Wordless Wednesday - Hellooooooooooo Nurse!

OK..she's not a nurse, but what a looker!  My gorgeous maternal grandma, Mary Brown nee Quirk.  Hubba! Hubba!

Tombstone Tuesday - Where It All Started

This probably should have been one of my first "Tombstone Tuesday" posts.  Adam and Jadwiga Tabor are the ancestors that first got me into genealogy.  When I was using my trial membership on Ancestry.com 10+ years ago their names were the first I entered.  I figured with a name like Jadwiga it would be an easy find.  It was and I remember sitting there in our apartment in Honolulu staring at the computer screen and I couldn't believe I had actually found something.  I ran into the other room to rave about it to my husband and I...was...HOOKED!

Adam and Jadwiga Tabor with Clarence and Aldona Tabor

I've since realized that just because someone has a name that I think is unusual, like Jadwiga, doesn't mean it actually is unusual.  Genealogy is a constant learning curve, but I like that.  It keeps you on your toes.  You can learn so much just by going back to the same information and reviewing it days, weeks, months or years later.  A clear head and fresh set of eyes.

Anyway, Adam and Jadwiga are my paternal great-grandparents.  I never met them and really never heard much about them at all until I started researching.  They are buried in the Lithuanian National Cemetery in Chinchila, Pennsylvania.  It took me years to find the cemetery.  My father didn't know where they were buried and I couldn't find the cemetery when I searched.  I had information from their death certificates, but I couldn't seem to find it.  I was searching long distance so it was mainly through emails and internet searching that I finally came across the address for the cemetery.  It's on a winding back road and if you blink, you miss it.  It's a rather small cemetery.  I made sure to not the grid coordinates when I found it though!

A little memorial today to the two who started it all!  Rest in peace Adam and Jadwiga!

Sports Center Saturday - It's in the Wedding Vows

My two little Packer fans before Super Bowl XLV

"...To love, honor, obey, and raise little Packer fans as long as you both shall live."  I do.

Our 2007 Family Christmas picture

It sounds so silly, but being a Green Bay Packer fan is no part-time job.  Fans live up to the term "fanatical", but in the positive meaning of the word!  Wisconsin Packer fans are even more passionate about their team (which includes those from Wisconsin that end up elsewhere in this great world!).  My husband is from Green Bay.  Born and raised.  So you know what that means...it was an unspoken part of the wedding vows...

I never watched football growing up, so I became a Packer fan by marriage in 1999 and never looked back.  It's easy to get caught up in the love of such a team.  When I took my Packer vows they were not far off from 2 Super Bowls, a win and a loss.  Losing seasons and the Brett Favre drama lay ahead, but we enjoyed the ride!

Outside Lambeau with our 1st born.  It....was...COLD!

Packer fans don't abandon their team when they are losing.  They support them during the best and the worst of times.  They are extremely loyal...and why wouldn't they be?  The Packers aren't owned by any one person.  They are owned by, well...their fans.  They are a non-profit organization and unique in the NFL.  How could the fans not be proud of that?

Both of our sons had their hospital pictures taken in Packer gear and if we have another child that one will be too.  Our oldest son was born and we flew from Hawaii to Green Bay to have him baptized in my husband's church.  After the baptism we drove to Lambeau Field and put his name on the waiting list for season tickets.  My second son was born, we drove from Tennessee to Pennsylvania to have him baptized in my church and then drove a few days later to Green Bay, stopped by Lambeau and put him on the list for season tickets.

Family photo by the Lombardi statue

Why you may ask?  It can take 40 or more years to get season tickets.  You used to be able to bequeath your place on the waiting list to someone in your will, but no more, so you've got to get on the list ASAP!  You're still permitted to pass your season tickets on in your will, but you need to get them first!  Hopefully, someday our kids numbers for tickets will come up and they'll have their own.  For now, we're blessed to have family members with tickets and usually get to make the pilgrimage to Lambeau once a year for a home game.  We'll brave the frozen tundra any time to watch our team play!

Needless to say Super Bowl XLV was a big deal in our house and we celebrated!  Super Bowl Champions one more time and the Lombardi trophy is back in Green Bay where it belongs.  Yeah, I guess you'd say I'm a full-on convert.  You kind of have to be when you marry into a Packer family!

Thanks to Wendy Muha-Cayemberg for the inspiration for this post!

Son, nephews and S.I.L. tailgating and staying warm

Packers vs. NY Giants game - 26DEC2010

Great action shot! Go Pack! Packers vs. Giants 26DEC2010

The Packers' rivals "Da Bears" who, I'm told, suck

Wednesday's Child - Thomas Beck

Last Thursday I blogged about Edwin Beck and the loss of the majority of his children.  I was going to post this funeral card on Friday and stick with the theme, but figured that I'd save it for Wednesday's Child instead since I've got the obituary to go with it.  I haven't figured out the relationship between Thomas and Edwin, but I must say that the Beck's hadn't had the best of luck.  It's so sad when any child is taken from us, but when a family has gone through so much loss!  My best guess so far, and I haven't done anything yet to confirm this, is the Thomas may be the nephew or grand-nephew to Edwin.  Edwin's father's name was John, so it's possible that John had a son, John, that would be Thomas' father or grandfather.  I'll have to check into that one.

"Thomas Beck

Funeral services for Thomas Joseph Beck, 11, of Route 2, Campbellsport, will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Miller's Funeral Home, 215 Forest Ave., Kewaskum, and at 10 a.m. at St. Kilian Catholic Church, St. Kilian.

He died Wednesday after being struck by a milk truck while riding his bicycle near St. Kilian.

The Rev. Adrian Trost will officiate and burial will follow in the church cemetery.  Friends may call after 4 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

He was born May 20, 1964, at West Bend, the son of John and Patricia Wiesner Beck.  He was a sixth grade student at Wayne School.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by two brothers, Steven and Robert both at home; a sister, Sharon at home; maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Wiesner of Kewaskum; and paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. John C. Beck of Milwaukee.

(hand-dated, Aug 6-75)"

Tuesday's Tip - Take a Picture Already!

John Jeffrey Ryan Jr 1971-2000

I love taking pictures. Capturing those special moments on film.  With a digital camera, I may have actually gotten worse and may need therapy.  I'm sure there are times when my family gets tired of me whipping the camera out, but as genealogists and family historians we all wish we had more pictures of our ancestors' "special moments".  That drives me to take pictures, so that my children and grandchildren (and so on) will see the times we went through, who was special in our lives, where we lived, etc.

There's another reason I take so many pictures.  Loss.  When you lose someone you've run out of opportunities.  Opportunities to talk with them, to tell them you love them and to take a picture of them.  I lost 2 dear family members this year as well as a dear friend.  I was good at taking pictures of my father-in-law with the kids although now he's gone I wish I had taken even more.  I had gotten a couple pictures of my cousin, Nancy, before she was killed by her husband...I'm still waiting for the "why" to that one.  I had taken plenty of pictures of my old friend, 1SG/CSM, Chris Raines.  I have these pictures of these cherished people because of another loss when I did not take a picture.

Patrick & John Jeffrey Ryan Jr.

My cousin, Jeff Ryan, died on New Year's Eve 2000.  I saw him on Thanksgiving before he died.  I had my camera with me and took no pictures.  I thought he'd think it was silly.  I was pregnant with my first child at the time and before leaving my Aunt and Uncle's house I hugged him and said that the next time I saw him, he'd be meeting the newest member of the family.  A month later he was gone.  I regret not having taken those pictures.  I always thought he'd be there.  He was only 29.  You never know how long you have with the people you love.

OK...now enough of that depressing crap...

I also realized as I was preparing to take part in the "Home" blog for 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History that I have no picture of the house I grew up in!  There are pictures of my sisters and me on the porch and playing in the backyard.  Pictures of the inside of the house, but none of the house in its entirety.  How did that happen?  Then I began to realize that I don't have a picture of the hospitals my children were born in (less important perhaps), or the church I was married in.  Don't forget that when you're taking pictures of all those great events to get the bigger details, not just the little ones!

The next time I return to Hazleton, Pennsylvania you can be sure I'll be taking a picture of the house I grew up in.  It's changed since I lived in it.  Before my father moved away from there he attempted to paint it.  I may have to get my photo editing software out and change it back because it looks terrible now!

So take plenty of pictures.  With digital cameras it's cheap and easy.  You never have to develop the bad pictures and you can take as many as you like....just remember to label them!...but that's another blog...

Nancy O'Donoghue nee Brown (center)

CSM (ret) Christopher Raines

Motivation Monday - Got some?

I had quite a bit of motivation last week.  Despite the fact that I had a sick kid home with me for much of it and despite that he gave me his cooties.  I'm feeling much better this morning.  Not coughing so much and the faucet that was my nose has turned off.  My team won the Super Bowl so there was much rejoicing last night, well, and this morning and for quite some time.  But motivation.  Got none.  Zip.

PTA executive board meeting last week.  We no longer have a secretary so I've got to type the minutes up and send them out.  I've got to fill out paperwork so we can have our next general board meeting at the school which is in a week and a half from now and I need to attempt to track down donations for lickies and chewies for the few people that might show up.

I have to order something called "segments" for Cub Scouts.  Little mini-patches for the boys to highlight their participation in events.  Unfortunately, I've spent the past several weeks trying to recreate the attendance for all of the events due to technical difficulties and difficulties in getting people to let me know which boys attended what.  It's gotten to the point where I can no longer wait and I need to get these ordered.  I feel bad for the boys that will undoubtedly look at their mostly empty segment sheet and wonder why they didn't get a segment for an event that they attended, but I need to let go and realize that I did all I can.  If their leaders didn't send updates or if their parents didn't check their attendance sheet that's not my problem.  That sounds so harsh.  I hate being like that when it's kids I'm dealing with.

I've also been having other stuff thrown at me in Scouting that is just not my lane.  I won't vent about it here, but I will say that it's incredibly frustrating and just not going to happen.  End of story.  Some people just can't get it through their heads that just because I work from home and just because I'm "starting" my business and working toward accreditation doesn't mean that I have time to deal with their extra crap.

The volunteer activities that I am a part of are because they benefit my children as well as other children.  If more parents would actually do just a little and participate in their child's life apart from feeding them and tucking them in at night these things would be so much easier!

So right now there's no motivation.  Or rather there's no motivation to tackle the stupid "extra" stuff I have to do.  I've got tons of motivation to dive into genealogy.  There's never a question about that, but the minutes need to be typed, the meeting needs to be coordinated and the Scouts need to be cared for.  So I guess I'll make a strong cup of tea, and get to work on the things that are annoying the heck out of me and hope that today will end the "extras" in my life at least for the time being and not mark the beginning of a week that is sure to have me lose my temper.

At least there's enough food left over from the Super Bowl party to feed my family for several days.  One less thing to worry about...

Sunday's Obituary - Francis J. Baier

"Francis J. Baier (hand-dated, 25 Jan-1974)

Francis J. Baier, 39, of Route 3, Campbellsport, an employe of Dohr's Market in Grafton, died at 9 p.m. Friday at St. Joseph's Hospital, Milwaukee.

Baier was formerly employed by the Gehl Co. of West Bend.  He served in the U.S. Army for two years and was a member of the Holy Name Society at Holy Trinity Church, Kewaskum.

Born Oct. 2, 1934, in the Town of Addison, he was the son of John and Louisa Denz Baier.  He married Valeria Martin on Nov. 8, 1958, at St. Anthony's Church, St. Anthony.

Survivors include his widow; five children, Diane, Linda, Norbert, Beth and Steven, all at home; a sister, Mrs. Aloysius Beder of Route 5, West Bend; and a brother, Lawrence, also of Route 5, West Bend.

Mr. Baier was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Paul.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Miller's Funeral Home, Kewaskum, and at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Trinity Church, Kewaskum.  The Rev. John T. Budde will officiate and burial will be in the new Holy Trinity Cemetery, Kewaskum.

Family and friends may call at the funeral home from 3 to 9 p.m. Monday."

NOTE: This obituary was transcribed as it was printed.  Any typographical errors in the original have not been corrected.