108 Years of Father's Day

In the Middle Ages in Catholic Europe, March 19, the feast day of St. Joseph, was the day when the faithful celebrated fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society.

 The tradition came to the Americas with Spanish and Portuguese explorers and, in fact, March 19  is still recognized as Father's Day in Spain and Portugal, as well as in Bolivia and Honduras, among others.

In the U.S., there are several reported origins of this holiday.  One has it that in 1908 a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, after listening to a Mother's Day sermon at church in Spokane, Wash., raised the issue of honoring fathers as well.  Her own father, William Smart, was a widow who raised her and her five siblings for 11 years after his wife's death.  On June 19, 1910, "sermons honoring fathers were presented throughout the city" of Spokane at Methodist churches.

Lothar Fieg Sr. "out West"

Another report tells of Harry Meek, a member of the Lions Clubs International, claimed to be the originator of the idea of Father's Day in 1915.  He chose the third Sunday in June that year (his own birthday) and made many efforts to promote it and make it an official holiday.  The Lions Club named him the "Originator of Father's Day."

It was not until 1966, however, that President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June to be Father's Day.  Six years later, President Richard Nixon signed it into law as a permanent national holiday.

So, in a time-honored tradition, we belatedly honor the men who brought home the bacon, cleaned the gutters, mowed the grass, and taught us how to stand tall.  Thanks, Dad!

Young Jim McGonigal

Uncle Dick Bookhout - here comes the judge!

Lothar Jr., war hero

Frank Fieg, working hard

A youthful V. Philip Fieg

Bob Whiteside - nice tie!

Mr. Cool - Bob Roman

Joe Kestner - nice shorts!

This Guy Gets Around!

Greg Fieg (from left), his first cousin Marsha Adams and her husband, Bill, in a recent photo.

Nathan Fieg Turns 2

This weekend was special for the family of Brian and Emily Fieg, not just because we celebrate Memorial Day, but also because their youngest, Nathan, turns two years old!

Happy birthday, little guy.

Nathan Fieg (upper left) with sibs Caleb and Lily.

On the road With Greg and Rosie

Rosie "Not A Mop" Fieg, from left, and Greg Fieg

Put Them All Together, They Spell Mother

The ancient  Romans held festivals to celebrate the mother goddesses Rhea, mother of Zeus, and the Greeks celebrated Cybele.

The early Christian festival "Mothering Sunday" fell on the fourth Sunday of Lent, and marked the day that women should return to their "mother church" for a special service.  This gradually became a secular day when children gave flowers and tokens of appreciation to their mothers.

During the 19th century, Ann Reeves Jarvis initiated "Mothers' Work Day Clubs" and, after the Civil War, the "Mothers' Friendship Day," in an effort to promote reconciliation between the North and South.

Abolitionist and suffragette Julia Ward Howe wrote the "Mothers' Day Proclamation," asking women to promote world peace, and she advocated for a "Mothers' Peace Day" to be celebrated annually on June 2.

Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis, joined forces with the founder of Wanamaker's Department Store and conducted the first official Mother's Day celebration at a church in West Virginia, on the same day that a huge celebration took place at a Wanamaker's store in Philadelphia.

Finally, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation recognizing the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

While Anna Jarvis envisioned a day that mothers would spend time with their families, and promoted the wearing of a white carnation as a special badge, she became disgusted with the commercialization of the holiday, and even petitioned to have the proclamation revoked.

So, this year, as you place your on-line gift order for flowers, candy, or a DVD or CD, or you stop by the 7-11 on your way home to pick up a bottle of MD-2020 and a gift card to Denny's, please take the time to remember that we celebrate the person without whom we would not have become the distinguished, polished, successful, erudite, educated beings that we know we are today!

An engagement party was held for 'Katie' Shafer at Aunt Emilie McGonigal's  residence in Milford Center, March or April 1945. Bud and Katie married June 3rd in Oneonta.  For some reason, Uncle Frank and Uncle Philip could not be there. A buddy of Bud's, from the war, was best man. Uncle Bud was very lucky to find such a catch, to say the least, and she was absolutely happy. All the pictures I have seen, taken around this time, and just from being her son, I can notice this was the ultimate for her. Uncle Bud was a war hero, and his father-in-law was well known in the city.  In September they went to Alaska so Bud could finish his mining engineer degree.  They drove from Washington state to Fairbanks, Alaska, when Alaska was just a territory. Driving into the unknown is the way I think of it.

Happy Mother's Day Mom,

Love from a Fieg,

Steven

Dorothy Fieg Roman, mother of Samantha, John, Don and Mark.

Jean Davie Fieg, wife of V. Philip Fieg and mother of Judy, Diana and Phyllis.

Marina Pizano Fieg, wife of Frank Fieg and mother of Greg, Ed and Lisa.

Maxine Fieg Whiteside, mother of Marsha, Jeff, Anne and Bob Jr.

Emilie Boehler Fieg McGonigal and Florence Celestia Fieg Bookhout - mothers of many!

Judy Kestner, mother of The Best Daughter She Ever Had, Emilie V.

Florence Shields Fieg, wife of Lothar Fieg Sr., and mother to Em, Flo, Bud, Frank, Phid, Doc and Mac.

83rd Sheilds Family Reunion Set for July 8

The 83rd Annual Shields Reunion will be held on Sunday, July 8, 2018, at 12:30 p.m. at Nathaniel Cole Park in Harpursville, NY.

Please bring a covered dish to share, and beverage and table service for your family.  Charcoal will be available for those who wish to grill.

Call Vera at 570- -729 - 8621 or Midge at 607 - 441 - 0475 or e-mail Midge at midgemcclenon@gmail.com for more information or directions.

Doris Fieg Holm Has New Address

Your editor recently received a home-made post card from Doris Fieg Holm, announcing a new stage in her life.  Doris writes:

"Wheel C Ranch now closing its gates -- sorry! 🙁  My new address:  9325 East Stockton Blvd., Rm. 116, Elk Grove, CA 95624.  Phone 916-425-4869. 

Have moved to senior housing with all convenient comforts - no work!  Still in Elk Grove - house will be on the market soon.  Am adjusting to ease of living.  Can still host my card parties here, with a chef to help (not bad at all!).  Love to all!!  Doris Fieg Holm"

Doris is the granddaughter of Carl and Emilie Fieg, who were the root stock of the American Fieg family tree.  We wish her well in her new digs, and encourage everyone to drop her a line.

Doris Fieg Holm surrounded by a few of her many relatives at the 2009 Fieg Family reunion in Cooperstown, NY.

Billy Adams Among Emmy Winners

"Mural" by Jackson Pollock

 San Fransisco photographer, Billy Adams, son of Bill and Marsha Adams of Sioux City, Ia., celebrated the receipt of an Emmy Award as a member of the production staff of the Iowa Public Broadcasting special "Mural: The Story of a Modern Masterpiece."

The award was for best cultural documentary and was presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Mid-America Chapter.

Billy Adams

The 58-minute production tells of the creation and exhibition of the late Jackson Pollock's $150 million painting, commissioned by the late arts patron Peggy Guggenheim in 1947.  The television special follows the painting's trans-Atlantic crossing from Venice, Italy, its presentation at the University of Iowa and its ongoing world tour, which included a showing in Sioux City.  The work of art will return to the new University of Iowa's new art museum in 2018.

Billy played a key role on a team of eight photographers in documenting the shipping and mounting process of the artwork, which has been praised as one of the most important artistic accomplishments of the 20th Century.

The show features commentary by art critics and connoisseurs, among them the actor and comedian Steve Martin, and Billy's parents appear briefly among the extras in the Sioux City footage of the video. 

A highly accomplished photographer, Billy is a graduate of the University of Iowa at Iowa City, where he formerly served on the photographic staff.  His work can be viewed at his website, www.billadamsphoto.com.

Notes on Hurricane Harvey

Friday August 25, 2017 - 8:30 p.m.
Glad I did my grocery shopping on Tuesday, before the hurricane was predicted to actually be a hurricane.  Even on that day, store clerks were unwrapping skids of drinking water.

I did stock up yesterday on water, bleach and paper plates, after hurriedly rescheduling a Girl Scout recruiting rally I was to conduct that night.  The storm was predicted to be a category 3 (as I write this, it has morphed into a category 4 with wind speed of 140 mph!). 

Joe and I had already brought in the outdoor furniture and potted plants.  I will leave out the hummingbird feeders as long as I can today for the little fellers.  Fixed steak Diane for dinner.

The ice chest is cleaned out, my brand new drink dispenser is full of water, in case we cannot use water from the tap later.  A gallon of water is in the freezer, to drink as it thaws (a trick we used when Joe, Emilie and I used to go camping in July to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  It is a cheap vacation, but pretty hot in Texas, and that icy water was a godsend!).

Called Mom yesterday and told her we would ride it out.  Have had several offers of places to stay from friends in Austin and San Antonio.  My birding buddy, Susan, called from her temporary digs in  Laredo.  They live in Rockport, which is under a mandatory evacuation order.  Tonight she and her husband, Paul, are drinking gin and tonics at Danny and Mona's, then tomorrow she will go birding early in the morning with the Laredo birding contingent.  I am jealous!

8:45 p.m.
Cooking a pot of beans for Joe -- what a funny request!  The power is still on -- T.V. has shown the storm's progress all day on all channels.  Press conferences with the mayor, video of slick streets, reflecting the street lights, that are devoid of traffic -- kind of like on Christmas Eve.

The T.V. folk must be exhausted, though they act as if they are not.  As I took down the hummingbird feeders, one of the hummers scolded me from the neighbor's tree.  Sorry, little guy!  Young grackles were flying awkwardly from tree to tree, pushed from behind by the wind -- what a time to learn to fly!

Joe has gone in to bed.  He predicts that the weather effects will be minor here.  As we are in the southwestern quadrant, he is probably right.

Texted Kimiko, in Victoria, where Harvey is headed.  She will hunker down and hope for a good outcome.  Several other people have texted asking if we are OK.  I sheepishly have to admit to still having power.

8:53 p.m.
Still have power -- for how long?  Wind in Rockport reported at 118 mph - as fast as a tornado!

Haha!  All four news reporters sitting at the news desk are looking at their electronics at the same time.  So funny -- so contemporary.

I just opened the front door.  Can't hear much inside, but outside the wind is roaring through the trees.  The cats sit at the open door, ears back, eyes bugging out.  The beans are almost done.

Emilie called earlier to see how we were doing -- Joe said, "We are making our wills."  Her BFF from college texted me to check on our status -- sweet of her!

9:05
The power just blinked off for a nano second.  Good thing Joe completed the one task I set for him today:  put batteries in the flashlights.

11:45 p.m.
 Just ended a call from a friend in Ithaca.  Good night!

Saturday August 26, 2017 - 8:15 a.m.
My cat, Mickey, and I took a quick stroll up the cul-de-sac - a couple of fences are down, one tree (trunk about 8" in diameter) snapped close to the ground, lawns are covered with fallen leaves and small branches.  I put the hummingbird feeders back up earlier, and the birds are swarming.  Gnatcatchers and titmice twitter from the branches up high.

Cool and pleasant outside, with no rain at the moment.

Emilie has (had?) job interviews in Pt. Lavaca Tuesday (postponed indefinitely), Austin Wednesday and Houston Thursday (probably ditto).  She is anxious to go to work, but Harvey says, "Not yet."

11:00 a.m. 
Today I have spoken with Anne and John Roman in their new home in Florida, and to Mark Roman, who is planning a trip to Hawaii mid-September with his girlfriend, who will be working there.  Must be rough.... LOL

Inca Dove calling in the back yard, "No hope... no hope,"  but things are getting back to normal.  Nary a car on the streets.  The news from just north of here is horrific, but only one death so far - someone caught in a house fire.  RIP.

Fieg Family Model T Sold for $3.75

Ford Motor Company observed the 100th anniversary of the pick-up truck this year, a milestone noted by the production of Model T conversions dating back to 1917, and the first true pick-up in 1947.   After-market conversion kits were sold with detailed instructions for the transformation.

1925 Model T Conversion Pick-Up

Max Fieg built such a conversion from a 1925 Model T Touring Car.  The car was made almost entirely of wood, and served Max and his family for a good many years.

Eventually the truck was retired and later it caught the attention of a passer-by.  He asked Max, "How much do you want for it?" and Max replied, "How much have you got?"  The prospective buyer said, "Three dollars and seventy-five cents."

Max Fieg in 1943

"That'll do," Max said.  After dropping a fresh battery into it and making sure it turned over, he pocketed the cash and watched his customer drive away.  The vehicle has not been seen in the family since that day.

Fanciful family lore suggests that some members of the Fieg generation from the early 19th century were wagon-makers, a narrow and exacting discipline, which may explain why the men (and women?) of Lothar and Max Fieg's generation were endowed with considerable carpentry skills.

The Model T has made some appearances in the Fieg family at other points in the 20th Century.  Frank Fieg, barely old enough to drive, worked as a taxi driver to earn enough to purchase a 1925 Model T of his own.  In the late 1930s, he was cruising in his "tin lizzie" from Cooperstown to Oneonta.  The vehicle, four cylinders with a top speed of 45 miles per hour, was already obsolete when it rolled off the assembly line in Detroit, and so was quickly passed by modern vehicles with six-cylinder and V-8 engines.

Frank was attempting to negotiate the sweeping curve at the Hope Hill intersection on Rte. 28, when a big V-8 roared past him, heading toward Hyde Park.  Frank knew the other driver would not be able to hold that curve at such a breakneck speed.  The car careened off the road and slammed into a stone mill and feed store, which stands there today in mute testimony.  The driver was killed.

Frank's son, Greg Fieg, had the occasion to ride in a 1917 Model T Runabout in a holiday parade in Venice, Fla. in 1997.  The car belonged to the late Army Col. John Morley, who served with Frank during the battle of Okinawa in 1945 (though they did not know each other).

1947 Ford pick-up

The first true Ford pick-up, an F-100, was built in 1947, initiating the F-series, now F-150s, which have been the best-selling vehicles in America for many years.  That truck, with its powerful flat-head V-8, heavy-duty suspension, and reinforced frame, filled a void in the marketplace.

Ford Assembly Line

At the time Ford Model Ts were entering the marketplace in 1908, other cars could sell for up to $5,000.  Henry Ford, watching an assembly line in a slaughterhouse, had the idea to adapt the technique to his automobile production, an efficiency that allowed for production of cars that sold for sometimes less than $400.  This made transportation affordable for most families in what the great industrialist called the "democratization of the automobile."

Henry Ford

By 1914 he boasted that you could have a Model T in any color, "as long as it is black."

Employment Updates: A Retirement and a Birthday

Kathy Clancy shares that her husband, Brian, retired from the Village of Cooperstown on April 30.  Brian was the public works superintendent, and had been a village employee for 31 years.  In addition to his paid position, Brian also served several terms as the village's fire chief.

For the whole story, and more, visit http://www.allotsego.com/reception-honors-retiring-cooperstown-dpw-superintendent/.

Hancock Concrete Products, the company where Bill Adams is employed, celebrates its centennial year in 2017.  A celebration was held July 3 in Hancock, Minn., with a luncheon and plant tours.

Bill, husband of Marsha Whiteside Adams, appears in a video history of the innovative company that designed the first precast box culvert in the U.S.   The video can be viewed on the Hancock Facebook page, or on Marsha's Facebook page.  (P.S. Bill is NOT in the photo below.)

The Graduate(s)

I have one word for you - CONGRATULATIONS!!

Don Roman announces that his son, Donovan, graduated from Mount Pleasant High School on June 4 with an International Baccalaureate degree.

For those of us scratching our heads, your editor appropriated this information from the IB website:  "Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate® (IB) is a non-profit educational foundation offering four highly respected programmes of international education that develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills needed to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world."

Donovan will attend RIT in the fall to study environmental engineering.  Here is a photo of Donovan (#7) with the other seniors on the Knights varsity lacrosse team at their last game. 

Katie Murphy, daughter of Jennifer and Don Murphy, graduated May 13 from high school.  Here is a photo of Katie with mom, dad and brother Keenan.

On June 13, Emilie Kestner, daughter of your faithful editor, finished up her studies at Abilene Christian University in Texas, receiving her Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Judy and Joe drove to Abilene from Corpus Christi, a six-and-a-half-hour drive, the night before the ceremony.  The next day, a flat tire on Emilie's car, necessitating the purchase of a new one, and the steep climb to the nosebleed section of the Moody Coliseum on campus seemed like omens, but the 3:00 event went off without a hitch.

Emilie will finish up some requirements over the summer, take her licensure exam on July 20 and be ready for those job offers to start pouring in (and so will her parents...)!

June Wedding for Stephen Clancy

Kathy Boggs Clancy and Brian Clancy of Cooperstown announced the marriage of their eldest son, Stephen Clancy, to Heather Place.

The ceremony took place on June 17, 2017 in Hartwick, N.Y.

The newlyweds will reside in the Clancy family home on Pine Blvd. in Cooperstown.

Heather yesterday posted this sweet sentiment on Facebook:  "And now I have the best mother-in-law ever." 

Best wishes to the couple for years to come!

Lisa Fieg Accepts New Position

Lisa Fieg has accepted the position of project coordinator at Caldwell Partners, an international executive search enterprise with world headquarters in her hometown of New York City.

This marks Lisa's departure from Russell Reynolds Associates, also an executive search firm based in New York, where she was employed for 23 years.

Lisa, 61, formerly worked for People Magazine and Morgan Stanley, both based in New York, and Thomson/Reuters, based in Toronto and London.  Caldwell is also based in Toronto.

Caldwell's world headquarters are located in the 44th story at 2 Grand Central Tower in Manhattan.  From her windows, Lisa has a view of the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, and it is just across the street from her gym.  Caldwell searches out high achievers, visionaries and innovators and places them with major corporations throughout the world.

Lisa attended New York University, Pace University, and Delhi Tech. 

Nancy Fieg and her aunt, Lisa Fieg, enjoying pie at Bubby's

Run, Maddie! Run!

Maddie Shedlock, granddaughter of the late Annie Bookhout Morgan, is a cover girl!

A photo of Maddie, her dad Andrew and her brother Ryan was selected for an ad promoting a 5K run on May 13 in the Big Bend area of Florida.  The photo shows Maddie in a pink tutu and purple tee-shirt, running next to her dad under an arc of colored balloons.  Ryan stands at the left side of the arch, leaning toward them on his right foot and cheering them on.

The run is sponsored by an organization called Girls on the Run of the Big Bend, whose mission is to "inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running."

Maddie's mom, Denise Egan Shedlock, posted the photo on her Facebook page, proudly announcing the honor as, "So cool!"  Your editor is in full agreement!

New Twigz on the Family Tree

We have some new babies in the family!

On March 19, Laura and Valentino "Chief" Kasibante welcomed a baby girl at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Ga.  

Zionne Namusisi Kasibante was born at 12:09 a.m. and weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz.  Mother and daughter came through the delivery with no problems.

Writes Chief on his Facebook page, "She is so adorable, I love her so much already.... Dream come true.  I am the happiest man in the entire world now.  Thank you Jesus."


Dan and Jenny Bookhout have it all, too, from A to Z!  On Jan. 6, 2017 Miss Zadie Bookhout joined big sister Arwen in this wonderful world.  Grandparents Will and Diane Bookhout could not be more proud of the newest addition to their down-line.

Pass the cigars!

In Memoriam

In recent weeks, two members of our extended family have passed away.

Eleanor J. Williams, mother of Ed Williams, died on March 24 at 9:00 a.m.  Ed is the husband of Fieg cousin Sue Williams. 


Grave-side services, conducted by Colonial Funeral Home, were held at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Oh., and Eleanor was laid to rest beside her husband, the late Edward A. Williams, who died in 1987.  Eleanor Williams was born on April 1, 1920.

It is fitting that Ed's mother should be laid to rest in this particular cemetery, as it is the site of the mausoleum of President James A. Garfield, which was co-created by Ed's great-grandfather,  Joseph Carabelli, who immigrated to the U.S. from Italy in 1870.

Mrs. Williams had been in a great deal of pain and Sue writes in an e-mail, "She was really suffering (and) could barely talk above a whisper." 


In a brief e-mail, FFN roving reporter Greg Fieg said that Donald A. Roman died on Feb. 22, 2017.  Don was the brother of the late Bob Roman, husband to Dorothy Fieg Roman.   A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Don Roman, for whom Bob and Dorothy's middle son is named, was 97 years old and worked up until he was 93!  He was born on Aug. 8, 1919, and served as an Air Raid Warden during World War II.

Our condolences to the families.

Hermann Fieg Artwork Restored

Your editor is happy to report that two watercolors by Hermann Fieg, son of Carl and Emilie Fieg who immigrated from Germany in 1900, were recently re-framed by the artist's great niece, Diana Fieg Doyle.

The pictures had bounced around the family until they fell into Diana's hands, and she took steps to protect these family treasures, having them framed and put under UV glass so the works won't fade.  See for yourself!

 Additionally, Diana had an appraisal done on Uncle Hermann's horse painting on wood that was donated to the family by Doris Holm, niece of the artist, in 2012.  Diana reports that the appraiser thought that the painting was of sentimental value, but that a price of $400 to $500 might be put on it.

Roving reporter Greg Fieg has floated the suggestion that the wood painting be given to the Wall Drug Store in North Dakota, which houses a large collection of art and artifacts from the American West.  He will attempt to get consent from the management of Wall Drug and report back. 

2016 Catch-up

Hi Twigs!

Here is a whirlwind catch up of stories buried in your editor's email files.  Hope you enjoy them, and that you can share them over the upcoming Christmas holidays.

Reunion
Sue Williams, only daughter of the late Lothar "Bud" and Catherine Shafer Fieg, attended her 50th high school reunion in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. this past June.  She and hubby Ed visited with her brothers Doug and Steven, and Steve's wife Eleanor, while there.

At Steve and Eleanor's home: Steve, Richard, Sue, Eleanor, Doug, Ed

Doug and Sue at the cemetery

Birthdays
Anne Whiteside Still celebrated 60 years on this earth in June.  Here she is with her sibs Marsha Adams and Bob Whiteside II.

Doris Fieg Holm celebrated her 89th birthday in October. Looking good, Doris!  Who's the photo-bomber??

Water
The Kestners in Corpus Christi survived another water alert in their city -- the fourth in about 12 months.  This time, instead of there being bacteria in the system, an industrial company had leaked a chemical into the water.   Luckily, before Judy had to decide whether to drive two hours to Harlingen, Laredo or San Antonio to stock up, the alert was lifted for their part of town.  Whew!

A Boy and his Dog
Greg Fieg travels everywhere with his little dog Rosie.  She helps brighten the hours spent on the road and also is a superb photographer's model!

Starring....
Jennifer Roman will be performing in a production of "Annie" at the Upper Main Line Y in Berwyn, Pa.  She will play the part of the evil Miss Hannigan, following in the footsteps of Carol Burnett, Kathy Bates and Jane Lynch.  The show will run the last two weekends of April, 2017.  Jennifer is the wife of Don Roman, whose mom is the late Dorothy Fieg Roman.

Backwards Boy
Keenan Murphy, grandson of Liz Bookhout Boggs, learned a new trick this year -- his father must be so proud!

Moving On
Diana and Bill Doyle have moved!  They said, "New Hampshire's the place we want to be!" so they loaded up the truck and they moved to Madison.  The new address is 51 Little Shore Dr., Box 149, Madison, NH 03849.

Mary and Jack Wolcott also moved -- ahem -- last year.  They bought an ocean-front condo in St. Augustine, Fla. and plan on doing more "want tos" than "have tos."  Their address is 1 Dondanville Rd., Unit 2016, St. Augustine, FL 32080.

Drop them a line!

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR AND ALL THAT JAZZ!

Long-lost Daughter of Bob Roman is Found

In July, John and Anne Roman connected with John's half-sister, Sandy Hatcher, who resides in Florida.  Here is the lightly edited story, written for the Roman family blog, courtesy of Anne:

John, Don and Mark Roman have known since they were young teenagers that their father, Bob, had a brief marriage to Dolores in his early twenties.  They had met when Bob was playing alto sax and clarinet with the Don Ragon Band in the mid-west during the late 1940s.  Dolores was from Indiana.


Among all the old photos taken by Grandpa Tony there were pictures of Bob and Dolores as newlyweds ...


and also some photos of a baby girl named Sandy.  John also remembers the name Dolores was crossed out on Alice and Tony's Bible family tree.


In the spirit of the fifties and early sixties, these things were just never discussed and certainly Dorothy never talked about a half-sister with her sons after their father died.  It's hard to understand for our generation that is so used to blended families.

In recent hears John, Don and Mark have talked about trying to find Sandy, but without knowing Dolores' maiden name or her new married name they didn't have a clue about where to start.  they asked Uncle Bill and Uncle Don who remembered a cute little girl, but not much else.

Fast forward to the weekend of June 25, 2016.  John and Anne were in Utica visiting with the family when Lori Birt came up with the idea to post the search on Facebook.  John created a short message asking people to "help me find my sister."

We released the postings after midnight and by the time we woke up on Sunday morning, John had an email message from a "search angel" who, in just 48 hours,  was able to locate a Sandy Hatcher in Gainesville, Fla. who was the daughter of Dolores!

Sandy saw [a Facebook message from Mark] when she was at work and it was the first time she had ever seen a picture of her birth father!  the message and the photos brought tears to her eyes.

Sandy was born in December 1951 and her parents separated when she was only 9 months old.  Dolores remarried and Sandy's stepfather adopted her.  she never knew that she was adopted until she was 17 years old.  When Bob died, Dorothy sent her a letter informing her of the news.

John and Anne had plans to be in Florida at the end of July, so arrangements were made for the three to meet.  Sandy is divorced and is a nurse in Gainesville.  She has recently moved to a small town on a branch of the St. John's River to live next door to her sister and brother-in-law, as she plans retirement later this year  Sandy's married daughter has s young son.

Word Paintings From November, 2016

Judy and Joe Kestner were hosts to their daughter, Emilie V., who came in from Abilene for the Thanksgiving holiday.  They also had a surprise - and very enjoyable - visit from Cade Dangca.  Cade, the number one grandchild of Greg Fieg, is currently stationed in El Paso, in his last year in the U.S. Army.  His paternal grandparents live in Corpus Christi and he and a buddy drove the 14 hours in to visit.   In all the excitement of watching him eat pumpkin pie and then a plate of turkey and all the trimmins, the thoughts of taking a current photo flew out the window.  Suffice it to say, Cade is a remarkable young man!

Kathy Boggs Clancy's turkey was done an hour and a half before the rest of the meal!!  So they all sat around and admired the pretty holiday table she set. 

Tommy and Tamara Bradford, Brenna Rose, Cindy, Richard

Richard and Cindy Fieg had their girls and son-in-law over for the holiday.  Peace out, dawgs!





Jean and Phyllis Fieg, in Greensboro, N.C., pulled a "Christmas Story" stunt and had Chinese for Thanksgiving.  Phyllis said the meal was from a new restaurant in town and was pretty good.  Judy and Emilie Kestner will be visiting in December -- hope we get to try it out!

Greg and Doug Fieg Enjoy Chitown Thanksgiving Celebration

The stars aligned and the peripatetic Greg Fieg (and his little dog, too!) was able to alight for a while to eat turkey, chat up the relatives and take a break from flattening out our nation's interstate highways.  Also, making the trek from the Show Me State to the Windy City was Cousin Doug Fieg, 

On Thanksgiving Day Greg and Doug joined cousin Sue Williams her home in Orland Park, Ill.  Sue's hubby, Ed, and his mom Eleanor rounded out the happy group. 

Greg reports that he had a most pleasant time, the food was delish, the company charming and the conversation sparkling.  Who could ask for anything more?