well two weeks have passed since i wrote anything  charlie was in the hospital with pnuemonia and other complications and is now home recovering.  he had to give up summer classes as it will take a little while for him to get back to  normal   a minor setback but he will be back in school in september.  i had some time off from work to spend with him  he has slept a lot but thats ok.  i went down to amish country to pick up the school bag we had made for him and stopped at Winesburg Meats and bought a few things  I used to take my mother their all the time when she was alive.  Nothingmuch has changed at the meat market still the same family running the business and the same employees.  Quite a record since my mother has been gone for 20 years this august. tomorrow i return to work for two d ays then off on saturday and work the 4th of july. will get back to the earlier times on the next posting   i am surprised that 40 people have viewed this already.

well it is saturday evening and so many memories come back about this sad sad day 56 yrs ago. charlie is still not feeling well and i am concerned that something  bad may happen to him  i am just not into posting much this eve

we are one day closer to the 13th and i will be attending mass this sunday just like i did 56 years ago. charlie has not been feeling all that great and has spent a lot of time sleeping  he is concerned with school starting monday  not in the mood to write much tonight

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

latest info in project runway

i learned today that the semi finalists will be notified by phone. thought it would make it easier to know how the contact would be made so i called their office in california and that is what we learned.  the selection process goes thru may 31st.

onto some more history.  After my sister graduated high school she went to work for carter lumber co in akron ohio.  she rode the bus from canal fulton to akron.  yes indeed in those days we did have bus service. all the boys would sit on the porch waiting for her to come up over the hill from downtown where the bus left her off at 5pm every day.  once she was in sight we would run to meet her. i adored her.  i remember there was this contest at school selling subscriptions to the catholic exponet which was the paper published by the diocese of youngstown.  you had to sell 10 to attend the party which was held at the school for those who met their goal.  of  course i did not.  so that day Theresa took us to the school playgrounnd on the swings etc and sister joan came out and they needed another person to square dance and she wanted to know if i would join the party.  i refused because i did not want to give up the time were spending with theresa.

it is strange some of the things you remember from childhood and the rejection that came with defeat of an
activity sponsored by the school.  i remember the spelling bee i lost in 8th grade to gary stephan he won the trip to washington dc and i lost.  i never made it to washington until i reached the age of 62 and spent a week there hitting every tourist spot there was to see

well i think this is enough for tonight   will post again

well last night charlie and i went to playhouse square to see august osage county  if it is in your area go see it 
it was great funny and dramatic

back to some history  my sister theresa was in here senior year when we came to canal fulton, previously she had attended Central Catholic High in Reading Pa so it was difficult for her to leave all her friends in Reading and make new ones here in Canal Fulton.  Remembering that the town then was very small, around 250 residents everyone was related to someone except for the Koenig family who was not related to anyone and our nearest relatives were back in Reading.

My brothers and I all were enrolled in Sts Philip & James School which was staffed by Notre Dame nuns from Chardon which is where their motherhouse was located.  Our school was staffed by three nuns for all eight grades with one nun as a housekeeper.  Needless to say our school was very small  If I remember correctly there were 12 students in my class all the way through eighth grade.

will continue with more of this on the next posting  till then  enjoy

project runway

well charlie has sent his application to project runway.  Semi-finalists will be selected from April 26th thur may 21st so i guess all will be pins and needles till this time passes.

more on the family   My mother, sister, myself and 4 of my brothers traveled by train from reading pa to the fine city of canal fulton .  If anyone can remember we actually had passenger trains that stopped in canal fulton  by the old feed mill.  I remember when we got to our new house, the neighbor Pearl Doxsee immediately came over with two apple pies to welcome us. Pearl was a lovely lady and has long since passed away . Her husband charlie preceded her in death and i would visit Pearl often and she would always have a treat with tea or  coffee  Her and her husband are buried in the Union cemetery along with many of the old neighbors from days gone by.

I think this is enough for today will continue again soon   Jim