Pennies From Heaven

I have this thing about pennies.  I don't recall quite how it started, but after my Papa (Harold Thurber) passed away, whenever I saw a penny on the ground I would pick it up - no matter if it was tails or heads up.  I had come to believe that it's his way of saying "Hello" to me.

As time has gone on, I've lost other special people in my family - my Nana (Alice Thurber), Grandpa Joe Stanish, and Grandma Da Silva. One by one they have joined my pennies from heaven club.  It gives me a warm feeling to still feel their presence.  The great thing is that at times when I've been troubled and needed someone on my side, I would find a penny, and my problems would wash away.  And of course, I would hear Louis Prima in my head singing "Pennies from Heaven" as well.....shoobie doobie.  Tell me that song doesn't make you happy.  I have quite the collection of pennies now which all amount to good memories. 

Today, another very special person has joined the club.  My sweet Grandma Stanish will now be sending me pennies from heaven.

Although we lived across the country from each other and rarely saw each other, we had a special relationship.  We shared some great conversations and laughs.  Her sense of humor was dry and unexpected.  One of my favorite memories was sitting in her living room watching "Tommy Boy" together, just Gram and me.  She laughed through the whole movie and commented quite often "what an idiot" Chris Farley's character was.  She cracked me up with that.  It still makes me smile. 

I'm glad I made it out to Pennsylvania for an all too quick trip this past summer.  She shared old family photos and stories with me, which was immensely special.  I bawled like a baby when I said goodbye to her on that trip...and she just looked up at me with her sweet, mischievous, knowing smile. 

I'll miss our talks, Grandma, and I look forward to your first penny from heaven.

Bernette Elizabeth Stanish
October 7, 1919 - March 6, 2011

My Great Uncle, Maurice Daniel Silva

My great uncle Maurice is my maternal grandmother's younger brother. It's been said that my great-grandmother named him after her favorite actor, Maurice Chevalier. Having been blessed with the good looks of an actor, he is a typical Portuguese man in that he always has a good story probably because he's always up to something mischievous. The love he has for his family is directly proportional to our admiration of him.    

Uncle Maurice and Aunt Mary's wedding day, March 25, 1951- Easter Sunday

In honor of his upcoming 80th birthday (b. February 26, 1931) I thought I would post some photos of him. Happy Birthday Uncle Maurice! 

Maurice as a baby, held by cousin Edwina and
flanked by big sister (my grandmother), Gloria

First Communion

Graduation Day
with his mother Alice and niece
(my mother) Maureen

Sharing a Birthday - How Special?!

I should have posted this a week and a half ago. My Great Great Aunt Mamie (Mary Alvernaz Cordiero) and I share a birthday. We're both born on January 11th. She in 1895 and me in 1971 - 76 years apart. I had the fortunate opportunity to have been able to meet her, if only for a short amount of time. She passed away (d. Sept 28, 1974) when I was three years old.

I DO remember her though. I remember how special she made me feel just by the simple fact of sharing a birthday. I don't remember words or events, but I remember her warmth and love and general sweetness.

So, every birthday I remember Aunt Mamie. This being a significant year for me - the big 4-0, I still remembered Aunt Mamie, who would have celebrated the 116th year since her birth. So, Happy Birthday Aunt Mamie! Happy Birthday to us!

(Bottom right photo is me sitting on Aunt Mamie's lap with my Nana's friend Mrs. T in the lounger)

Manuel Leal Silva - My Great Grandfather the Master Cheese Maker



Manuel and his second wife, Mary Norma


 I never had the chance to meet my Great Grandfather - a Portuguese man named Manuel Silva (That's like John Smith in Portuguese). He was my Nana's first husband - my biological great grandfather. I know very little of him:

• He came from the Azore island of Pico (b. Aug 15, 1891)
• He was a master cheese maker
• He married my Nana in a somewhat arranged marriage. Her heart belonged to another (that's another story)
• His second wife was Mary (May) Norma
• He passed away after the great flood of 1964 in Garberville, CA (d. Sept 4, 1965)




Manuel and his first wife, Alice - my great-grandparents

 As a cheese master he could easily get a job at any cheese factory on the west coast. As a Portuguese man he had a fiery temper and would quit work easily. I was told he would travel up and down the west coast from California to Oregon to Washington and back again. From what I understand this is what led to the dissolution of his marriage to my Nana - the being away from home so much. One story I heard is that he was working in Newman, CA and someone came running to tell him that his house burned down. He asked if his wife and children were safe. Once he found out they were, he continued working. I don't think this set well with my equally fierce tempered Nana. They soon divorced later. A frowned upon act given the time (the 1930s) and the fact they were Catholic and Portuguese. My grandmother does not remember any arguing...no fights...it just happened.

Nana Gets Funky

Growing up, I remember my Nana (my great-grandmother -my Mom's grandmother on her Mom's side) as being somewhat of a fiery Portuguese woman.

She defined the term matriarch. She was tough and you didn't mess with her. If there was a holiday, it was celebrated at Nana and Papa's house - no questions asked. One thing was known for sure, she loved her family.

The great thing that I learned when I went through old photos after my Grandma passed away is that I found some saucy photos of Nana. She had a great sense of humor which I wasn't exactly privy to. My Great Aunt Mary remembers how my Nana and her sisters would play dress up. And I found the photos to prove it. I just love these photos, particularly the one where Nana shows some leg in the Hawaiian grass skirt.

Oh, you funny, funny lady.

Grandpa Stanish Meets Grandma

My Grandma Bernette (or "B") and Grandpa Joe are my Dad's parents. They raised their family in the town of Oil City, Pennsylvania. They had three children: my Dad Robert, David, and Linda. Recently on a trip back to Pennsylvania I asked my Grandma how she came to meet my Grandpa Joe.

Grandma's mom, Regina Eilers Frommelt, came from a large family in Guttenberg, Iowa. Regina was the second of ten children and her younger brother Greg was the eighth.

Grandpa Joe came from a large family, as well - fourteen in all. His older sister Ann was a twin and the seventh or eigth in line. Grandpa Joe was also a twin and the eleventh or twelfth in line. So, after that explanation my Great-Great Uncle Greg Eilers married my Great Aunt Ann Stanish in Pennsylvania. They travelled to Iowa after their wedding and my Grandpa Joe tagged along. That's where he met my Grandma.

So, Grandma went back with this travelling group to spend the summer in Pennsylvania before her senior year in high school. She was hooked, but had decided to go back to Iowa to finish out her schooling with her classmates. After high school she went back to Pennsylvania, but Grandpa Joe and Grandma didn't get married until a couple years later. I'll have to ask more questions on that one. But, look at those photos of the two - no wonder they were smitten...a cutie patootie and a handsome devil.

Meet My Papa

My Papa is my great-grandfather. Actually, he's my step-great-grandfather on my Mom's Mom's side. The second husband of my Nana.

Papa's name is Harold Thurber. A somehow cousin of the author James Thurber. Papa lived from 1905 to 1982 in Vallejo, Eureka, and Napa California. I don't know much about his years before he married my Nana. I do know that he came from a family that had 21 children.

He was married and had a daughter before my Nana. All we knew is that he and his first wife divorced and that he never saw his daughter. Late in his life, his daughter showed up on his doorstep asking if he was Harold Thurber. She said she would return on Easter. Papa was so excited because he loved our family and now his family was coming. Apparently he beamed on Easter waiting for her return...she never showed. Papa was heartbroken.

It's been my mission since starting my genealogy searches to find Papa's descendents, if there are any. I want to let them know what a warm, loving man he was for the short time that I knew him. I want to tell them the story of how he helped me get out of trouble with my Nana and how he thought it was so funny helping me climb on top of their roof (how dangerous was that?) or when he plucked the largest strawberry from his garden and gave it to my older brother and I to share. He was just a neat, neat guy.

Not ever knowing his first wife's name or his daughter's name has been challenging. But, today luck would shine on me. I discovered, through a popular genealogy site, the name I was looking for - Genevieve Burke! Oh, how I see a small light at the end of this tunnel. Oh, how I can't wait to meet Papa's family and I get the chance to introduce him.