A Tribute to Ann Kuglich: July 8, 1915 to January 17, 2007
My brother wrote some very nice words about my Grandmother Ann Kuglich at his site:
http://marksweetwood.blogspot.com/2008/01/grandma-kuglich.html
Go there for his kind thoughts.
Mine were unique as well. I remember that Grandma loved to cook. She could do it so well; as for years we would visit at Thanksgiving and Easter. You always knew the food would be AWESOME. Additionally, there would be SOOOOO MUCH of it. She made mashed potatoes by hand: mashing them to perfection and they were thick and good. Her turkey was excellent and I remember loving the gravy. I also remember after eating, going to the living room and just feeling my waistline growing. Grandpa would drink a beer in one of those six ounce glasses as he would pour bits from the can in it, joke about Grandma, and just talk. They were good people with good hearts, good souls, and good spirits.
Although I have not seen her for a bit, I will miss her and her kind ways. It is that memory that she will leave me with whenever I think of her. She was just a kind-hearted soul.
I remember once when she was staying with us in Ottawa when my parents went on a weekend trip, she took me to the shop I bought comics. I will never forget her face of concern when I picked up a Dracula Lives magazine; but she let me buy it anyway. She trusted me and sort of had a “tend to your own business” philosophy. I am assuming Dracula Lives was not among her interests.
I am not a religious person, but I know if there is a Heaven, she is up there right now, giving pointers on how to cook mashed potatoes and stuffing and turkey; as well sharing the joy of being reunited with my Grandpa, Lou.
Equally she is sitting somewhere telling whoever is in charge not to “make a fuss” about her. We just do not have people as unassuming as she was any longer. I attribute it to her generation, as Brokaw coined it, the Greatest Generation.
When I think of history, I cannot help but wonder at all the two of them saw. Both were first generation Americans, as their parents were immigrants.
Both were alive (although I doubt they would remember) when WWI was fought.
Both saw the depression.
Both saw WWII.
Both saw the country grow from Industrialization to a nation of Service.
Both recognized the importance of family and extended family, and “keeping track of your own.”
People like Grandma and Grandpa simply do not exist in such a plentiful way any longer.
They lived in Joliet in a Croatian neighborhood; went to the same Catholic church her father helped build; went to school and if were fortunate--made it through high school; worked in industry; raised their family, and worked to give their children a better world and a better chance of success.
And the beauty of it all was that this was the American Dream for her generation.
So Grandma lived that American Dream, as did Grandpa. They knew the families in their neighborhood; they knew which kid went with which parent if there was something to report; they watched over their neighbors; and they created a system of support.
I had the good fortune of talking to her about it when I researched a paper for an immigration class. She spoke with pride of her family, her neighbors, and her way of life.
When I think of the selfishness that prevails in the current version of America or my own life, I need to remind myself what Grandma might say, “Tend to your own and don’t make a fuss.”
I appreciate how my family had a better world because of her.
http://marksweetwood.blogspot.com/2008/01/grandma-kuglich.html
Go there for his kind thoughts.
Mine were unique as well. I remember that Grandma loved to cook. She could do it so well; as for years we would visit at Thanksgiving and Easter. You always knew the food would be AWESOME. Additionally, there would be SOOOOO MUCH of it. She made mashed potatoes by hand: mashing them to perfection and they were thick and good. Her turkey was excellent and I remember loving the gravy. I also remember after eating, going to the living room and just feeling my waistline growing. Grandpa would drink a beer in one of those six ounce glasses as he would pour bits from the can in it, joke about Grandma, and just talk. They were good people with good hearts, good souls, and good spirits.
Although I have not seen her for a bit, I will miss her and her kind ways. It is that memory that she will leave me with whenever I think of her. She was just a kind-hearted soul.
I remember once when she was staying with us in Ottawa when my parents went on a weekend trip, she took me to the shop I bought comics. I will never forget her face of concern when I picked up a Dracula Lives magazine; but she let me buy it anyway. She trusted me and sort of had a “tend to your own business” philosophy. I am assuming Dracula Lives was not among her interests.
I am not a religious person, but I know if there is a Heaven, she is up there right now, giving pointers on how to cook mashed potatoes and stuffing and turkey; as well sharing the joy of being reunited with my Grandpa, Lou.
Equally she is sitting somewhere telling whoever is in charge not to “make a fuss” about her. We just do not have people as unassuming as she was any longer. I attribute it to her generation, as Brokaw coined it, the Greatest Generation.
When I think of history, I cannot help but wonder at all the two of them saw. Both were first generation Americans, as their parents were immigrants.
Both were alive (although I doubt they would remember) when WWI was fought.
Both saw the depression.
Both saw WWII.
Both saw the country grow from Industrialization to a nation of Service.
Both recognized the importance of family and extended family, and “keeping track of your own.”
People like Grandma and Grandpa simply do not exist in such a plentiful way any longer.
They lived in Joliet in a Croatian neighborhood; went to the same Catholic church her father helped build; went to school and if were fortunate--made it through high school; worked in industry; raised their family, and worked to give their children a better world and a better chance of success.
And the beauty of it all was that this was the American Dream for her generation.
So Grandma lived that American Dream, as did Grandpa. They knew the families in their neighborhood; they knew which kid went with which parent if there was something to report; they watched over their neighbors; and they created a system of support.
I had the good fortune of talking to her about it when I researched a paper for an immigration class. She spoke with pride of her family, her neighbors, and her way of life.
When I think of the selfishness that prevails in the current version of America or my own life, I need to remind myself what Grandma might say, “Tend to your own and don’t make a fuss.”
I appreciate how my family had a better world because of her.
posted by Eric Sweetwood at 5:04 PM
2 Comments:
Eric:
My condolences on the death of your grandmother. She sounds like a remarkable woman. Yep, that was some generation. They were survivors. They saw a lot of history didn't they?
I agree that a lot of their good common sense is lost to a lot of the "me, me, only me" generations here now. And, I include some of my contemporaries in that as well.
Lou
I love people like that. I've had the privledge of meeting a few of them in my life. It's sad that the next generation will miss the chance to learn from them. It's also sad that my generation doesn't seem to see the importance of learning from them.
Post a Comment
<< Home