Happy Birthday, Miles!

Dear Hearts,

August 21st is the birthday of Miles Henry Isaac Jogues Sullivan: son of Seamus the Older and Nancy; brother of Jim, Mick, Amos and Francie; husband of Sarah; father of Maeve, James and Silas; uncle, nephew, cousin, bandmate and friend to scores more folks. Miles is a gifted man with talents that continue to amaze me.

He is a gifted musician, able to play guitar, banjo, harmonica, piano and more. His singing voice is strong and full of character and emotion. He was generous enough to give the world some of his wonderful music from his home during the Covid-19 quarantine--some lock-down blues! Miles is also an entrepreneur in the business world and a hard-working and loving husband and dad at home.

Happy Birthday Miles, and may you have 87 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, Mikey!

Dear Hearts,

August 20th is the birthday of Michael Drexel Sullivan: son of Peter and Melody; brother of Annemarie, John, Matthew, Benjamin and Bo; grandson of Aunt Darlene; cousin, nephew and friend to so many more.

Mikey is full of curiosity, energy and joy--investigating little creep crawlies, joining whatever game is being played, swimming in the pool, lake or ocean, and playing or cuddling with his siblings.

Happy birthday, Mikey, and may you have 120 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 Blanche

Dear Hearts,

August 18th is the birthday of Blanche Cecilia Wiley Polley: daughter of Alred and Wanda; sister of Norbert, Alfred, Carl, Eugene, Irwin and Stewart. She was Boompa's only sister, born in 1917 in the house at 704 W. 50th Street in Chicago, and just a baby when her mother died of the Spanish Flu.

In 1939, Aunt Blanche married Eugene Polley (Polaczynski) who invented the remote control while employed at Zenith here in Chicago. Our little bit of history.

God bless you, Aunt Blanche. We pray you are enjoying a blissful family reunion in heaven.

Love, Patty

God Bless Aunt Anna Rita

Dear Hearts,

August 18th is anniversary of the death of our beloved aunt, Sister Anna Rita Sullivan, Order of Preachers, a life-long Dominican nun, servant of the poor, epitome of motherhood to thousands of little ones with nothing, encourager and defender of immigrants, forgiver of fools, one who loved, always and everywhere. She and Aunt Margaret were known as The Aunties.

She was born February 11th 1923 in Chicago, and died in 2006 in her 83rd year of her life and the 62nd year of her Religious Profession, in Phoenix, surrounded by much of her family. She was the daughter of John Jeremiah "Lefty" Sullivan and Anna Conick Sullivan, sister of Sister Margaret, O. P., Bob and Jim, and Aunt to all of us.

You may recall the story of her "meeting the train" when Big Sully came home to Union Station in Chicago, after the fourth telegram saying he would arrive. The first three, over a three year period, all stated that he had been shot down (which he had each of three times) and that he was believed to be dead. So no one believed the fourth one. Except Anna Rita. She met the train.

Anna Rita had her share of physical pain and hardship--weathered it all and never, ever complained. She was a cancer survivor, but never flinched through the harrowing experience of undergoing a radical mastectomy in the late 1960s. She was incredibly intelligent in intellect and emotion.

She and Aunt Margaret are buried alongside the nuns they served with, in small groups, making an overall circle in the back yard of the mother house in Adrian, Michigan. It is a beautiful place. Thank you, Aunt Anna Rita, for a lifetime of rock-solid, never-failing goodness, kindness and sweetness.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Camden!

Dear Hearts,

August 18th is the birthday of Camden John Francis: son of Teresa and Dave; grandson of Helen and John; nephew, cousin and friend to scores more folks. Camden shares his birthday with his father, Dave!

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Camden took a cross-country adventure with Bike & Build, a non-profit organization that engages young adults in service-oriented cycling trips to raise awareness for the affordable housing cause. On his trip in 2014, he rode with a group from coast to coast, covering 3,831 miles in 71 days. Ten of those days they stopped to help build houses and only three of those days were set aside for rest. 

Today, Camden lives in Seattle and works at EAB in education management. As an Associate Director, he partners with colleges to drive process improvement, implement best practice research tactics, and track success metrics to achieve their student success goals.

Whether he's traveling, working, enjoying music or spending time with his sweetheart, Camden brings a refreshing attitude and terrific sense of humor to every occasion.

Happy Birthday Camden, and may you have 98 more 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, Dave!

Dear Hearts,

August 18th is the birthday of David Wilson Francis: husband of Teresa; father of Camden; in-law, uncle and friend to many, many more lucky folks. 

Dave is thoroughly enjoying retirement these days, but I've noticed his company has followed him to Montana😉. For many years, Dave was the CEO of Military Threads and secured many federal contracts to supply specialized fabrics to government agencies.

To spend time with Dave means intelligent conversation, comfortable hospitality, delicious cooking and detailed discussions involving any of the New England sports franchises. Most days you'll see him wearing a Red Sox hat or a Patriots T-shirt.

Happy Birthday, Dave, and may you have 59 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 Alfred

 Dear Hearts,

August 17th is the anniversary of the birth of Alfred Raymond Wilkoshesky: son of Alfred (Snaz) and Wanda; brother of Norbert, Carl, Eugene, Irwin, Stewart and Blanche; husband of Ann. He was born at 806 W. 50th Street in Chicago on a Wednesday in 1898, the second of seven children.

I have little information on Boompa's siblings beyond the scrupulous birth, marriage and death records passed on through the years. Alfred was baptized at the St. Joseph Polish Catholic Church with his Uncle Edmund and Aunt Stanislava as his Godparents. He attended Tilden Tech High School, like Boompa, and married Ann Stahl in 1937.

God bless Alfred, and may he be enjoying eternal life with Christ, his parents, siblings and loved ones.

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

Love, Patty