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Opening the Christmas Memory Box

Image: rawpixel Winter-like temperatures finally reached Texas this weekend, and we're currently hovering in the 30s. The cold turns my mind towards the Christmas holidays and fond memories of when our kids, Anne and James, were young.  How excited they were...giddy with anticipation of the holidays. As parents, Jim and I loved introducing the kids to various traditions that we grew up with, as well as all the beautiful symbols and signs of the holidays that surrounded us everywhere we went. What a fun and wonderful time to be a parent and to be able to share the loveliness of the season with them! I have so many wonderful memories of the kids and the holidays. Here's a few that I cherish. Annie, about 1995. At the time of my first memory, we were living in Winona, Minnesota, in a little house on East 7th Street. It was about 1995. When Jim and I were first married, my mother gifted us with a Nativity set that we faithfully put up at the holidays. The set found its place on on...
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GUARDIAN

Mom and youngest brother Bobby, about 1956.1


 

31 Days of Writing Family History Challenge

January 3, 2022:   My Mom - Anna Margaret Kozlina Gilbride (1937-2010)


By Nancy Gilbride Casey

I see my Mom, Anna Margaret Kozlina Gilbride, as a guardian. She was the quintessential big sister to her three younger siblings. The role was well-documented in dozens of photos which show her as the eldest in her family—a protector, leader, comforter, and happy companion of those younger than her. 

Her generous spirit followed her throughout her life, as she became the one folks turned to for the family news, the one who hosted the big holiday get-togethers, the one who always remembered everyone's birthdays and anniversaries. Family was everything to her.

The photos below are just a few of my favorites which capture her love and regard for her siblings, cousins and childhood friends.

I imagine Mom just having said, "Here Tommy, let me show you how it's done!" as she steeled her nerve to race down the path on her tricycle. Mom's brother Tommy Kozlina about age 2 and Mom, about age 5, photo taken most likely in West Leisenring, Pennsylvania, at their grandparents' home.2  

 

Mom, far right, and brother Tommy (second from left), I believe that her cousin Patty is between them. Taken at the home of her grandparents John and Anna Simonik, in West Leisenring, Pa. Note coke ovens in the background.3 

Tommy and Mom. I love the conspiratorial look on Mom's face, and wonder what she could have been getting up to!4

Dueling dimples: Tommy Kozlina and Mom, about 1944.5    

Big sister Ann carries little sister Marian Kozlina, about 1946.6

All sorts of fun going on here, about 1948. Marian, Tommy and Mom.7


I can almost hear Mom's sister Marian thinking, "Wow! I'm dressed just like big sister!8

Cradling newborn brother Robert Kozlina, spring 1955.9

Mom with youngest brother Bobby, about 1956.10  

Bonus: More Stories about Anna Margaret Kozlina Gilbride

Nurture

In Periculo Mortis

Namesake 

Mom's Big Trip

Genealogy Challenge 2021 - Newspaper Clipping II

Butter Cookies 

 

NOTES

1 Photo of Ann Kozlina and Robert Kozlina, photographer unknown, about 1956. Private collection of N Casey [address for private use], 2022. Photo was passed down to me by my mother, who got them from her mother Margaret Simonik Kozlina.

2-5 Photos of Ann Kozlina, Thomas Kozlina, and other unidentified children, photographer unknown, taken about 1942-1945. Private collection of N Casey [address for private use], 2022. Photos were passed down to me by my mother, who got them from her mother Margaret Simonik Kozlina.

6-8 Photos of Ann Kozlina, Thomas Kozlina and Marian Kozlina, unknown photographer, taken about 1946-1950. Private collection of M. Graff [address for private use], 2022. Photos were passed down to M. Graff through her mother Margaret Simonik Kozlina.

9-10 Photos of Ann Kozlina and Robert Kozlina, unknown photographer, taken about 1955-1956. Private collection of N Casey [address for private use], 2022. Photos were passed down to me by my mother, who got them from her mother Margaret Simonik Kozlina.

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