Congratulations to Amie Edwards for passing her Series 7 exam. For those of you who have taken it, you know it is VERY tough. And, I'm sure juggling 3 toddlers and a demanding full-time job adds a whole other element to it all. Congratulations, Amie!!!
Jenny Rasking turns the big 4-0!!! Happy Birthday, Jenny. Hope you had a great day.
These are the only updates I have for now, but please send them along so we can share the news with everyone.
FYI - Jon and Jenny have set up a family tree on Geni. If you join and fill in your "branches", you can get updates on anniversaries, birthdays, etc. for everyone in your tree. I did it which is why I knew about Jenny's big day.
Hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving! I know we will all be thinking of each other as we always do during the holidays. Gobble, gobble...
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Should have, could have, would have...
You will never hear that from this man.
Congratulations, David.
Family reception Dec. 28, LaCantina Restaurant, 911 Waverly Street, Framingham at 6 pm. RSVP Ann, Kelley or Shelley by Dec. 12th.
pictured: David Click wearing a gas mask as part of his firefighter training program. circa 2005
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Annual Kids' Cookie Decorating Party
Aunt Ann will host this year's kids' cookie decorating party on Saturday, December 12th at 11 a.m. Please bring some cookies to decorate.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Remembering Elisabeth Dennett
From Pam - The following is to appear in the "Sandpiper", the Sagamore Beach newsletter.
Remembering Elisabeth Dennett
For over 50 years Elisabeth Dennett welcomed families to Dennetts' Cottages on Phillips Rd. Spring, Summer and Fall. She and her husband Jim built their first two cottages in the late forties and had finished their eighth by the mid fifties. Jim died in 1990 after a long illness but Elisabeth lived on into her 102nd year. She continued to stay at "The Office" (#320) a major part of each summer until 2003.
On April 25, 2009 Elisabeth's family, friends and neighbors from Plympton and Sagamore Beach gathered at the Plympton Congregational Church to celebrate her long life. The church bell tolled 102 times in her honor on that fine spring day. Linda Sheldon who lives year round at #321 spoke for the hundreds of families who have enjoyed summer vacations at Dennetts' Cottages for over five decades. She read from a note Bernice Nealon, the mother of eight children, wrote on the back of a photo taken of Jim and Elisabeth in front of their cottage.
"Jim and Elisabeth - our dear friends who preside so gracefully and graciously over that enchanted acre at Phillips Road where we were so fortunate to spend precious weeks each year for a decade. To each and every one of us Sagamore was not just a place but a way of life."
Pam Nealon Langenbach and her husband Jim, current president of the beach association, enjoy summers with their daughters and grandchildren at #327. Four generations at Sagamore Beach! Not unusual and such a tribute to Elisabeth and Jim.
Remembering Elisabeth Dennett
For over 50 years Elisabeth Dennett welcomed families to Dennetts' Cottages on Phillips Rd. Spring, Summer and Fall. She and her husband Jim built their first two cottages in the late forties and had finished their eighth by the mid fifties. Jim died in 1990 after a long illness but Elisabeth lived on into her 102nd year. She continued to stay at "The Office" (#320) a major part of each summer until 2003.
On April 25, 2009 Elisabeth's family, friends and neighbors from Plympton and Sagamore Beach gathered at the Plympton Congregational Church to celebrate her long life. The church bell tolled 102 times in her honor on that fine spring day. Linda Sheldon who lives year round at #321 spoke for the hundreds of families who have enjoyed summer vacations at Dennetts' Cottages for over five decades. She read from a note Bernice Nealon, the mother of eight children, wrote on the back of a photo taken of Jim and Elisabeth in front of their cottage.
"Jim and Elisabeth - our dear friends who preside so gracefully and graciously over that enchanted acre at Phillips Road where we were so fortunate to spend precious weeks each year for a decade. To each and every one of us Sagamore was not just a place but a way of life."
Pam Nealon Langenbach and her husband Jim, current president of the beach association, enjoy summers with their daughters and grandchildren at #327. Four generations at Sagamore Beach! Not unusual and such a tribute to Elisabeth and Jim.
Friday, November 6, 2009
New Blog Editor!
In addition to me...Kelley will now be co-editing this page. Please send updates to kelley_click@hotmail.com
Or you can still send them to me
nealon@pipeleine.com
or
jon@nealonraskin.com
Thanks!
Or you can still send them to me
nealon@pipeleine.com
or
jon@nealonraskin.com
Thanks!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Save the Date - Nealon Christmas Party
Kelley and Matt Petralia will host this year's family Christmas party. Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 12th and stay tuned for more details!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Calendar Raffle
Hello Everyone!! Please support us in going to the Irish dance New England Regional Championships this November. We are selling money calendars for $10 a piece. This is how it works: we'll put your ticket(s), that has your name and phone number on it, in the raffle and we'll send you a calendar. Then you'll have a chance to win $50-$150 every day in October. Please Hurry!!!! We must have all tickets in by October 1st. If you would like to help us, send $10 per calendar to 59 Saratoga Drive, Uxbridge, MA 01569, and an e-mail to mimi1233@gmail.com to let us know. Don't worry if you don't think the money won't arrive on time, we just need to enter the tickets by Oct. 1st so you can have all the chances. We will notify you if you win. Thank you all so much for your support!!!
~Mary and Leslie Nealon
~Mary and Leslie Nealon
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Roberta
Roberta Ann Nealon, 66, passed away peacefully at home on Sept. 12, 2009, after a courageously fought battle with Lymphoma.
She was born in Boston and grew up in Watertown and Waltham. A graduate of Framingham State College, she was a special needs teacher in Hopkinton and at Keefe Tech High School. She was proud of her many years of volunteer work and fundraising at Framingham Union Hospital and Michael Lisnow Respite Center in Hopkinton.
She leaves behind her devoted husband and best friend of 45 years, Robert T. Nealon Jr, son and daughter-in-law Robert Nealon III and Jennifer Nealon, son and daughter-in-law Joseph Nealon and Annette Nealon, son and daughter-in-law Jon Nealon and Jenny Raskin, sister Irene DeSisto and parents Edward and Ada Restieri. Roberta was the proud grandmother of Robert J. Nealon, Mary Nealon, Michael Nealon, Leslie Nealon, Alexandria Wertz, Grace Nealon, Charles Nealon, Lucas Nealon, Tess Nealon Raskin, and Bruno Nealon Raskin. She is also survived by many loving brothers and sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, grand nephews and grand nieces.
Her fondest memories were of time spent with family at Disneyworld, Florida, and Cape Cod and she always considered raising her children and grandchildren her greatest achievement.
Roberta will be deeply missed by her family and many friends as she touched our lives with her loving acts of kindness throughout the years.
A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 17th at Saint John The Evangelist Church, Church Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748. Following the service, all are welcome to join the family for a gathering in the Parish Center.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod, 434 Route 134, So. Dennis, Ma 02660.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
An Essay in memory of Bunny, written by Jeff
The following is an essay written by Jeff as part of a class in effective writing:
Some Things You Never Forget
I was a senior in high school when the world showed me that life really does happen. It was April 12, 2008, and my entire family was at the St. Patrick’s nursing home in Natick, Massachusetts. To clarify, when I say my entire family I do not just mean a few people in one of the patient’s rooms. I mean an army of toddlers to elderly taking up the entire west wing of this nursing home. My dad is one of eight children, all of which have kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews in one way or another. I have 36 first cousins and almost an equivalent of second cousins now. As I walked around the west wing, talking and sharing stories with all of my family, I could not help but stop and think how such an enormous group of people all related came to be. It was at this point that I walked into the undersized room that had been crowded for so many hours. I saw my grandmother. She was lying in her bed, almost a skeleton now, breathing deeply, almost like a gasp, fighting to stay for as much time as she could while her children, grandchildren, and great grand children circled around her telling of their fondest memories and hilarious stories they had of her. My grandmother hated it when she missed a good story. It was almost as if she was taking these words into her body with every breath, to keep with her as she moved on to the next stages of her life. I will never forget her breathing that night.
My grandmother, Bunny Nealon, had been sick for a long time. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2004 and had been in a nursing home since 2005. Before she was admitted to the nursing home she lived in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the same place that she and my grandfather brought up all 8 of my aunts and uncles on my father’s side. Living just ten minutes away from Hopkinton I used to go to my grandmother’s house often. Sunday night dinners were a family ritual for a long time, and more often than not my favorite meal of the week. As we all piled into my grandmother’s house for the last meal of the weekend I knew that I would be leaving with new stories from my cousins, aunt and uncles, and most importantly my grandmother from the past week. As we would leave after a long night of eating and stories, she would always stand by the door waving, never leaving until the last car drove fully out of view. I will never forget the image of her waving in her doorway for many minutes making sure that she didn’t forget anyone while saying goodbye.
When I was fourteen my dad told me that my grandmother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Being fourteen, I knew what the disease was. However, I did not know the severity of it what so ever. My dad began to explain to me that in short, it is when you have trouble remembering things. After this conversation, I began to think about what my grandmother would be losing due to this disease. In thinking about this, I came to the conclusion that I knew no one that embodied more memories that should never be forgotten as her. My grandfather died when my father was in 7th grade. It was at this point that my grandmother gained the unconditional respect of everyone in her town. She began to raise 8 children on her own. The oldest were in college, and it was at this time in everyone’s lives that big transitions were being made. My dad was approaching high school, my oldest uncle was going into his last year of college, and everyone in between was at a critical stage in their lives. Hearing stories from my father as well as my aunt’s and uncle’s, makes me strive to be more like my grandmother every day. She flawlessly began to embark on raising, mentoring, and being there for her eight children, and she did this alone. When we went to Sunday night dinner that week there was a part of me that expected to see her frail and sick, I remember wondering if she would know who I was, I was scared. This was completely false, and as I later came to learn Alzheimer’s is a slow acting mental disease that had nothing to do with one’s physical health. As weeks past, she seemed normal to me, although I noticed that she may take a little longer to recall a fact or memory. I could also see the frustration in her face when this happened, although she would never come out and say it. She was the type of person that never let you feel bad for her. As the disease got progressively worse I never saw her once get angry or upset with her condition, instead she would joke about it. “I can tell you what the temperature was on my wedding day, but I can’t tell you what I had for lunch,” she would say, always trying to get a laugh out of someone. I will never forget how positive she stayed throughout the entirety of her battle with Alzheimer’s.
Being in her nursing home room the night that she passed away sent me on a roller coaster of emotions. In the years proceeding, she had slowly begun to forget our names and eventually had trouble speaking in the last year or so of her life. Despite this, whenever we would go to visit as a family, telling stories of past years, a smile would never fail to come across her face. This is how we knew she could hear us, and we knew she could hear us the night she passed.
What goes through someone’s head the night that they pass away? I could not help but look at my grandmother and think this in between tears. Was it the countless sporting events that she watched her children and grandchildren play? Is it a loved one that she knew she would see when she made it to the other side? Is it of things that you wished you had done while you were here? Or is it of nothing? I believe someone does not pass away until they have come to complete peace with their life on earth. I think it was really easy for my grandmother to do this with the wing of her nursing home packed full with people that she had direct positive influences on in her life. Despite the sadness, everyone knew it was her time to go. The distress of the situation slowly subsided for me, and I came to realize something about life from my grandmother’s death. Make good impressions on people, live life to the fullest, and never let a hardship get you down. I have never seen more people at a single funeral than I did at my grandmother’s, and it is because this is the way she lived her life and it is what she preached to her children. We are only here for a short time and we are defined by the impacts we make in other’s lives, not our own. We do not live forever , but memories can, and it is through the memory of her in all of the lives that she touched that I, as well as so many others, will never forget my grandmother.
Some Things You Never Forget
I was a senior in high school when the world showed me that life really does happen. It was April 12, 2008, and my entire family was at the St. Patrick’s nursing home in Natick, Massachusetts. To clarify, when I say my entire family I do not just mean a few people in one of the patient’s rooms. I mean an army of toddlers to elderly taking up the entire west wing of this nursing home. My dad is one of eight children, all of which have kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews in one way or another. I have 36 first cousins and almost an equivalent of second cousins now. As I walked around the west wing, talking and sharing stories with all of my family, I could not help but stop and think how such an enormous group of people all related came to be. It was at this point that I walked into the undersized room that had been crowded for so many hours. I saw my grandmother. She was lying in her bed, almost a skeleton now, breathing deeply, almost like a gasp, fighting to stay for as much time as she could while her children, grandchildren, and great grand children circled around her telling of their fondest memories and hilarious stories they had of her. My grandmother hated it when she missed a good story. It was almost as if she was taking these words into her body with every breath, to keep with her as she moved on to the next stages of her life. I will never forget her breathing that night.
My grandmother, Bunny Nealon, had been sick for a long time. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2004 and had been in a nursing home since 2005. Before she was admitted to the nursing home she lived in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the same place that she and my grandfather brought up all 8 of my aunts and uncles on my father’s side. Living just ten minutes away from Hopkinton I used to go to my grandmother’s house often. Sunday night dinners were a family ritual for a long time, and more often than not my favorite meal of the week. As we all piled into my grandmother’s house for the last meal of the weekend I knew that I would be leaving with new stories from my cousins, aunt and uncles, and most importantly my grandmother from the past week. As we would leave after a long night of eating and stories, she would always stand by the door waving, never leaving until the last car drove fully out of view. I will never forget the image of her waving in her doorway for many minutes making sure that she didn’t forget anyone while saying goodbye.
When I was fourteen my dad told me that my grandmother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Being fourteen, I knew what the disease was. However, I did not know the severity of it what so ever. My dad began to explain to me that in short, it is when you have trouble remembering things. After this conversation, I began to think about what my grandmother would be losing due to this disease. In thinking about this, I came to the conclusion that I knew no one that embodied more memories that should never be forgotten as her. My grandfather died when my father was in 7th grade. It was at this point that my grandmother gained the unconditional respect of everyone in her town. She began to raise 8 children on her own. The oldest were in college, and it was at this time in everyone’s lives that big transitions were being made. My dad was approaching high school, my oldest uncle was going into his last year of college, and everyone in between was at a critical stage in their lives. Hearing stories from my father as well as my aunt’s and uncle’s, makes me strive to be more like my grandmother every day. She flawlessly began to embark on raising, mentoring, and being there for her eight children, and she did this alone. When we went to Sunday night dinner that week there was a part of me that expected to see her frail and sick, I remember wondering if she would know who I was, I was scared. This was completely false, and as I later came to learn Alzheimer’s is a slow acting mental disease that had nothing to do with one’s physical health. As weeks past, she seemed normal to me, although I noticed that she may take a little longer to recall a fact or memory. I could also see the frustration in her face when this happened, although she would never come out and say it. She was the type of person that never let you feel bad for her. As the disease got progressively worse I never saw her once get angry or upset with her condition, instead she would joke about it. “I can tell you what the temperature was on my wedding day, but I can’t tell you what I had for lunch,” she would say, always trying to get a laugh out of someone. I will never forget how positive she stayed throughout the entirety of her battle with Alzheimer’s.
Being in her nursing home room the night that she passed away sent me on a roller coaster of emotions. In the years proceeding, she had slowly begun to forget our names and eventually had trouble speaking in the last year or so of her life. Despite this, whenever we would go to visit as a family, telling stories of past years, a smile would never fail to come across her face. This is how we knew she could hear us, and we knew she could hear us the night she passed.
What goes through someone’s head the night that they pass away? I could not help but look at my grandmother and think this in between tears. Was it the countless sporting events that she watched her children and grandchildren play? Is it a loved one that she knew she would see when she made it to the other side? Is it of things that you wished you had done while you were here? Or is it of nothing? I believe someone does not pass away until they have come to complete peace with their life on earth. I think it was really easy for my grandmother to do this with the wing of her nursing home packed full with people that she had direct positive influences on in her life. Despite the sadness, everyone knew it was her time to go. The distress of the situation slowly subsided for me, and I came to realize something about life from my grandmother’s death. Make good impressions on people, live life to the fullest, and never let a hardship get you down. I have never seen more people at a single funeral than I did at my grandmother’s, and it is because this is the way she lived her life and it is what she preached to her children. We are only here for a short time and we are defined by the impacts we make in other’s lives, not our own. We do not live forever , but memories can, and it is through the memory of her in all of the lives that she touched that I, as well as so many others, will never forget my grandmother.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Will to Sleep-Away Camp!
I dropped my baby off at sleep away camp for 3 weeks to camp Winaukee on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Will has a great cabin right on the water. He is with his best buddy, Brandon and Brandon's 2 older brothers. He was so excited to go! Pierce and I were a little sad to leave him though. Lily, Pierce and I are on the Cape and ready for a great summer. If you want to write Will, his address is:
Will Ridgley
Camp Winaukee, Bunk 6
432 Winaukee Road
Moultonboro, NH 03254
Miss you all! Lib
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