Beginning Etymology

26 July (no year)
Torrance

Dearest Mary and Irish,

Thek's brother is planning to drive East to visit in Charleroi and Washington DC.  I'm planning, the good lord willing, to accompany him.

Our tentative plans are to arrive in Charleroi on August 14th, your birthday. If all goes acc. to schedule I'll be seeing you.  I would like to attend Mass at St. Joseph's on Sunday and I can then plan the few days or so I'll be able to spend in Penna.

If Jimmie and Grace are OK and they still drive to Baltimore I would like to drive down with them to visit with Mary (particularly) and the rest of his gang. If he isn't up to it I can make other plans.

Next summer (God willing) Thek and I and possibly Patty and her husband Rod or some of the others available plan to visit Penna.

Give my regards to all of yours.  
Your brother, Pat

I must be Scotch.  I do have better and larger paper.

20 Apr 83
Torrance

Dearest Mary and Irish,

Easter has passed and the rains, that Millay said "is kind to come and speak to me" has spoken too often during the past few weeks and "the broad face of the sun" is laughing above the rain soaked earth" much to our delight.

I don't know whether I told you in one of my letters but I'm teaching a class in "Beginning Etymology" - Seventh graders at St. Margaret Mary School in Lomita. This is the school Aime and Dylan attend and soon Rory and then Cristin (Mark and Zoe's brood) will attend.  (From the looks of the above I should be taking a class in "composition"!! Well I have an excuse -- I'm getting old and I have a tendency (?) to let my thoughts get ahead of my pen. )

Sheila and Jerry and their Michael (10), Jaime (7) and Dennis (4) are currently in Palm Springs visiting Jerry's mom and dad and will arrive here in Torrance Thursday for a week's visit. I probably will go back to Sun Valley with them and spend a month (or longer) with them.

Our family are all fine -- Kevin/Renee's new son is doing fine as are all the others. Give my regards and love to all of yours and I hope and pray that your burden will be lightened.

Your rother
Pat


15 March 84
Torrance

Dearest Mary and Irish,

No we haven't "gone to that mysterious realm where each must take his place etc"--I'm just too lazy to write.

Maureen's Jennifer presented us with our first great grandson a 9# 4 oz. healthy baby whom they intend to christen Cody Patrick (it seems Matt's family has some connection with Wild Bill!) at least the middle name fits -- and mother and baby are fine.

The rest of our gang is fine. All apparently doing well. Kevin teaching, Maureen analyzing, Patty retiring, Sheila skiing, Lou waitressing (enjoying her "tips") an Mark directing. Incidentally Mark is now "Director of International Production - Republic of Korea for Northrup. In fact he will be spending several weeks or months in Korea just after Easter.

All the grandchildren are doing fine and growing like "bad weeds" Thek and I have two cut rate tickets we must use before June 6th so we are planning to fly into DC. Sometime around May 1 - 5th. Since we must return by June 6th we won't have as much time as we would like but at cut rate ($40 each a round trip) who can complain ??

We will contact you from DC and give you our info as to when we will be seeing you and yours.

Your brother
Pat.

3 Dec 84
Torrance

Dearest Mary and Irish,

We certainly enjoyed your letters (not the news they brought but the letters themselves).  I think everyone in the family read and re-read them. I'm almost embarrassed when I write to you, as my scribbling pales in comparison. I just finished writing a letter to Jimmie and told him about my plans for a visit this Spring. You know, when I called him from Sheila's (when Thek called me to tell me of the seriousness of his illness) I told him I had tickets that I could use to fly back for a visit and wanted to know if I should fly immediately from Idaho. He said, "wait til spring -- as far as I know I might die tomorrow or live for twenty more years!" So I'm thinking about a trip back in March 85.

Everyone out here is fine - I had a little trouble when I was up in Idaho - had a cold that I had trouble shaking, but I'm feeling fine now that I'm down out of snow country!

The whole family, with exception of Sheila in Idaho and Kevin who is still teaching at West High and incidentally Girls Basketball Coach (Girls sports are "real big" in S. Cal) is working at Northrup. Patty's husband, who had retired not because of age but because several years ago mgt positions were scarce, went back to work as a consultant on their newest plane called the "Stealth". Mark is a supervisor on their F-20 and (thank God!) won't have to go to Korea (the recent trouble between North and South Korea had me worried). Patty went back to work as a secretary and Gisella Lou is working at Northrop.  Now if I can just get Rod to place Thek in some job --I'll be in heaven!! ha!ha!

I pray that Irish hasn't gotten any more troublesome for you and that all of yours are well. Give all of them my best (not just for the Holidays).

May God Bless you Mary, you deserve and have earned your place "with all the angels and saints".

Your brother
Pat