and way of life. Gene spotted her dancing at a gathering in Hendon. He found his way into an introduction. She became smitten by “his blue eyes” and his dance step. They became inseparable. Her parents were charmed by the loquacious American and were compatible with his taking her across the Atlantic to a new life. The Fallons were about enterprise. Doug became an accomplished photographer with one of his credits being a pictorial essay on the University of Georgia; Steve has risen high in the world of finance and Lisa, a corporate travel executive, has seen more of the world than a secretary of state.

They appreciate their mother’s heritage, grateful that a hard life turned into the good life, but there is a tugging of Sylvia’s heart when she sees the Royal family cavorting on television. She often sheds a tear when she sees the Union Jack wave. If God saves the queen, surely, He could include the one on Epping Forest Drive in Brookhaven, Georgia.

Loran Smith is co-host of “The Tailgate Show” and sideline announcer for University of Georgia football. He also is a freelance writer and columnist.