God Bless Kate

Dear Hearts,

April 30th is the 222nd anniversary of the birth of Kate Nowierska, who was married to Major Anthony Gorczynski, a Polish cavalry officer in Napoleon's Army. One of their children was Romualda Gorczynska, who married Edward Zygmunt Wilkoszewski and had 20 children, only 9 of whom lived very long. One of them was Alfred Wiley, known as Snaz, who was Boompa's father.

So, Kate is my great-great-great-grandmother, and great-great-great-great-great grandmother to the youngest generation of our family today. She died in Poland on July 29, 1891 at the age of 92! Thank you for the genes, Grandma Katerina Nowierska--especially the gene of long life. Please watch over us all.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love,
Seamus the Older

Happy Birthday, Joey!

Dear Hearts,

April 29th is the birthday of Joseph Andrew Herrington: son of Phillip and Ella; brother of Darlene, John, Ruth, James, Anna, Agnes and Rose; nephew, cousin and friend to scores more.

He is the oldest boy and in the past year appears to have become the tallest in the family. Joey joined his sister Dee Dee at St. Mary's last fall and has succeeded through a hybrid of online and in-person learning. At home, it's common to see Joey with a little one in his arms, protecting and entertaining his siblings.

Happy Birthday, Joey, and may you have 110 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

Dear Hearts,

Maggie, right, with her
sisters Kathleen and Annie.

April 28th is the birthday of Margaret Elizabeth Sullivan: daughter of Jim and Erin; sister of John, Annie, Kathleen, Thomas, Peter, Joseph, Brigid, Seamus and Patrick; auntie, niece, cousin and friend to many, many more.

Maggie is one of the four girls in her family, with six brothers as well. She has a beautifully bright smile that is surely backed up with strength, intelligence and a terrific work ethic. Indeed, Maggie has performed annually in a beautiful ballet production of the Nutcracker, dedicating many hours of training and study to her craft.

Hers is one of the more abundant names in our extended family with eight Margarets altogether: Aunt Margaret, Margaret Sullivan Glick, Margaret Sullivan Lewis, Margaret Merwin Hanjani, Margaret Frances Sullivan, Margaret Elizabeth Sullivan, Margaret Poppy Flores and Bitsy's daughter, Maggie!

Happy Birthday, Maggie, and may you have 109 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Averee!

 Dear Hearts,

April 26th is the birthday of Averee Sullivan: daughter of Matty and Aubree; granddaughter of Matt and Wendy; sister, niece, cousin and friend to many more. Averee is a kind and funny young woman, as well as a terrific big sister.

She is Big Sully and Mary Claire's first great-grandchild, the first grandchild of my generation--Matt's first grandchild.

Soon Averee will wrap up her junior year of high school, which means next year she's a senior! She continues to share her beautiful voice with others, singing like an angel. And Averee enjoys spending time with her friends and family.

Happy birthday, Averee, and may you have 108 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Peter!

Dear Hearts,

April 26th is the birthday of Peter Dominic Sullivan: son of Bob and Darlene; brother of John, Jim, Bobby, Paul, Mike, Tim, Mary, Margaret and Ella; husband of Melody; father of Annemarie, John, Matthew, Ben, Mikey and Bo; uncle, nephew, cousin and friend to scores more folks. 

Peter works with healthcare organizations building better software solutions that translate to more efficient and compassionate patient care. He is an incredibly hard-working man and full of love and joy. Family, however, is Peter's passion--his immediate clan in Keller, Texas, as well as the extended Sullivan family throughout the nation. It melts my heart to know that Peter calls his mom every day.

Outside work, you might find him dressed and roaring like a T-Rex to entertain/terrorize little children. He will swim in near-freezing water just because his brothers dared him. He cooks, coaches, fishes, golfs and remains an all-around good guy.

Happy Birthday, Peter, and may you have 85 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Wanda

Dear Hearts,

April 25th is the 148th anniversary of the birth of Wanda Frances Zinn, daughter of Josef Zinn and Antonina Grabska, born in Gdansk, Poland on 25 April, 1873. She died in Chicago of the Spanish Flu, during the epidemic of 1918. She is my great-grandmother.

She is Boompa's mother, and he spoke softly of her, with wistful and luminous memory as being beautiful and exceptionally gentle, known for her gentleness, and her gentility. This was a great contrast with her wild husband, Alfred (Snaz) Wilkoszewski, later Wiley. She was Wanda Wilkoszewska after they married.

Wanda raised her six sons and one daughter with that high standard of civility and decorum, dignity and gentleness typical in Polish families, despite the unknowing jokes.

Kate Maloney, wife of Big John Sheehan and mother of Boom Boom, pointed out the Wiley family to Boom and said, "Don't marry any of the damn Irish. Look at those Wilkoszewski brothers, walking to Mass with their mother, with their combed hair and shined shoes. Marry one of those Polish boys." And, of course, Boom did, and she and Boomp were married and are still.

Boomp once told me that he came downstairs on the morning of September 20, 1918, got his lunch pail from his mother, kissed her goodbye, went to school, and when he came home, she was gone and he never saw her face again. She had died of the fierce, killing flu during the day and the health department had to take her body away. She is buried in Resurrection Cemetery here in Chicago.

Boomp was 14 when she died. He never closed that book, and I know he had trouble expressing sorrow forever after- sadness used to hurt him so much he would duck it and make diversions. Just moments before he died, on July 12, 1994, at age 90, he sat up, opened his arms and said, "Mama. Mama." Then he lay back

down and died peacefully. Maybe she brought him in and she was there to bring him out. He was the last of the seven siblings to go, and she must have been waiting for him, knowing that the little boy's heart had been wrenched and broken.

Please watch over us, Wanda Zinn Wilkoszewska, Great Grandmother, and lend us your gentleness.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love,
Seamus the Older

Easter Rising

Dear Hearts,

April 24th is the anniversary of the Easter Rising in Dublin, when the Irish Republican Army and its political branch, Sinn Fein, rose up in the Dublin Post Office against the British Army. In a few weeks, the Rising was put down and the ringleaders brutally executed, one of them pulled off his death-bed, strapped to a chair and shot to death in front of the public.

The Rising may have been stopped, but it laid the seeds for the Irish War of Independence from 1919-1921, which was won by the IRA. The result was the 26 southern counties become Eire, the Republic, and the 6 northern counties became Northern Ireland, a colony of Great Britain, as it is today, but maybe not for long.

The root of the Rising was the genocide of the Great Famine, An Gorta Mor, from 1845-1852, in which 1.4 million Irish were starved to death by the English masters. Our ancestors were living on nettles and droppings of birds. There was enormous bounty of exports from Ireland in mutton, beef, wheat, corn, all of it to the British army and navy. The Irish were only allowed to keep the potato, which was blighted. 2 million emigrated during the Famine.

The malnutrition still is reflected in our family’s chronic lung insufficiencies: Lefty’s first four sons died inside a month, Dad, Big Sully had emphysema, I have COPD and was born with bronchitis, as was Mick, but now our little ones seem to have grown safe from the echoes of the Famine.

The English have a lot of ‘splainin’ to do.

Our great-great-grandmother, Honore Corbett, Grandpa Sheehan’s mother, had a brother, John Corbett, who was Company Commander of A Company, Fourth Battalion, West Clare Brigade, Western Division, Irish Republican Army. He fought with great distinction and is still remembered in Clare as a hero of the Republic of Ireland. He never made it to America, but his nephew did, bringing us along too.

Our great-grandfather, Jeremiah B. O’Sullivan, from Coolygorman in Limerick, killed the English rent collector, after a brutal eviction of a poor widow and the rape of her young daughter by him. Jeremiah (Diarmuid) was born in 1850, in the teeth of the Famine. His grandfather, also Jeremiah, had been killed in 1824 in the nearby village of Drumcolliher, by an English patrol. Jeremiah grew up with this thorn in his heart, and when he heard about the brutality of the eviction, he lay in wait in An Paircin na Phuca, The Little Field of the Ghost, and ambushed and killed the English bully, then had to flee for his life.

That’s how we got here.

When the people in Collygorman learned I was Jeremiah’s great-grandson, they shook my hand, applauded and cheered and said, “Good on him, lad—he was a great man.”

God bless America, and God bless us and save us and keep us from harm, and God save Ireland.

Love,
Seamus the Older

Happy Birthday, Michael!

Dear Hearts,

April 22nd is the birthday of Michael Sands Sullivan: son of John and Nancy; husband of Lindsey; brother of Maggie and Matt; father of Evangeline and Violet; cousin, nephew and friend to many more.

Mike has made the past year of quarantine an adventure for his family, maintaining a positive attitude and finding creative ways to spend endless hours together at home. His skills are diverse and impressive--from his knowledge of law, to a wide variety of barbecue methods. He can sing beautiful harmony and play a high-paced round of disc golf to victory. He is goofy, loving, smart and compassionate. He loves the Nationals, the Simpsons, trying a new cocktail recipe and cooking.

So, happy Birthday, Mike, and may you have 84 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Paddy Finn!

Dear Hearts,

April 20th is the birthday of Patrick Finnian Sullivan: son of Jim and Erin; brother of John, Annie, Kathleen, Thomas, Peter, Maggie, Joseph, Brigid and Seamus; grandson of Bob, Darlene, Gene and Judith; nephew, cousin and buddy to scores more. At age 5, Patrick became an uncle!

As the youngest of six boys and four girls, he has been shepherded well--all the while watching and learning about life from his parents and siblings. His face is like the map of Ireland (a phrase I learned from his grandpa Bob) and he seems to be an enthusiastic and fun little guy. He is a sports fan for sure--football, hockey, baseball, you name it!

So happy birthday, Patrick, and may you have 119 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Jake!

Dear Hearts,

April 19th is the birthday of Jacob Shajin Sullivan: son of Mike and Shelly; brother of Mia, Seamus, Gus, Sofie, Nelly and Max; grandson of Bob, Darlene, Judy and Don; nephew, cousin and friend to a whole bunch more.

Jake is in his second year of college, having recently transferred to the University of Dallas. He joins two or three Sullivan cousins at the school. Just last week they all shined themselves up and enjoyed a formal dance with friends.

The oldest of his family, is a kind, considerate and faithful young man with terrific physical strength and moral courage! It warms my heart to see how loving and confident Jake is with his siblings--especially when they are babies! 

Happy birthday, Jake, and may you have 105 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Our Heroes

Dear Hearts,

April 18th is the 246th anniversary of that famous and heroic midnight ride. Thank God for that valor that got us started. Shout out to the two other brave men who rode with Revere that night: William Dawes and Samuel Prescott who were left out of the poem and, subsequently, most history books.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Jim & Patty

God Bless John Sheehan

Dear Hearts,

April 16th is the 151st anniversary of the birth of John William Sheehan: husband of Kate Maloney; father of Boom Boom and her two brothers. He was quiet but fierce, gentle and good. He died an American, and brought one of our ancestral lines here. Today we have a dozen men carrying the same name.

John William Sheehan was born in 1870, in Carrigaholt, in County Clare, on the western edge of Ireland, right where the Shannon enters the sea. He was very tall for the time at 6 feet 2 inches, with hands large as shovels. He was very quiet, and so shy that he could not speak to girls.

He died at Boom Boom's house on December 23, 1947, and Kate followed him in 9 weeks, on February 24, 1948.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Sheehan. Please watch over us.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

God Bless Aunt Helen

Dear Hearts,

April 10th is the anniversary of the death of Aunt Helen: wife of John; daughter of Boom and Boompa; sister of Mary Claire; mother of Christian, Teresa, Damian, Lisa and Mercy; aunt to nine of us; grandmother of eight; and friend to so many. She died peacefully in her home in Missoula in 2018.

She was Jim's godmother and our dear Aunt. She is the epitome of a Sheehan woman, and everything that means and carries. We will all miss her very much. We miss you, Aunt Helen, and pray you are enjoying eternity with our ancestors.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love,

Happy Birthday, Lisa!

Dear Hearts,

April 10th is the birthday of Lisa Jogues Whalen Clark: wife of Jim; mother of Johanna; daughter of John and Helen; sister of Christian, Damian, Teresa and Mercy. She was born in Alaska when our flag had 49 stars.

Lisa continues a successful career in print production at the manufacturing level. Over the years she has worked for the Gap, Starbucks, Eddie Bauer and Nordstrom. Today, she leads the print production team at Continental Mills, a corporation that produces food products that I'm sure you have in your cupboard right now! Among other talents, her job requires a trained eye for design and Lisa offers that in spades.

She and Jim have created a lovely home in Seattle, renovating most of the property themselves. Inside and out you can see her design talent and hard work. It's not uncommon to catch Lisa mowing the lawn before heading inside to design and create an incredible quilt! Indeed, she is an artist--with food, fabric, home design and more. She creates beauty wherever she goes.

So, happy birthday, cousin, and may you have 62 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Abigail!

Dear Hearts,

April 7th is the birthday of Abigail Astrid White Moon: wife of Rob Moon; daughter of Whitey and Signe; sister of Dagne, Mike and Kermit; and Jim's beloved god-daughter. Jim has known Abi since she was a few days old, held her at her baptism, and he says she has been the same always--as beautiful and gentle as an angel, and as good smart and kind and strong as her parents.

The Rev. Abigail W. Moon is the Senior Associate Rector of St. John's Episcopal Church. Having moved around all of her life, Abi loves to help people find the loving embrace of God right where they are, it says in her church bio. She enjoys bringing people around the table for a great meal and conversation. At St. John's, she guides and advises the children's, outreach, worship and pastoral care ministries.

She is an avid baker and loves to run, even in the Florida humidity! Abi is married to Rob and they have a fluffy dog named Max.

Happy Birthday, Abigail, and may you have 79 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love,
Patty

Happy Birthday, Erin!

Dear Hearts,

April 5th is the birthday of Erin Louise Coffey Sullivan: wife of Doctor Seamus the Younger; mother of John, Annie, Kathleen, Thomas, Peter, Maggie, Joseph, Brigid, Seamus and Patrick; sister of eight siblings; daughter, aunt, cousin, in-law and friend to hundreds more.

Erin's faith is strong and beautiful. Her sense of humor is wonderful. And her steadfastness as a wife, mother, sister and friend is quite admirable and appreciated by all. She has been a home-school teacher in Omaha for many years, and clearly succeeding--the older kids have begun attending and graduating college with many accolades and honors!

The past year has given Erin a new title and role--grandma! Little Ivar is the son of Erin and Jim's oldest son, John.

Happy birthday, Erin, and may you have 75 more healthy ones, respectively, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

Dear Hearts,

April 5th is the birthday of Daniel Sullivan Glick; son of Brian and Margaret; brother of Elizabeth, husband of Amanda; father of Holden; grandson of Dody and Mom (Daniel's names for Big Sully and Mary Claire) and Jack and Dawn; nephew, uncle, cousin, in-law and friend to scores of others.

These days, Daniel is working as a firefighter/paramedic for L.A. County Fire, currently stationed in La Canada, north of L.A. Recently, he went through extra training to become certified as a Tillerman. He is that guy steering the back wheels of an articulated hook-and-ladder fire truck.  This is not a position everyone can hold--it takes a lot of skill and a strong instinct to know how to maneuver the rig from this seat. You kinda have to turn left to go right! His time in the firehouse has also turned Daniel into a talented cook.

At home, he has taken to parenting with confidence and tenderness. Holden is his sidekick when he's not working, and Daniel and Amanda continue to create a beautiful and peaceful home in Mt. Baldy Village. 

Happy birthday, Dano, and may you have 91 more healthy ones, respectively, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Easter!

Dear Hearts,

An Easter prayer from Seamus the Older:

Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Thank you for coming back to life, bringing us victory. Please grant us Peace.

Thank you for the return of the warmth and the sun and new life. Please grant mercy to us.

Thank you for our new babies and the ones on the way. Please hold all the babies of the world in Your Big Hand.

Thank you for our freedom. Please grant us freedom from pain and let our bodies heal. Please protect us, and our loved ones, and all the medics and responders of the world, from this virus, especially Drs. Joe and Gwyn Patterson, Dr. James Naime Sullivan, Dr. Mickey and Nurse Francie Sullivan, Nurse Practitioner Cousin Teresa Whalen and Firefighter/Paramedic Daniel Glick.

Thank you for our peace and comfort. Please let us remember and help the poor and the sick, the hungry and the needy, and let there be peace among all the people of the earth.

Please heal our wounded hearts, especially Fred and Geri and their family, and any other sorrows kept in the silence of our hearts, and let our grief be washed away in the flood of Your Love and Mercy.

Please heal our afflicted loved ones, those sick and in pain. Our brothers and sisters, Gummy and Big Ed, and Judi Wennerberg, Gary Wimberly and any of the others unknown at this moment.

Please bring all the soldiers, of the entire world, back from war to their families, even the enemy.

And during this epidemic, please grant us the fortitude of Your Sacred Heart. Help us protect our countrymen, and the world.

We ask this with prayer and supplication, and thanksgiving, making our requests known to God.

We ask for the peace of God that passes all understanding.

God bless us and keep us and save us from harm.

Alleluia!

Christ is Risen!

Alleluia!

Happy Easter.


Love,
Sully

Happy Birthday, Nancy!

Dear Hearts,

Nancy with John, Evangeline,
Violet and Brandon.

April 3rd is the birthday of Nancy Carol Sands Sullivan: wife of John; mother of Mike, Maggie and Matt; grandmother of Evangeline, Violet and Brandon; daughter of Donald and Florence; sister to Sandy; in-law, cousin, aunt and friend to many more.

Nancy has always been a kind and gentle person, as well as a gifted artist--with a camera, creating a garden, cooking delicious dishes. Through her photography, you can see her appreciation of the natural beauty around her. She can also play several instruments and has a master's degree in music. Her family is her world and those lucky grand babies are now surrounded by Nancy's loving nature and creative talent!

For years now, Nancy has been my go-to comrade in all things chocolate. Fair warning: Her Nutella cookies/balls are as addictive as crack! And her sense of humor is hilariously perfect.

Happy Birthday, Nancy, and may you have 56 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Nancy with her happy new
grand baby, Brandon.