Papa – my niece Terri and my younger brother Mike.
I was born across the border in Olean, N.Y. at the Saint Francis Hospital –
To an Irish Catholic mother –
Mary (Aiken) Fitzsimmons and an Irish Protestant father Clarence (Bob) Fitzsimmons.
As you can tell – there were many dynamics in my family.
I had one sister – Donna – who was 15 years older than me –
A sister who died at birth –
and a brother – Roger – who was 10 years older than me.
Then there was me for over four years and then Mike came along.
We lived in Pa. – on the main street in a very small town called Eldred.
My father was a supervisor in the oil fields for South Penn-Pennzoil.
My mother retired from Alcas – which today is known as CUTCO –
A world leader in the manufacture of KNIVES.
My sister married and lived next door to my parent’s house – and my brother-in-law-
Bill – was both Mayor – Police Chief and drove a semi-tractor trailer for Ethan Allen.
Growing up I always had a dream of one day living on or near a beach!
Today – we have realized that dream – living in N.C. in OIB – Cameron Woods Community!
My mother Mary – my father passed away at age 59 from cancer – he was a heavy smoker –
my mother was almost 98 when she passed on.
Our home on North Main Street in Eldred – was a beacon to all my friends –
my two brothers’ friends and my sister’s friends.
Even after we had left and moved away – Mary had an open door to any and all of them.
I grew up there – when a senior was in a car accident not knowing if I would walk again –
I got married at 17 with my first son on the way in a wheelchair.
After I graduated from H.S. – with a child – no college for me – I had a family to support –
I started work at AMERICAN OLEAN TILE CO. – in Olean, N.Y.
For the next 32 years – I had another son – divorced – work many jobs in the plant –
and remarried to Sherry on 6-5-1982!
Above is our wedding picture we lived just outside Portville, N.Y. in the country.
We combined two families – her two girls and on weekends my two sons.
On our wedding day in 1982 – the boys had gone home. Debby holding her cousin and Tammy with her arms around her cousin.
We stayed in the Portville area until 1999 – when we both transferred within the company –
Sherry also worked for AOTC – which became DAL-TILE –
Our close friends Elaine and Steve during those years in Portville, N.Y. – to this day.
We golfed – played competitive Volleyball – took vacations together and raised families.
My two sons – Troy and Shawn – still live back in Pa. not far from where I grew up.
They have been down to N.C. and hoping they come back although it is a 16b hour drive!
1982 – our wedding day – growing up in Pa. and N.Y.S. –
beautiful in the spring – Summer and Fall – brutal in the Winter
as I am not a snow-cold and ice person.
We both retired from AOTC-DAL TILE – ARMSTRONG – MOHAWK –
With a combined 79 1/2 years!
Sherry and Papa – living our dreams at the beach –
Thank you for reading and as always HGD! My Site: PAPA’S WORLD: livinglifedoingitmyway.blog
PAPA’S WORLD – WHO AM I? SENIOR LIVING TO THE PLUS – ONE DAY AT A TIME!
