Brendan (Dad) and Irene with Santa who has a striking resemblance to my grandfather but I am told by Dad was the Santa at McCleary's in Dublin.
December of 1946/7 is the date according to himself.
He had spent the War years in Sligo with his Grandparents, as his folks were sure Hitler would bomb Dublin, either by mistake or design. He was 6 months old when they took him down to the farm, and he didn't return to Dublin till the war was over.
1st Christmas in America 1957:
Irene, Brendan and Mary.
After arriving in the United States, Dad and Irene were up in the Catskills and were speaking with a woman from Ireland. She told the two she had been in America for over 15 years. The siblings looked at one another laughing:
"Sure, we'll never be here that long!"
Patrick, Brendan and Ned
This is the first picture I ever saw of my father in uniform. He served in the US Army during the Vietnam years as a corpsman in Heidelberg.
Atop the Zugsplitz.
This is the first picture I ever saw of my father in uniform. He served in the US Army during the Vietnam years as a corpsman in Heidelberg.
Brendan Kelly looking out over no-man's land
Berlin 1964/5
Mom joined him in Germany after they married and they traveled to Berlin for a visit while assigned in Heidelberg. Mom headed to her parents' farm in Ireland to have Dee in Sept 1965 and Dad joined them there at the end of his service.
The family of three returned to the Bronx where I was born the following March.
In the Maher backyard in Blauvelt, Marion Maher is Dad's first cousin.
Easter morning in our new dresses with our new purses. Mom made the dresses and matching capes and Grandpa Kelly bought our purses and filled them with candy.
Dad in The Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown
in Cape Cod 1973/74
Dad is holding baby Teresa- this was the 1976 visit to Fairfield Ohio.
All the Kellys on Christmas day at 251
The family of three returned to the Bronx where I was born the following March.
In the Maher backyard in Blauvelt, Marion Maher is Dad's first cousin.
Easter morning in our new dresses with our new purses. Mom made the dresses and matching capes and Grandpa Kelly bought our purses and filled them with candy.
Dad in The Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown
in Cape Cod 1973/74
This is dad outside the cabin we rented for the week at Cape Cod
Dad is holding baby Teresa- this was the 1976 visit to Fairfield Ohio.
Family Portrait 1981 just in time for Christmas- I am wearing my confirmation dress.
Christmas 1989
1993 was a good year. Ellen married Tommy and 251 Hollywood got new wall to wall carpeting.
The Kelly family with Teresa and Dennis at Granny's apartment
Mom, Irene, Dad and Granny
This is a picture of Eddie, Liz, Brendan, Ellen and Tommy 2008, when dad was in the Rehab center after his stroke. The stroke was the result of a plaque being loosened when he was having a heart stent placed.
May 2014, I stopped in to visit on my way back from Miami- I had gone down with Liz due to a family emergency.
Brendan and Victoria 2014 in front of the Florida homestead. Victoria has been Dad's home health aide for years.
2015 Visiting Jerry Nihan while I was on leave to take Dad for Radiation treatment. Dad had 9 weeks of therapy and we tried to keep his spirits up
May 2016- Eddie's Wedding in upstate New York- Dad walked with Sarah's mom down the aisle.
All the clan at Eddie and Sarah's wedding- a wonderful day
Today is Dad's 80th birthday so a thought I would share some of these memories.
