More Photos from Mom’s 50th Birthday Party
Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007
Here are some additional shots from my Mom’s surprise birthday party held on February 5, 2000 – previously discussed here. These were from her collection of photos and gave an additional glimpse of the goings-on at the Knights of Pythias lodge on this particular evening. In the photo at right of me greeting Mom at the door and below of Denise greeting her, you will notice the box of Turtles that she brought along for Charles, after being told that this was a party in his honor. Read the rest of this entry »
At left, you see Cathy and her younger sister Lori in a great photo taken in 1972 (excellent duds, by the way). Now, 35 years have passed and Cathy today celebrates her 40th birthday. Last weekend, I attended her surprise birthday party on Saturday, January 13, and a family gathering at Marions Piazza on Sunday in honor of the special event. I would like to personally express my disdain to Cathy, for being the first one to drag our generation into a new age: that of the quadragenarian. 
Grandma Murphy passed away one year ago today. Our entire family had a difficult time letting go of her, but in the end we all decided that it wouldn’t be her desire to remain on life support – with no chance of waking up. The story below is one that I wrote after the time that she died – but before her viewing and funeral. I first presented it to my Mom at Grandma’s viewing and she later passed it on to her siblings and to Grandpa. It made me feel better to write it, helping me cope with the loss. I will probably never know during my time on Earth if it was wishful thinking, creative writing, or divine intervention that inspired me to write it. Much of what is included in the story is based on factual events – such as Diana and I holding her hand as she passed away, Bev being out of town during her passing while Karen was giving birth to Abby, and the cause of her hospital stay, for instance – only these events are seen from Grandma’s persepctive instead of ours. 
In 1936 both of my Grandparents on my Dad’s side were working for Standard Register in Dayton, Ohio. This is where they met one another and began dating. My Grandfather Francis was living alone in an apartment on Detzen Rd. and my Grandmother Mary Ellen Cline was living with her older sister Marie. They dated for nearly a year before my Grandfather proposed, and after that there was only a short waiting period before they were married.