McCorry Family Christmas Letter 2016

Best Wishes of the Season to All:                                                     Christmas 2016

There’s a Chinese expression, “May you live in interesting times.” According to Wikipedia, “the expression is always used ironically.” So Happy 2016, a year filled with “interesting times” in the news. For the extended McCorry family, the year was interesting in good and not so good ways and I hope that, as Christmas approaches and the year comes to a close, all of you are well.

Several members of the McCorry extended family gathered in September to celebrate the life of Sr. Mary Benedicta, our Aunt Eleanor McCorry, who died at age 98 on the 21^st at the Mercy Circle Assisted Living Facility in Chicago.

Sr. Benedicta missionary work in Peru, early 1960s

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She entered the convent 80 years and just a few days before her passing.

David Schield tells me he was honored to be asked to deliver the eulogy: “Of all the cousins and people who could have spoken, I was truly humbled to speak on all our behalf,” he told me.

Here’s an excerpt: “Eleanor dedicated her life to the Lord … and never lost sight of her mission. We, as her family, were especially lucky to witness her kindness and compassion, but also her strong will and drive,” David said. “While we are all saddened by the loss of this beautiful person, we know that her impact on us has helped make us all better people.” 

There were representatives of each of the families -- Jonas, McCorry, Mullins and Schield -- in attendance. Sr. Mary Acquinice, our Aunt Rita, and my Aunt Teresa Jonas also attended. They are the last two surviving children of Charles and Bridget McCorry, who each emigrated from Ireland and met in Milwaukee.

The Schield Family

The Schield cottage, “Never-Never Land,” was the site of another family reunion this summer when five of the seven children – and their children -- of Carroll and Betty Schield gathered. The party gave everyone the chance to get to know Cole Conrad, who is engaged to Emily Schield, Dan Schield’s youngest daughter. Both Cole and Emily work at Milwaukee Tool. The wedding is set for sometime next August.

Schields at Dan's Birthday Party

Other Schield landmarks this year include the 70^th birthday of Emily’s father, Dan, and the 50^th wedding anniversary of Pat and Jay Werth – Pat being the first of the Schield’s seven children.

Dan and his wife, Bobbi, recently moved to Boulder, Colo., where his sister Wendy lives, to practice “specialized dentistry.” His move means there are no longer any Schields living in Neillsville. When I heard this a while back, I wrote David in a panic: “You still have the cottage, RIGHT?!” He assured me they do.

The McCorry Family

Another wedding is on the calendar for 2017, this one of Andrew McCorry, the fourth of Brian and Betsy McCorry’s five children, to Kristina Marinelli. Brian notes that their wedding date is June 24^th, the same date as the wedding of Andrew’s grandparents, Dan and Mary Ann McCorry, in 1950.

Brian McCorry (r) w/wife Betsy, son Andrew, his fiancee and her parents

Meanwhile, Brian says his eldest son Patrick, his wife Erin, and their two young boys, Charlie and Leo, moved from Oakland, Calif., to Sacramento where Dr. Erin took a fellowship position in endocrinology. “We love the regular FaceTime calls we get from little Charlie & Leo,” says their Grandpa Brian.

David McCorry and his wife, Lisa, are still in Durango, Colo., with their three children – Michael, Mia and Molly. Michael, the oldest, became a teenager this year, prompting this message from Brian: “I made a point of writing David a note on that day telling him what great pleasure it gave me to know that our most challenging teenager now had one of his own.”

Daughter Lizzie Koesterer and her family are in Chicago, a relatively short drive to her parents in South Bend. And youngest son Matthew, lives in Portland, Ore. -- “living the bohemian ‘Portlandia’ life,” says Brian -- and works for a dot.com. Brian and Betsy marked their 40th anniversary this year.

The Mullins Family

Our year started off with a trip home to Milwaukee to celebrate the 21^st birthday of our nephew, Casey George Mullins, who is the only grandchild of George and Mary Mullins to carry on the family name. We drank a toast to Casey, his mother Linda Hirthe, and his late father, John Mullins, at the party.

Mullinses at Casey's 21st birthday party.

I got laid off in May from a job as a marketing writer at a network security company in Silicon Valley. I took the opportunity to work on the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton and had the privilege of posing for a photo with her in San Jose. Since the election didn’t turn out the way I hoped it would – scotching my plans to be named Ambassador to Ireland – I am now back on the job hunt.

Robert Mullins with Hillary Clinton in San Jose

Tricia took a road trip this fall to Washington State to scope out potential retirement communities. She visited Port Angeles and Port Townsend as potential candidates, but scrapped her plans when she discovered that either town was a 2.5-hour drive to the nearest airport, Seattle. Her traveling companion was longtime friend Kim Dixon, the widow of Bill Dixon, a cousin on the Jonas side of the family. Tricia occasionally visits her daughter, Erin, in Los Angeles, where she and boyfriend Mike Ewing live. They occasionally see our brother, Bill, a longtime LA resident.

Those of you outside the Bay Area may recall a fatal fire in Oakland Dec. 2 that made national news. Thirty-six people died in the fire at a former warehouse that had been converted into a space for artists to live and work. One of the casualties was a friend of our nephew Sam Gesley, my sister Kathy’s oldest. Jennifer Kiyomi Tanouye was 31.

Mary still works at Mader's and her daughter, Lizzie, is taking a few classes at UWM. Her dad, Bill VanPelt, still teaches there but is planning to retire next year.

Betty is enjoying retirement in Shorewood, and loves that her schedule is pretty much open to her every day. Betty, Mary and Joe maintain the Mullins family presence in our hometown of Milwaukee.

The Jonas Family

Paul Jonas paid tribute to his father, whom we all knew as Uncle Bud Jonas, by opening in May a new bar in Milwaukee called Urban Bay View. Urban was Uncle Bud’s birth name. The logo (below) includes a pair of crossed golf clubs, homage to Bud’s favorite sport. Urban was the site of the post-game party after the 2016 Toilet Bowl, as you saw on ESPN!

Sam Jonas, Peter’s son, who has cystic fibrosis, remains in a rehab facility after being struck with pneumonia in October. He had a tracheotomy done to help him with breathing and his Aunt Anna tells me he is much more comfortable than he had been earlier.  Sam is getting intensive therapy to build up his strength.

The prognosis is good for Sarah Jonas’s husband, Scott Przybylowski, who was diagnosed with esophageal cancer recently. Sarah emphasizes that the localized tumor on his esophagus has not spread, that radiation/chemo is helping to shrink the tumor and that it will be surgically removed in early February. “We are anticipating a full recovery,” she writes.

Jane (Jonas) Williams says that her son, Jonas Shaner, 38, is engaged to be married to Marielena Parris, to whom Luke popped the question during a hot air balloon ride in Cappodacio, Turkey.

Luke Shaner and fiancee Marielena Parris

Jim Jonas is so active in retirement that he says the term “retired” just means getting tired all over again. He volunteers at the Hunger Task Force, where brother Michael is the Food Bank Director, and remodeled a rental property of his. He also enjoys frequent visits from his daughter, Katie, and his granddaughter, Geneva, who turns three next month.

Ellie Borden, Anna's daughter

Anna (Jonas) Borden’s daughter Ellie, named after our late Aunt Eleanor, graduated from South Milwaukee High School this year and is now enrolled at UW-Milwaukee. Talk about ambitious: Ellie entered college with 27 credits already completed. Her mom says there are college-level courses one can take in high school. She’s studying Spanish and Political Science.

I want to thank all of you who contributed news to this letter for helping out. The whole process reminds me each year of what a dynamic family we all are. Charles and Bridget – and all of those who are with them in heaven, and welcoming Sr. Benedicta – must be impressed about what we have all become and all that we have done to carry on the McCorry family name.

Best wishes to all of you now and in 2017.

Robert Mullins 

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