Lily and her sister Maureen

My mother was living and working in England when she decided to join her sister Maureen over here in America.  Maureen had come over a few years earlier from Ireland after having been sponsored by a resident of Dayton.

Maureen and her husband Gus went back to Ireland for a visit and Lily traveled back to the states with them via ship.  Somehow Lily ended up separated from them and had a cabin in first class.  She also had to eat meals in first class and ended up one evening at the Captain's table.  To this day she goes on and on about how handsome a man he was and how he looked like Tyrone Powers.  "He had black hair and was gorgeous."  According to Lily though she did not take advantage of this situation and was too embarrassed to say anything considering herself a backward country girl.  We often tease her that she missed the boat.  No pun intended!

Once in America Lily had a rough time adjusting and was very homesick.  She cried often and if had the money would have headed home.  Eventually she met my Dad Norbert and married him a year later.  She made my Dad promise to send her back to Ireland within 5 years to visit her mother.  True to his word Lily did go back to Ireland for a long visit with her mom five years after her arrival. My Dad's parents came to watch my brother and myself while she was gone.

Unfortunately Lily and her sister Maureen have not spoken since my Uncle Gus (Maureen's husband) died in 1978.  Curious how a death often leads to disharmony among family members.