Saginaw Series, Holiday Series, and Much More: Mrs. Shea

Showing posts with label Mrs. Shea. Show all posts

Mmmm....Delicious Aromas

I went looking for Martha Street Market and found the Cruz Family from St. Mary Cathedral purchased it in 1969. In the Saginaw Series the building is the little grocery store that I remember from growing up - but it was so much fun to find this family working from this building for so long.

Gloria and Santos Cruz own the building at 1200 Martha Street that used to be Martha Street Market. Along with their son, Michael they run a successful take out business. When I stopped to ask them a few questions about the store they were so helpful. The food smelled delicious. I can't wait to go back there to order takeouts for dinner. Some of their choices are: Tamale Dnner, Wet Burrito, Burrito, Taco, Tostada, Menudo.

When I explained who I was, Michael asked, "Are you Ms. Shea's daughter?"

I answered that I was - my Mom was the secretary in the grade school. His face lit up. He excitedly called his parents to the front saying, "This is Ms. Shea's daughter."

Michael went on to tell me that St. Mary Cathedral was family to them. The people he went to school with still come and order their food for family dinners. He told me several names of families coming in that day for their Christmas dinner orders.

The whole visit made me so happy. Such a sweet family - with a great business.

The Bell of St. Mary's

In the book, New Beginnings, Mrs. Shea rings the school bell to begin and end the school day. A student rings the bell to begin and end lunch.

Mrs. Shea is not only the school secretary, but in real life she was my mom. When the real St. Mary Cathedral school closed my mom retired. She walked out of school with the school bell.

It is one of my favorite memories.

Inspiration from East Side Soup Kitchen

Webber House

Obituary Inspiration

My eyes were pulled toward this obituary in the Saginaw News. When I read the description of Rosalie I knew immediately I wanted her in "A Light Shines Forth" - after talking with her daughter and emailing her granddaughter - I was so inspired. Thank you new friends. THIS IS FROM THE OBITUARY: From homesteading the farm to owning a local eatery, she raised her children by example of frugality and superior work ethic. She could stretch a penny into the next month and could feed an army on a squirrel. (And yes, thered be seconds.) Rose was a master gardener (often times with strangers stopping to admire) and was known to sleep on a cot along the row of dill to figure out how the deer got in. A canning magician, each year would produce a family squabble over who would get the last quart of dilly beans or tomato jam. An avid outdoors and fisherwoman, she raised and sold bait, smoked and sold fish, and was known to wrestle snapping turtles (for soup, of course) into her trunk on her way to pick blueberries. She was an excellent bowler, loved liver pate and cheap whiskey, produced miles of beautifully knitted and crocheted anything (no, really...anything) and was the dog whisperer of the family. For years she refused to use a microwave and she never used credit, boasting that the only plastic she owned was her laminated AARP card. She conducted her five foot self with grace and dignity but even at 85, she could swear like a sailor and wasn't afraid to take your money at the card table (or an IOU if you didnt have it). Affectionately known as Nonnie, she will be eternally missed by the grandchildren and great-grandchildren who claim that she first hung the moon and then scattered the stars.