June 9
June 9
It is a rare day that I don't find myself thinking of Ellen. When I saw the Forever Missed June 7 reference to Ellen's birthday of June 7, 1937, just after the 80th Anniversary celebration of D Day, I thought of Ellen telling me during one of our many deposition trips that she proudly remembered pulling her wagon through her town to collect scrap tin for the War effort. It seemed entirely fitting to me that albeit 7 years before, her birthday fell on the day after the Allies secured the beachhead at Normandy. Ellen- a paragon of grit, courage, perserverance and brilliance (not to mention her Irish wit and beauty)- symbolized for me all the best of the human spirit that made D Day possible. I can only imagine how happy Ellen was on her 7th birthday, the Day after D Day. Ellen was seven years older than I but light years ahead of me in wisdom and intelligence and in pure determination when faced with any challenge.
As fellow Irish people, she Donovan and I Kelleher and Kennedy, Ellen often joked that my people were attendants at the Donovan castle. As in all things, I learned never to doubt the wisdom or truth of what Ellen had to say even it meant a slight blow to my Irish lineage. If Ellen were here with us today, she would probably chide me for my well developed procrastination (something she knew very well) in waiting two days to leave a post on the occasion of her birthday. I almost let my birthday musings go unposted but today when I went to our local bakery here in Gig Harbor that Ellen and I frequently visited when we worked together for a number of years in Gig Harbor, a cheery, curly red headed young man, manned the cash register and when I got home and chanced to look at my receipt the name printed on the receipt was "Donovan." As my old, departed and much loved college roommate used to say "there are no coincidences." Particularly true if you are Irish. Time to post! What an incredible and much loved person was Ellen. I am so grateful for the years that she was in my life. Jack
As fellow Irish people, she Donovan and I Kelleher and Kennedy, Ellen often joked that my people were attendants at the Donovan castle. As in all things, I learned never to doubt the wisdom or truth of what Ellen had to say even it meant a slight blow to my Irish lineage. If Ellen were here with us today, she would probably chide me for my well developed procrastination (something she knew very well) in waiting two days to leave a post on the occasion of her birthday. I almost let my birthday musings go unposted but today when I went to our local bakery here in Gig Harbor that Ellen and I frequently visited when we worked together for a number of years in Gig Harbor, a cheery, curly red headed young man, manned the cash register and when I got home and chanced to look at my receipt the name printed on the receipt was "Donovan." As my old, departed and much loved college roommate used to say "there are no coincidences." Particularly true if you are Irish. Time to post! What an incredible and much loved person was Ellen. I am so grateful for the years that she was in my life. Jack