God Bless Boom Boom

 Dear Hearts,

August 16th is the 24th anniversary of the death of Mary Frances Sheehan Wiley: daughter of John and Katie Sheehan; wife of Irwin Vincent Wiley; mother of Mary Claire Wiley Sullivan and Helen Wiley Whale; grandmother of the Chicago Sullivans and the Montana Whalens; great grandmother to 32; friend and pen pal to hundreds more. Everyone called her Boom Boom.

When Mary Claire, Mary Fran and Aunt Helen were moving Boom and Boomp out of their house in Lansing in the early '90s, Boom's birth certificate was found and they discovered her given name was Marie.

Boom Boom died at age 94 after a beautiful life. A daughter of Irish immigrants, smart as a whip, brave as a lion and faithful as the day is long. She was an executive secretary at Hutchinson & Hutchinson at the Chicago Stock Yards and carried those skills with a passion into her private life. Her beautiful secretary desk--that Katie O. now owns--was always over-filled envelopes, cards, appointment books, stamps and stickers. We were lucky recipients of Boom's generosity and impeccable taste--top-quality everything, from Waterford crystal to thick flannel pajamas.

Thank you, Boom Boom, for your endless generosity and love.

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

Love, Patty