Kathleen and Ben Robledo. Since my parents are both still alive, I won’t share their marriage year or Mom’s maiden name, but many decades ago today, my folks got hitched. And they are still madly in love. Their marriage is an example to us all, and set a very high bar for us kids to […]
Paying Tribute: Elsie Charlotte Hayes Died 20 Years Ago Today
My grandmother Elsie Charlotte Hayes (1926 – 1992) Twenty years ago today, I lost the second most important woman in my life…my wonderful quirky funny grandmother, Elsie Charlotte Hayes. And I still miss her every single day. Even as I write this brief story about my grandma, my eyes are tearing up. Grandma was like a […]
Anniversaries: Every Family History Needs A Love Story Like Michael John Flanagan And Elsie Charlotte Hayes
June 22, 1946: My grandparents, Elsie and Mike Flanagan, on their wedding day…4 weeks after the night they first met. Blame it on The War. Blame it on them both having a hard lonely childhood. Blame it on….love. My grandparents, Michael John Flanagan and Elsie Charlotte Hayes — my second parents — were married 66 […]
Family Photos Friday: Grams On Horseback
Elsie Charlotte Hayes (1926-1992), Michigan, probably early 1940s. I don’t do “Wordless Wednesdays”, particularly since I can’t ever remain “wordless” on those posts. So, I’ve picked “Family Photos Friday” to serve as my version to these quick easy posts that showcase snapshots from our family history. The inaugural photo is one of my grandmother, Elsie […]
Flanagan Memories: Providing Christmas Without Letting The Kids Know They Were Poor
Uncle sitting on his “new” Christmas bike, with Grandpa . I grew up with the best grandparents a kid could want. They spoiled us with little gifts, and they spoiled us even more with love and attention. I still miss them, especially around the holidays. During interviews with my mom over the years, about her […]
