2003 McCorry Family Christmas Letter

Christmas 2003
Dear All,

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, may the blessings of the holiday season be with all of you during this time.
In 2003, Srs. Benedicta and Aquinice retired from their ministry at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish, many of the Mullinses enjoyed a wonderful trip to Ireland, Pat and Jay Werth’s daughter Megan was married in Paris and Aunt Mary Ann McCorry’s children gathered this year to celebrate her 80th birthday. These are some of the ways in which the cousins celebrated milestones this year in the company of family.
Relatives traveled to Chicago June 18 for the “glorious sendoff” to Aunt Rita, who served 37 years at Mount Carmel, and Aunt Eleanor, who served there for 27. Sr. Benedicta served three years as school principal and as the first director of the Mount Carmel Prayer Center. Sr. Aquinice served nine years as a teacher and 13 as principal. “It’s been a long time since these two girls from Milwaukee bravely crossed the cheddar curtain of Wisconsin to live with us in Chicago and became part of the Mount Carmel family that has changed us forever,” said the Rev. Thomas Healy in his homily at the service. The nuns now live at the Mercy Motherhouse in Chicago.
In October, six of the nine Mullins children, plus in-laws, nieces and nephews traveled to Ireland to visit relatives and see their ancestral homeland. Tricia Freer and her husband Ken invited us to accompany them to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. At one time, our party had 13 people. Our trip included a visit to Newry to see Annie Bruton, a cousin to Eleanor, Betty, Dan, Mary, etc. on their father’s side of the McCorry family. We also visited the home of Joe McCoy (center, holding dog, in photo below), a cousin on their mother’s side of the family. Joe and his wife Alice live in the home in which Grandma McCorry was born.
We had dinner with Mary and Malachy Smith. Mary (nee McDonald) is a niece of Grandpa McCorry. During our visit, we learned the news of the Oct. 5th death of Von Sherry, another cousin on the McCoy side of the family, but unfortunately, missed the service.
Update all your family trees!
Our sister-in-law Linda Mullins remarried on Nov. 16th in Milwaukee. Her new husband, Pete Hirthe, a Bay View native known to some of the Jonases, is a great guy, especially to our nephew, Casey, age 8. He will soon be a big brother as Linda and Pete are expecting a child next May. We scattered some of our late brother John’s ashes while in Ireland. Casey threw a handful of ashes into the air, but the wind blew them back in his face. Said Casey: “I guess he doesn’t want to leave me.”
Bill Mullins starts a new job in January as a tech writer for BizRate.com, a comparison shopping Web site in the L.A. area. We are very happy for him. Mary, husband Bill Van Pelt, and daughter Lizzie, moved into a new home in Shorewood, just around the corner from Betty Mullins. On Dec. 5th, our uncle, and my namesake, Fr. Robert Mullins, turned 90. He still lives in Saint Cloud, Minn.
Pat and Jay Werth’s daughter was married in Paris this past summer to Nadim Rabbaa on July 26 at Cathedral St. Etienne. Megan met Jadim on a visit to Paris just a few years ago. Wendy and her daughter Brittany were among the attendees. The groom and his family are from Lebanon. “Nadim's family is very warm and loving - his mother especially so,” writes Pat. “We communicated even though we did not speak the same language. Megan was beautiful and even took my breath away when she arrived at the church!”
Mary Alice Schield moved this year from Connecticut to Napa, Calif., near Pat and Jay’s home in Santa Rosa, and works as a dental hygienist there. Aunt Betty and Uncle Carroll will stay a month or so in California to consider relocating here from Florida.
The McCorry children and grandchildren gathered in Quincy, Ill., to mark the 80th birthday of Mary Ann in May (see photo). “The party was a blast,” reports Brian McCorry. “We even let her have some Irish whiskey!”
Brian is looking for work after being “restructured” out of his job as a VP at a manufacturing firm. We wish him the best of luck in finding what he needs. His wife, Betsy has started a writing and editing career and has a sold a few stories, Brian reports. Their son Patrick lives in San Francisco and works at Google, the search engine company. Son David, his wife Lisa and their son Michael, live in Colorado. Michael is walking and talking now. Daughter Liz is now a junior at Notre Dame after a year of studies in France.
Maureen has returned to teaching. Her and husband David’s son Michael is in high school and has served as an ambassador of Goodwill for the Special Olympics, which involves public speaking. Meghan is active in Irish dance.
The other McCorry grandchildren are active in sports, school and other activities.
Aunt Teresa Jonas showed she is still the “cool Aunt” by riding on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle during the 100th anniversary of the Milwaukee company last summer. But her latest mode of transportation, temporarily, is a walker, after falling and breaking her pelvis around Labor Day. The accident happened in the choir loft at church. “I’ll either have to give up singing or give up church,” she says.
Eleanor Borden, daughter of Anna and John Borden, started kindergarten this fall. Jared, son of Mary Pat and Michael Groth, graduated from Cudahy High School. Tess, who lives in the Minneapolis area, took a course in golfing which involved a trip to Scotland to play the famous St. Andrew’s course! Jane still lives in San Diego with husband John T. Williams. She has recently started working as a doula (pronounced doola), who assists with labor/delivery and support and advice for a new mother post-natal. Anna is planning an expansion of the restaurant she co-owns in Bay View, Café Lulu. It may soon be large enough to hold a reunion of McCorrys and assorted relatives!
If I have left anything out, please let me know. Best wishes to all of you and may you all have a great holiday and a prosperous 2004!

Best wishes,

Robert Mullins