Thursday, June 22, 2006

Sue and I started this blog over two years ago as a way of keeping family and friends informed about Sue's serious (then serious) health problems. We titled the blog "Sue's Journey to Health," not knowing just where the journey might lead but filled with hope in the face of some dire circumstances. Sue has indeed journeyed back to health although not completely to wholeness. [Her recent problem, low sodium that caused flu-like symptoms, has been tied to her medication. With a change to a new drug, her sodium levels have returned to normal and she to feeling quite well again.]

Although healthy now, Sue's strange illness left her with limited use of her hands. Stem-cell research shows increasing promise for exactly this kind of an affliction, but it may be some time before the research delivers effective treatment. We personally know many people who suffer from ailments for which stem cell research holds great hope. Please join in the effort to change the political climate to free up monies for this valuable endeavor. We like to remember that once money started flowing into research for AIDS, it was a very short few years until AIDS became an illness one could live with rather than a death sentence.

All that said, we are changing the title of this blog to reflect more what it has become--a central place for posting information about far-flung family members. Right now we have five contributing editors, Sue, myself, Christopher (Sue's son), Catrina (Margaret and Norman's daughter), and most recently Stephanie (also Margaret and Norman's daughter). We would welcome more contributors, so if any Dear Reader wants to become a spokesperson and news channel for a branch of the family, just let us know. Any reader is invited to add comments by clicking on the "comment" icon. As always, we will post e-mails and photos that anyone wants to send us. We get valuable information that way, for example, Elaine's input about the early photo we posted where we had wrongly identified some of the people. [Brother Joe tells me he has found some parts of the 'Family Quiz' that need clarification and is preparing input on that.]

Stephanie tells me that she and Shelly are organizing photos and information gathered at the recent family reunion. They will be posting some of that material here.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Chris Lynch, aka "Maddog"; Janet, Sandi, Cindy Shelly




Pete and Catrina
Sherry (left) and Lizzie (below)

Sue with Brayden and Jalen (left) and Janet (below)

Sam (left)


















Sue went to the Lake on Thursday afternoon. Her cellphone works only sporadically in that area. The house phone number is 573 365 2106. She is doing well and plans to stay through Girls' Weekend next weekend, returning for various appointments the following week.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

At the urging of Sue's daughter-in-law, Shelly, Sue and I put together a "Family Quiz," which Pete gave when we gathered at Chris and Shelly's on Saturday of our Family Reunion. Jalen helped us add some questions aimed at the younger folk, and those are the questions toward the end of the quiz. Thank you Shelly, Jalen, and Pete!

Here is the quiz, a quick and fun way to acquaint people with some family lore:

FAMILY QUIZ

JUNE 3, 2006


1. What were the names of Katie LaFoe Felin’s (mother of James, Edward, and Louis Felin] two sisters? [Answer: Mary and Lizzie]

2. Name the offspring of Edward [Bud] and Lois Felin. [Answer: Jamie, twins, Nadine and Pauline]

3. Name the offspring of Louis and Mary Felin. [Answer: Fanny, Bill, Beau]

4. Name the offspring of James [Jim] and Marie Madden Felin. [Answer: Bernie, Bob, Joe, John, Margaret, Rose, Sue, Donald + two unnamed infants, one died within 24 hours of birth and one stillborn]

5. Where were the farms that Giacomo (Jake) Felin (widower of Katie) willed to his three sons? [Near Turnbow Creek, in Webster County, MO]

6. What was the name of the one-room schoolhouse that the Felin children attended near the farms? [Anderson School]

7. What were the businesses of the Felin brothers, James, Edward, and Louis? [Answer: Farming, canning factories for tomatoes, and road construction]

8. What was the scary place between the farms and Anderson School called? [Answer: Bum’s Hollow]

9. What was the most notorious hang-out in Marshfield for men and boys, women not allowed? [Answer: the Pool Hall]

10. How did Marie Madden and future husband Louis Felin meet? [Answer: She was a bookkeeper for his factory in Fair Grove, MO. Her mother (maiden name Stone) also worked in the factory.

11. What were Marie Madden’s siblings names? [Answer: Mildred (Mit), Curtis, and Kenneth (Kent)]

12. What was Harve Madden’s (father of Marie, Mildred, Curtis, and Kenneth) occupation? [Answer: Farmer]

13. Name two unusual facts about Marshfield. [Answers: A. It was the smallest town in America to have a Carnegie Library. (Loyola (Brick) Spreitler, father of Mark, Scott, and Christopher, always said Marshfield had the smallest Carnegie Library in the United States. B. President George H. W. Bush chose Marshfield as the quintessential American town in which to celebrate the Fourth of July in 1991.]

14. What is the county seat of Webster County? [Answer: Marshfield, MO]

15. From what country did Giacomo (Jake) Felin immigrate? [Answer: Austria (from the Tyrol Province, southern Austria)]

16. What was the business of the LaFoe’s in Northview, MO? [Answer: Shopkeeping]

17. Why was Katie Felin (mother of James, Louis, and Edward) institutionalized in the early 1900’s? [Answer: She suffered from post-partum depression, an untreatable condition in that time.]

18. What was the name of the long-term priest at Holy Trinity Church in Marshfield? [Answer: Father Donahue]

19. Who was the best Mass server ever at Holy Trinity? [Answer: John L. (Pete) Felin]

20. Who was the town physician who delivered many of the Felin babies and made housecalls? [Answer: Dr. C. R. MacDonnell]

21. What was the big, big event in Marshfield in 1955? [Answer: The Centennial Celebration]

22. What was Miss Muzzy’s Cafe most known for? [Answer: the amount of old chewing gum stuck under the counter.]

23. Where was Miss Muzzy’s CafĂ© located? [Answer: On west side of the Square in Marshfield?]

24. Bess Hosmer, an intimidating, gruff woman who owned an insurance agency near Miss Muzzy’s, had a run-in with Martha Sue Spreitler-Boaz (nee’ Felin) when Sue was eight-years old. What happened? [Answer: Sue was on the street with one of the family mutts when it got into a scrap with Mrs. Hosmer’s pure-bred pride and joy. Mrs. Hosmer demanded to know, “Is your dog vaccinated?” Sue, with equal hostility, responded, “Yes! Is yours?”]

25. What are names of Bernie and Maudie (Larrimore) Felin’s offspring? [Answer: Anna, Shirley, Steve, Sandy, Karen Kaye, Doug, Glen, Mike, Tammy, Cindy]

26. What are names of Bob and Betty Felin’s offspring? [Answer: Robert (Bobby), Debby, Sandy, and Kathy]

27. What are names of Joe and Mary (Gann) Felin’s offspring? [Answer: Lisa, Beth, and David]

28. What are names of John (Pete) and Janet (Jensen) Felin’s offspring? [Answer: Kelly, Nancy, and Merri]

29. What are names of Margaret (Felin) and Norman Abbott’s offspring? [Answer: Stephanie, Sabrina, Randy, and Catrina]

30. What are names of Donald and Vita (Nicastro) Felin’s offspring? [Answer: Jennifer and Julie]

31. What are names of Martha Sue (Felin) and Loyola (Brick) Spreitler’s offspring? [Answer: Scott and Christopher (Ding)]

32. What was to be feared at the annual Webster Country Fair? [Answer: “Gypsies” who stole children, meaning there was no money to go.]

33. Sue’s first husband’s name was ___________. Brayden’s middle name is the same, ____________. [Answer: Loyola]

34. Which children had asthma and had to be in the hospital? [Answer: Chris Spreitler and Sam King]

35. Which teenager knows a lot about nature? [Answer: Jacob Schmitt]

36. Which pre-teens play basketball on teams their dad coaches? [Brett and Alex Smith]

37. Which six-year girl was courageous enough to jump off the high diving board at Shaw Park Pool? [Answer: Lizzie King]

38. What two half-brothers in our family are rambunctious and really love each other? [Answer: Jalen and Brayden Spreitler]

39. Which adult in our family is a creative mechanic? [Answer: Nathan Schmitt]

40. Margaret gave her granddaughter a car when she turned 16. Who is that granddaughter? [Answer: Erica Abbott]

41. Which girl in our family is very, very artistic? [Answer: Amanda Abbott]

42. Which boy in our family is a great hockey player? [Answer: Connor Abbott]
Photos will be posted as time and technical know-how permit. We haven't mastered the art of moving photos from a Walgreen's disk to this Blog just yet.




I am happy to report that Sue was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon. She is home and feeling quite well. [Or as Grandpa Madden would have put it, she is "feeling fine as frog hair."]

Tomorrow she has to go see her primary care physician, Sara Renfert, a new one and someone Sue has developed respect for in a very short time. If her blood test tomorrow shows a good sodium level (good being greater that 130), she will go to the lake tomorrow afternoon.

I am copying an e-mail below from our cousin Elaine so that all our Dear Readers can have news about her and her family:

"Rose –

It was so good to talk to you last week. You don’t sound a day older! Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to make the BIG family shindig, but I hope you will let everyone know that it is with regret that I must pass it up. I did want to pass on my information as you requested and to let you know that I will be looking forward to seeing pics & info on the blog. One other thing I wanted to mention, there is a picture on the blog of your mom, Aunt Mitt and a young boy you identified as either Uncle Curt or Dad. If the picture was made in 1916 as you indicated, then the young man is not Dad or Uncle Curt. Dad wasn’t born until 1920 and Uncle Curt was later than that.

Here’s my information and please let all the family know the door is always open and the Welcome mat out anytime anyone wants to visit.

Elaine Raymond
68 Kimberlys Way
Jasper, GA 30143
678-454-6132
quiltlady@etcmail.com

My husband, Bill, and I have been married 33 years and have 2 children. Our son, Tony, is married to Tara and together they have a daughter, Kayla, 14 months."


Joe Felin called this morning as he was headed to cardiac rehab. He said Bernie and Maudie are in the area (no sighting yet) and would be getting together with him and Aunt Virginia during their stay.

Pete and Janet checked in yesterday. Janet continues to recover from her shoulder surgery. She is still chuckling about my getting so terribly lost in an area I've lived most of my life. What she perhaps doesn't understand is that I have stayed the same; the terrain has changed beyond recognition!

Monday, June 12, 2006

It's Rose again with a quick update. Sue called this morning to say her renal specialist was in. He wants her to stay in the hospital because her sodium level has, once again, fallen, and he doesn't know why. She has her cell phone: 314 452-3685. I am in Chicago and will return tomorrow afternoon.

Friday, June 09, 2006

A quick note to let you know that Sue is now in Room 7717 at St. Luke's Hospital. She has her cell phone with her: (314) 452-3685 .

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

One of the most delightful parts of this past weekend was getting reacquainted with some far-flung relatives, especially nieces and nephews. Sandi and Cindy came from Olympia, WA, and Portland, OR. Debby and her grandchildren, Joshua, Martesia, and Junior came from St. John, KS, as did Debby's sister Sandy and her daughter Cassandra, also from St. John. Part of that same family, Jana, John, and Ellie, now live in Ballwin, MO. And from Louisville, KY, my son Scott, his girlfriend Sherry and his two sons, Jalen and Brayden were here. This was the first time all "Marie's Children" were together since Brother Bob's funeral in August, 2000. The photo that Catrina posted below is one with the seven surviving siblings.

Brother Joe and his daughter Lisa came from Springfield. Bernie and Maudie came from Spokane, WA, and Pete and Janet from Idaho Falls, ID. Donald and Vita came in from Birmingham, AL, for Saturday. They had been in Chicago with three of their grandsons seeing "Sue" the dinosaur and other windy city attractions.

Our cousin Harriet Natale (nee' LaFoe) put Rose in touch with her half-brother Harry LaFoe who lives in Cape Girardeau, MO. Harry and his wife Marian and their son Edward (who lives in Ballwin, MO) came on Saturday to Chris and Shelly's. Harry brought a LaFoe geneology record that was very informative. As best we could tell, all the LaFoe men who aren't named Harry are/were named Edward. Harry and Marian lived for a long time in Monroe, LA, and only moved to Missouri when they retired. They have a second son who lives in Cape Girardeau with his family.

Sandy and Cindy checked in with us today. They were both in Olympia, WA. Pete and Janet called to say they were home in Idaho Falls at 2:00 pm and happy to be there after a long, long drive. Bernie and Maudie are staying on for some days at Cuivre River State Park. Margaret and Norman have joined them, and the four of them are 'roughing' it in their very modern RV's.

One of the plans that evolved over the weekend was to have a get-together next year around the time of Bernie's birthday, June 28, at the Lake of the Ozarks. We'll post more as plans evolve, but please keep the date in mind. We would also like your thoughts and ideas on another gathering.

I am in St. Luke's, having tests and getting some meds adjusted. As Rose wrote earlier, my flu-like symptoms are gone, and I simply want to get out of here. My plan was to go to the Lake on Friday, but as often happens my plans have upended.
The Family Reunion over this past weekend [Saturday at the Spreitlers; Sunday at the Schmitts] was a huge success, thanks largely to the tremendous efforts of Chris, Shelly, Stephanie, Dan, Jacob, Nathan, Catrina, and Robbie. There were lots of helper elves that I don't know about but a big "thank you" to them, too.

I see that Catrina has already posted one photo. We have many, many others to post as time permits. And lots of family news to go with them.

Our delay in getting new posts on this Blob is due to another problem. On Monday evening, Sue fell ill. She toughed out the night, but on Tuesday morning we headed to St. Luke's Emergency once again. Same problem: low sodium. After numerous tests (actually retests), the physicians admitted her. She is in room 7705 at St. Luke's Hospital. One happy note out of this is that it is looking more and more like all this recurring illness is a reaction to some meds, and her neurologist is changing the problem pill. By late afternoon yesterday she was 'feeling some better.'

We started this blog over two years ago when Sue was so seriously ill as a way of keeping everyone concerned up-to-date. As Sue's health has continued to improve, the blog has turned into more of a Family Newsletter. When we have time, we'll change the title.

And we'll add a lot of information and photos from the reunion.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Please note corrected directions to Stephanie and Dan's for Sunday at 1:00 pm!!!

The weather is cooperating. Should be very nice on Saturday and Sunday.

The latest and NEW addition to the weekend is a Friday night dinner for those who can make it at Harry J's, 300 Main Street, Moscow Mills, MO. [Take Hiway 61 north from Hiway 70 to Moscow Mills which is three miles south of Troy. Follow billboards to Harry J's.]

We are asking anyone coming to arrive between 7:00 and 7:30 pm. Harry J's does NOT take reservations so there may be a short wait. This is a last minute add-on. Come if you can but be prepared to be flexible.


CORRECTION:

Directions-Dan & Steph Schmitt’s
Pool Party1:00 p.m. – bring your swim suit!

Hwy 70 West to 61 North – go 15 miles.
Hwy 47 – Troy exit – left – go approx.
5 miles To H & J – right go exactly 3 miles to the old barn on the left. Make a left onto Michael Court. It’s the 1st house on the left – ½ mile.Park at the top of the driveway. Golf cart shuttle provided.
Plans are unfolding for the Felin Family Reunion. Bernie and Maudie have arrived at the Cuivre River State Park. Margaret and Norman and our sister-in-law Sally (widow of our Brother bob) have been up there (about 60 miles north of St. Louis) to greet them and to set up Margaret and Norman's RV for other out-of-towners. We expect Pete and Janet at any moment. Sandy and Cindy are coming in around midnight tonight. Joe and some of his family on Saturday. Some of our late brother Bob's family from Kansas will be here on Saturday. And we have been providing other updates all along as time permits.

Our Reunion Hosts, the Spreitlers and the Schmitts, are in a frenzy of preparation for Saturday at the Spreitlers (directions to their home below) and Sunday at the Schmitts (directions to their home here:

Directions-Dan & Steph Schmitt’s Pool Party
1:00 p.m. – bring your swim suit!


Hwy 70 West to 61 North – go 15 miles.
Hwy 47 – Troy exit – left – go approx. 5 miles
To H & G – right go exactly 3 miles to the old barn on the left. Make a left onto Michael Court. It’s the 1st house on the left – ½ mile.

Park at the top of the driveway. Golf cart shuttle provided.



We anticipate lots of connecting and reconnecting of Maddens, Felins, Abbotts, Kings, Moores, Spreitlers, Schmitts, Smiths, LaFoes, and others I cannot recall at the moment.

If you have any questions or want more detailed directions, please call (314) 452-3685 [Sue], or (636) 397-5674 [Margaret], or (314) 726-2032 [Rose].