Blondie - My #2 Daughter

I call my daughter Elsie "Blondie". She was almost 49 when she did a cartwheel to surprise me. That was a dangerous stunt, but somehow Elsie can perform gymnastics as if she were a teen-ager.

Elsie calls me every Sunday from Florida.

Matching Outfits

Kitty liked to dress the girls and boys in matching clothes. The girls looked forward to the Sears Catalog where the first few pages displayed Mother and Daughter dresses.

On the Diving Board

Here is a picture of Kitty and the 5 youngest children on vacation.

Kitty loved to pose the children in order of age.

Kit tells me she and her sisters were very pleased with their swimsuits as Kitty told them they were wearing the same type as the Miss America contestants.

A Favorite Spot

This is one of my favorite spots - sitting on the deck of my daughter Nora and her husband David's house. Their backyard overlooks the Virginia mountains.

We have spent many happy holidays here.

Poem Written for My Brother Joe's Funeral

The principal at Joe's school wrote a poem for his funeral. She gave the poem to my mother with a picture of Joe.

Drawing of me by a WWII German POW

This is another favorite picture my children have of me. It is a drawing done by a German prisoner for 2 packs of cigarettes and Hershey bars. He drew it in no time at all. I was 26 years old at the time.

I didn't have much money. I sent money home to Kitty and Jack every month. I might have made $30 a month.

My daugher Kit had good copies made of the sketch for her siblings. The picture is prominently displayed in all my children's homes. My lucky son Charlie has the original.

Kate's Memory of Granddad for his 86th Birthday

What I love most about Granddad is when he tells us stories about his childhood. He has such an amazing memory and tells the stories with such great detail, you would think it happened yesterday. There are so many memories I have of both Grandma and Granddad, but my favorite memory is when Granddad would spin me around and dance with me. He will always and forever be my favorite dance partner.

Our 50th Wedding Anniversary

In 1991, Kitty and I celebrated our Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary.

Here we are with our six children. From left to right: Joe, Elsie, Nora, myself, Kitty, Kit, Jack, and Charlie.

A Letter From my Florida Granddaughter Lila for my 86th birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDDAD!

There are so many things that I love about you. I have such wonderful memories of you when I was a small child. I remember you coming to Florida and visiting. You spent a lot of energy playing and listening to/with me in the pool. I remember when you held me how much you cared. When I was growing up, you were always so positive and encouraging of me and my pursuits. That means so much in those years. I love all the stories you tell. You have an amazing perspective. I gain so much from your presence. You have the qualities of a great listener. You speak honestly. You care deeply about others, and always seem to try to do anything you can to make things better for others.

You are amazing.

I love you.

Lila

Open Heart Surgery in 2002

In 2002, I was under a siege. In August of that year, I had open heart surgery. I was 85 years old. After the operation, my children were escorted into the critical care unit to see me. They told me they had passed by a man who looked like me, but they kept walking. They decided that the man who was wrapped up tight as if he was a mummy, with no color in his face, and who appeared to be frozen could not be their Dad. At that point, the nurse told them they had gone too far, that the man they had just passed was their father....

My children found out from the nurse who was attending me, that I was indeed very cold - and that I was now being thawed out. Apparently, it is important to have a low body temperature during open heart surgery.


This is a picture of me one month later - with my brother Jesse and Kit at the surprise 60th birthday party for my son Jack and my daughter-in-law Ellen. I enjoyed surprising Jack. He was very delighted at the party and my presence.




Here I am with my film producer grandson Kevin.

My Parents and Brothers at North Beach

This is a picture of my brothers and parents at North Beach in the early 50s. My brothers from left to right are Francis, Billy, Jesse, and myself.

Champy's gym

My father built a boxing gym in our backyard. We called my father Champy because he loved boxing. He was a boxer as a young man and a boxing promoter later in life.

I am on the left side of the picture sitting down. My brother Joe is in the middle. He is wearing knickers and argyle socks. It was the last picture taken of him.

The Family

Here are pictures of my family through the years...

Why I Don't Like Hardshell Crabs

Because I worked as a boy at North Beach for $1 a day picking crabs. I got so tired of picking crabs. That is all I did.

I worked four or five summers. Sometimes they would pay you 50 cents a day. I have no taste for crabs.

My Wonderful Brother Joe

Joe and I were on a Swim Relay Team for the Holy Comforter School, Boy Scouts Team #93. I swam in the last lap when Joe yelled "Johnny keep up the speed as you have it made for a win." Joe was a very good swimmer. He cleared the way for us to win the race.

Joe and I were on a Boy Scout Hike to Randle Highlands where Joe was pushed over a high cliff by a fellow Scout who had lost a fight with Joe (as Joe was a very good boxer). Joe was standing near the edge of the cliff when he was pushed over and landed on his knee. He was sent to the hospital, but he died a few days later from the high fall, because his blood was poisoned. There wasn't antibiotics in those days. Had this happened after WWII, he would have lived.

My Mom and Dad had lost their first child and it was hard to take. Many evenings Mom would walk to Mt. Olivet Cemetery to visit her son's grave.