December 2009

Weekend in Door County

We just got back from a long weekend in Door County. Kathleen and I went up on Thursday, in time to attend "Lessons and Carols" at Stella Maris Church in Fish Creek. It was kind of low key but very Christmas-y. Cathy, Jon and Mary Jo joined us on Friday after dinner at the Cookery and we all watched "Love Actually" at our place.

Erin journeyed up from Milwaukee on Saturday. That evening we made our way to the Whistling Swan for a glass of wine. They were in the midst of their progressive dinner so we were treated to carols accompanied by a piano in the lobby of this old hotel. By Sunday we were into full Christmas mode. On Sunday morning we made Christmas cookies. Later we took a sleigh ride through the Lautenbach Orchard. The sleigh was pulled by two Belgian horses. The sleigh ride was followed by the elementary and middle school production of "A Christmas Carol" at Gibraltar High School. Marley, Scrooge, three ghosts, Cratchet, and Tiny Tim all in an hours time.

The Packer/Steeler game was interupted by an open house at the historic Noble House in Fish Creek. Erin and I attended and were treated with cookes, hot chocolate, cider and free admission to the house. We all concluded the evening by singing Christmas Carols out in front of the house by candlelight. It was a great weekend. God Bless us everyone!

Christmas 2009

Greetings and Merry Christmas from the Blaney Family!

It’s been an adventurous year for the younger Blaneys of the family and a pleasant and contented year for Cathy and me.

Last winter, Kathleen traveled to Nairobi, Kenya with a group

from Marquette University. The group met with government personnel as well as Non-government aid workers and immersed themselves in a culture radically different from anything they had ever experienced.

Highlights included meeting with members of parliament, shadowing social workers and going on safari. Kathleen returned just in time to resume her final months at Marquette as Executive Vice President of the student body and live the good life with her roommates.

Now a junior at Marquette, Erin spent her third spring break traveling with a group of students to Canton, Mississippi where the group remodeled and worked repairs on habitat for humanity – type homes. Madison County in Mississippi is the poorest county in the state. An “abandoned” dog provided a teachable moment. In brief, the group of 12 students befriended a mis-cared for, abused and neglected dog that lived near their work site. During their last night, two of the student leaders decided that the dog would be better off with a Milwaukee address. The story comes to an abrupt end when university officials discovered what had happened and summoned the Canton students for a three hour meeting lead by the folks from the Restorative Justice Dept. The theme was: “service to others without judgment”. The dog, however, stayed in Milwaukee.

Kathleen completed her college career in May. We were proud to hear her deliver the commencement address at the Baccalaureate Mass. Days after graduation, Kathleen left for Piura, Peru where she completed a community health clinical rotating between an entirely Spanish speaking ER, a rural hospice and frequent home visits.

During all these travels, Cathy and I never left the state. Our enjoyment has come in simpler forms. We enjoyed sharing fun times with our extended Early and Kolb families at the cottage. Some of the Blaney cousins have been getting together for regular lunches this year, which has been a wonderful treat as well.

Recently Kathleen took and passed her nursing boards. She is looking for a job and has been accepted into graduate school to earn her Masters in Public Health. Erin is excitedly preparing for a semester at the John Felice Rome Center in Italy. She leaves in the middle of January and returns the first week of May.

As I run out of room, we want to wish you a wonderful holiday season. As always, if you have time, we’d love to hear from you.

Best wishes,
Ken, Cathy, Kathleen and Erin

William Blaney

William J. Blaney

April 7, 1915

May 25, 1989

William J. Blaney, age 74, of Green Bay, died Thursday, May 25, 1989 in Green Bay.

He was born April 7, 1915, in Green Bay to William and Margaret (Hogan) Blaney. He graduated from St. Patrick Grade School, West High School, attended St. Norbert College and graduated from Goodman College of Mortuary Science in Milwaukee. He became a licensed funeral director in 1939. Shortly before his death he was recognized by the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association for fifty years of service to his profession.

After graduation from mortuary school, he was employed at the Coad Funeral Home in Green Bay. He later established his own funeral home. His funeral home was located in the former Jorgenson Home on the corner of Hubbard and Chestnut Streets. During World War II, Mr. Blaney served in the Army Air Corps, achieving the rank of Sargeant. Upon returning to Green Bay after the war, he re-established his business.

In 1948, he married Eileen Early. Together they ran the funeral home and grew their family. Four of their six children have been active in the business. In 1965, they built the new funeral home at its current location, 1521 Shawano Ave. While he never fully retired, he and Eileen enjoyed traveling and spending their winters in Arizona. While he never had much time in his youth to develop hobbies, he did enjoy the company of good friends, a good clean joke and his summer retreat at Silver Lake, near Wild Rose, WI. Like many of the "Greatest Generation", he did not gush about himself, was rarely over emotional and was a very hard worker. He loved his family and they loved him.

At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Eileen, six children and their spouses, William J. Blaney, Thomas Blaney, Michael and Mary Blaney, John Blaney, Ken and Cathy Blaney and Mary Jo Blaney. He was also survived by five grandchildren, Patrick, Kevin, Bridget, Brian and Kathleen Blaney. A few weeks following his death, a sixth grandchild, Erin, was born. His brothers, Walter and Robert Blaney and sisters, Bernadine Blaney Wetzel and Margaret Tobias also survived him.

He was preceded in death by an infant son, James, a sister, Katherine Blaney and two brothers, Emmett "Bud" Blaney and John "Jake" Blaney. His visitation was held at his own funeral home and his Funeral Mass was held at St. Patrick Catholic Church. He is buried at Allouez Catholic Cemetery.

Lee Kolb

Rosalie "Lee" Kolb

Mrs. William (Rosalie "Lee") Kolb, 73 of De Pere, died Tuesday, October 2, 2007 after a 30 year battle with rheumatoid arthritis.

She was born March 9, 1934 in Little Chute to George and Catherine (Rutten) VandeLogt. On July 10, 1954, she married William Kolb at St. Mary Catholic Church in De Pere. In her younger years, Lee had a number of jobs and a little later in her life she worked part-time for the Press-Gazette, mostly because it afforded her a social opportunity. Lee's most important job, the one she took most seriously and the one she truly loved was raising her seven children. Lee was a good mom. She attended the teacher meetings, went to the kid's sporting events, helped with the scouts and seemed to always be making cookies. She also enjoyed baking and decorating cakes for friends and family members for special occasions and she was good at it. Raising seven children is a tough job and Lee was a good sport. As Stuart said at her funeral, "What kind of mom would think it would be fun to take a family of nine camping?"

Even after her arthritis was diagnosed in 1978, Lee was still a trooper. She made afghans for many family members, Barbie Doll clothes and Christmas ornaments for her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Those Christmas ornaments are cherished more now than ever before. Her arthritis may have altered her life but it never defined her life. She endured many trips to the doctors, hospitals and clinics while at the same time continuing to make trips to school meetings and athletic events for younger children and later Masses and special events for her 11 grandchildren. Lee enjoyed their cottage at Athelstane for many years but when Lee and Bill were well into their 60s they decided to sell it and buy another, this one in Egg Harbor. With a strong vision of what was possible, she and Bill bought a "fixer-upper" and turned it into the beautiful place that it is today. It seemed to her children that the Egg Harbor cottage revitalized their Mom.

Through it all, fun times, sad times, difficult times, good health and bad, there was always her faith. Lee was a devout Catholic with a strong devotion to the Rosary. She was a member of the St. Mary Catholic Community for virtually her entire life.

She is survived by her husband, William "Bill" Kolb, seven children and their spouses, Debbie Kolb, Franklin; Pam and John Jenk, Hales Corners; Mark and Carolyn Kolb, Hudson; Lisa Maas, Stuart and Pam Kolb, Mary Kolb, all of Green Bay; Bill and Amy Kolb, Brookfield; 11 grandchildren, Leah, Austin, Jennifer, Eric, Veronica, Mariah, Mackenzie, Benjamin, Brittany, Rachel, Connor; a brother and sister-in-law, Elmer and Evelyn VandeLogt, California; a sister-in-law, Audrey VandeLogt, Menasha, her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Gene Kolb, Ruby and Bob Ahasay, Lloyd and Beverly Kolb, Darrell Kolb, Nancy (Jerry Kolb) Ringblom, many nieces and nephews, cousins and a very dear friend, Marie McDonough Rowe.

She was preceded in death by her parents, a son-in-law, Bob Maas, a sister, Trudy Kolb, three brothers, Anthony, Bernard, and Yvoine VandeLogt, her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Anthony and Pearl (Spear) Kolb.

Kolbs are a close knit family but Lee was especially close to her sister, Trudy. They married brothers and raised their families across the street from each other. Trudy died just three months before Lee.

Lee is buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, just two blocks from her home.

I Said A Prayer For You Today

I said a prayer for you todayand know God must have heard.

I felt the answer in my heart although He spoke no word.

I didn't ask for wealth or fame. I knew you wouldn't mind. I asked Him to send treasures of a far more lasting kind.

I asked that He'd be near you at the start of each new day to grant you health and blessings and friends to share your way.

I asked for happiness for you in all things great and small, but it was for His loving careI prayed the most of all.

http://www.geocities.com/BlaneyFamily/lee.html

Silent Night

The First
"Silent Night"

Published in 1982 Catholic Digest
Written by Pacificus Kennedy OFM

condensed from "Our Family"

Presented to Eugene and Trudy Kolb by Ken & Cathy Blaney

(as it ties the Kolb and Moore families to the story).

(Please click on a page to view the page)

Pages 1 & 2

Page 3 & 4

Trudy Kolb

Trudy Kolb

1927-2007

Wife

Mother

Mother-in-law

Grandmother

Sister

Aunt

Catholic

Trudy Kolb was bon December 23, 1927, in Little Chute to Dutch parents, George and Catherine (Rutten) VandeLogt. Her family moved to DePere and on June 6, 1953, she maried Eugene Kolb. Together they raised five children.

Family was always the most important part of Trudy's life. Each one of her childen had a special place in her heart. Cathy, the oldest, had the first grandchildren. When Kathleen was born pematurely, Trudy took an infant CPR course so she could babysit for her. When Chris started buying houses in Manitowoc both Trudy and Gene worked tirelessly to whip them into shape. When Jon bought crates of clothing from Shopko to give to charity, it was Trudy and Gene who cut the labels, sorted and re-boxed all the individual items. When Jeanne went to China to adopt Allison, Trudy went way out of her comfort zone to accompany her. But the trips that lasted the longest were the ones they took to Merced, CA where Trudy and Gene would spend months getting to know their grandsons at Tim and Min's.

Trudy was also close to her extended family, especially her sister, Lee. They married brothers and lived directly across the street from each other. They were lovingly devoted to each other through their many stages of life. Trudy was also a hard worker. She worked at Baeten's Store, later at Royal Cleaners and eventually retired from Dorsch Ford in 1990. She also worked side by side with Gene on their many projects at their cottage in Silver Cliff, which they loved.

Sadly, Trudy died on Saturday, July 7, 2007 at Door County Memorial Hospital. Her funeral was held at St. Mary Catholic Community in DePere. During the Funeral Mass, Father John Harper recreated the white erase board that had hung in Trudy's hospital room. On it was her doctor's name, her nurse's name and below someone had written the words, "Wife, mom, mother-in-law, grandmother, sister, aunt and Catholic". Father made the point that Catholic was not the last item on the list. It was the basis of all the other relationships. And it was. Trudy often attended daily Mass and for decades attended a "perpetual Novena" at St. Norbert Abbey. She was also a person who knew her rosary and was fond of praying the Memorare.

Trudy is entombed in Allouez Chapel Mausoleum.

The Memorare

Oh most gracious Virgin Mary, never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly to thee Oh virgins of virgins, my mother. To thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. Oh mother of the word incarnate, despise not my petitions but through thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

Click on any photo to see a larger version.

Eileen Early Blaney

Eileen

Early

Blaney

Eileen (Early) Blaney died on August 1, 2004 at her home in Green Bay. She had been diagnosed with a tumor in mid March. In late April she moved back to her apartment and agreed to be cared for by her six children. Eileen was the last surving child of a family of 5 children.

She was a member of "The Greatest Generation". She attended college but left to help her family. She lived through the Great Depression and World War II. She worked in the shipyards, was a flight attendent and later worked for the phone company.

She married William Blaney on Jan. 17, 1948 at St. Patrick Catholic Church which was located in the "Irish Patch" of Green Bay. During their marriage they worked together for many years at Blaney Funeral Home. Eileen was a licensed funeral director. She raised six children and excelled at the art of finding a good sale, a trait she tried in vain to pass on to her children. She did succeed in teaching her children that there is a standard for decent, polite behavior in the world and in her house. To be clear on those standards was a great advantage. We learned that there were priorities. Work came before play, dishes and school work came before T.V. and paper routes came before dinner. Every Sunday and every Holy Day began with Mass. The children were not pressured to be the star athlete or class scholar but a good effort was always expected and being polite was mandated. Our mother taught us the value of fun. The harder we could make a sibling or an aunt or uncle laugh, the better the day. To make a story better or more ridiculous was a gift she encouraged. Vulgarity, in any form was not tolerated but real humor or wit was rewarded with real laughter.

In 1989, her husband, Bill, died at the age of 74. She suffered through health problems as well but worked dilligently to maintian and rebuild her strength. Eileen never felt sorry for herself and often said that she always knew of someone who was worse off.

She was proud of the fact that she had a niece and a great niece named after her.

Eileen enjoyed her life, especially when she could celebrate her Irish heritage. She passed her Irish pride on to her children and grandchildren. We believe that when Eileen approaches Heaven's Gate, St. Peter will be joined by members of the Early and Blaney Families and they will greet her with the Irish expression,

"Cead Mile Failte!"

which means"

A Hundred Thousand Welcomes!"

Our cottage

The Blaney

Family Cottage

This is the "Blaney Cottage" located in beautiful Fish Creek, WI. The cottage is on Spring Road just about a 1/4 mile from "downtown".

Directions from Sturgeon Bay

Take Hwy 42 north through Fish Creek

turn Right on Spring Road.

"Cead Mile Failte!"

a hundred thousand welcomes!

Start of a Blog

Welcome to the

Blaney Family Website

In October of 2009 Geocities will be closing. Over the past several years we have created a number of websites on Geocites at www.geocities.com/BlaneyFamily. This blog is our attempt to transfer some of those websites to Blogger.

We have two great daughters. Kathleen just recently graduated from Marquette Univiersity with a B.S. in Nursing.

Erin is a graduate of Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay is a student at Marquette University.

Notre Dame
Academy
Marquette
University