The lifespan of a refrigerator

My parents owned a Crosley refrigerator when I was a child. It was one of those that had kind of rounded corners, and the handle pulled away from the front of the door when you opened it. The door also locked into place, a feature that was later eliminated in refrigerators because of the danger of children being locked inside.

This refrigerator I remember had to be defrosted because ice easily formed. My mother would take an ice pick to chisel away ice, and she would fill pots of boiling water to put inside the freezer to defrost it.

It was a good refrigerator, but after having it probably around 20 years they bought a newer, more modern one, a Frigidaire, that was a turquoise color. The old Crosley was still good, so they moved it to the utility room and then used it as a freezer.