well i am going to jump ahead a bit here  this week june 13th is the 56th anniversary of my sister Theresa's death.  it hardly seems that it has been that long.  She was killed in a tragic traffic accident on 6 13 1954 the da y before my mother's birthday and anniversary.  I remember so well that sunday morning i woke up went downstairs and my mom and dad were dressed for the 10 oclock mass.  it was very unusual as my dad never went to mass ever so i decided i was going.  they tried to discourage me but i went against their judgement.  we lived across the street from the nuns convent and as i crossed to go the church Sister Joan came out and asked me how Theresa was and i replied that she was still sleeping.  It was her way of knowing that i did not know about the accident.  I went into the church and sat in the third row where all the students were expected to sit and Mass started.  After the reading of the gospel i heard Father Maurer say we would pray for the repose of the sould of Threresa Koenig and he started the traditional Our father, hail ma ry and glory be.  I wasnt sure what he had said and i was confused as to why we were saying prayers for the dead.

After Mass i crossed the street back to the house and when i walked in my mother was crying and many of the church members had come across the street to offer their sympathy.  I remember exactly my mother saying she always felt sorry for the mothers that this had happened too but she never expected it to happen to her.  She was devastated to say the least.  I remember how the neighbors brought food immediately and as Theresa's husband was in the Navy and stationed overseas it took a week to get him home.

my mother took us boys to the funeral home for a private viewing of my sister and for us we were so young it was our first experience with death.  It has always had a lasting impression on me.  I remember the funeral mass as i went up and sang with the choir.  When the mass was over i came down and stood with my parents as we walked to her gravesite behind the church.  The funeral luncheon was held in the basement of the church and i remember so many people crying. Including Mr Colopy the father of my sisters maid of honor at her wedding  She had only been married for 7 months.

I remember the day after the funeral my mother asked my to go over to the gravesite to make sure that the
funeral director and gathered all the cards from the enourmous amount of flowers that had been sent. I remember the grave was piled high with flowers and the casket spray of yellow roses my mother picked out.
I was twelve years old and turned 13 on 10 1 54.

i remember that before the funeral our class had committed to a cleveland indians ballgame and my mother insisted i go even tho i didnt want to.  Father Maurer accompanied us on that trip and he made a point to sit with me and made sure i was ok.  He was our paster for 36 years at St. Philip and James and was always a kind and generous man.  He also is buried on our church cemetery.

This sunday 6 13 10 i am having a mass read for Theresa as this year all falls on the days as it did 56 years ago and so many memories come flashing back this week.  We never heard from any of the families of the boys who hit her car broadside and i wonder today if any are still alive and if they even remember the tragic night in 1954.  I miss Theresa the most as i often wonder what her llife would have been as this year on November the second she would have been 76 years old.  She was 7 years older than me.  So if anyone reads this it is perhaps one of the darkest periods of my 68 years.  There are some other things to write about this time but will save it for its proper space in my blog