Christmas 2018

Merry Christmas, 

2018 was a wonderful year for us and we hope it was for you as well.

Flagler Beach 2018

Early in the year, Cathy and I set out to cross off an item on our bucket list.  We hooked up our small, little used pop-up trailer, left Green Bay where the temp was -9 degrees and headed to sunny Florida.  With the guidance of some Early cousins who did this type of traveling for years, we visited some beautiful sites and stayed at some remarkable parks.  Full disclosure: we did abandon our campsite when the temperature dipped into the 20s.  However, as a testament to just how much we enjoyed it, we have plans to do it again this winter.

St. Patrick's Day 2018

We completed our 3 month adventure with a three week stay in The Villages.  Bill and Karen Early graciously allowed us to stay in the home they were readying to sell.  We truly enjoyed our time in Florida as it afforded us time away from the harsh Wisconsin winter and allowed us a chance to visit with our cousins, my brother Bill, and friends.  Kathleen and Erin were able to fly down and join us for St. Patrick's Day.

We returned just in time for a 22 inch snow fall. Winter had the last laugh!

Kathleen, Cathy and Erin in NYC

In early summer, Cathy and Erin joined Kathleen in New York and had a chance to drive up to the beach at Montauk.  

This summer was the first time since retirement that we could spend major portions of our time in Fish Creek.  We truly enjoyed our time up there, again with family, cousins and friends.  

Bill Ken and John in Times Square

In fall, my brothers, Bill and John, joined me for  5 nights with Kathleen in NYC in her one bedroom apartment!  She was a wonderful host and we were all impressed with all the city had to offer.  

Seventeen years ago we went to Ireland. Upon our return we said we'd like go again but for a longer time, after retirement, so this year we did.  In November, Cathy and I flew into Dublin, went North (Belfast and Giants Causeway), West (Ballintubber and Killarney, South (Kinsale) and East (Dublin).  Kathleen and Erin joined us for the week of Thanksgiving.  Ireland is a beautiful country, rich in history. 

Merry Christmas from the Blaney Family!

Christmas 2017

    Merry Christmas from the Blaneys!

2017 was a year of highs and lows for our family.  After a long, deliberate process Blaney Funeral Home was sold to a non-Blaney.  My brother, Mike, my sister, Mary Jo, and I decided it was time and in June we retired.  We have great confidence in the new owners (a Green Bay Area family) and have just as much confidence in the entire staff which was retained.  It is difficult to step away from a 40 year career but I look forward to spending more time with family and friends.  

The summer began with lots of time at the cottage with golfing, biking and kayaking on the agenda.  In June, Cathy's father had a wonderful party celebrating his 90th birthday.  It was great for him to be able to visit with his siblings, nieces & nephews, neighbors and friends.  He truly enjoyed the party.  This time spent celebrating his life and those he loved was especially precious as he passed away later that summer after multiple bouts of pneumonia.  He was a wonderful man who loved his family and they loved him.  You can read Kathleen's eulogy just below this blog post.

In early fall, Cathy and I decided to take our camper out of mothballs (figuratively, not literally).  We started thinking small as to where we should go, but by our October 1^st departure date, we had decided to check off one of Cathy's bucket list items - going to Vermont to see the fall colors.  We also spent time in Philadelphia, the Poconos, Gettysburg and Hershey, PA.  Being that far east, Kathleen was able to join us over two weekends.  The colors were beautiful and it was great seeing Kathleen!  Unfortunately, Erin’s school schedule made it impossible for her to join us. 

As I write this Cathy and I are planning a prolonged camping trip to Florida with a stop in The Villages to visit Bill Blaney who will be staying at Bill and Karen Early’s place. We hope that Kathleen and Erin can join us.  Kathleen is still working for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Erin is in her third year of working as a Social Worker at Washington Middle School in Green Bay.  They got together this summer and traveled to Ireland, Wales and England.  

That’s it for Blaney news for 2017.  If you have time, we’d love to hear from you.

                                                                                    Merry Christmas!

                                                                                    Ken and Cathy

Eugene R. Kolb

                                                        Eugene R. Kolb
                      June 14, 1927 - August 27, 2017

Gene's funeral was held on September 1st, 2017 at St. Mary's Catholic Church.  His entire family participated in his Mass.  Kathleen delivered a eulogy that described her grandfather's positivity.  

A few years ago, Grandpa and I were neighbors in East De Pere. Because we lived only a few blocks away from one another, we often found ourselves in the car together. Every time we crossed over the De Pere Bridge, my grandpa would comment on how beautiful the view was. It didn’t make a difference what season it was, what the weather was like or even if there was construction. Without fail, he would look out the window and say something along the lines of “Beautiful sunset tonight, huh?” or “Look at those trees!” or “The college sure is something under that snow.” My personal favorite was, and I quote, “You know, I’ve traveled all over the world, Kathleen, and the view from this bridge is the most beautiful of them all.” I’m not kidding. It got to the point where I began kind of egging him on because I got a kick out of the sincerity of the sentiment—it was like a new thought every time. We had been sharing this routine for about two years when my mom called me one night and said, “I was driving Grandpa home tonight and do you know what he told me? He said, “You know, Kathleen sure loves the view from this bridge.’”

My grandpa always had a way of seeing things as better than they really were. He referred to his childhood summers as a glorified day laborer as “Cherry Camp.” He reminisced about his military days the way one tells tales about travels with old friends. He once sat at a grade school band concert of mine and Erin’s, in a gymnasium of all places, and told my dad that if he closed his eyes he could hear the Wisconsin marching band. Every family dinner, every campfire, every O’Doul’s and every sunset over the De Pere Bridge was the best he had ever experienced. When my mom was planning of my grandpa’s 90th birthday party earlier this summer, I reminded her that even if only a handful of people showed up or we forgot the cake or there wasn’t enough food, Grandpa would remember it as the best birthday party anyone had ever had!

What a gift, to see things as better than they truly are! In a world that is imperfect, flawed, and at times downright ugly, my grandpa chose to see the beauty. In a time that values cynicism and indifference over passion, Grandpa unabashedly sought out the good. And he loved it all. He loved us all. In loving the world the way he did, he made it more beautiful, the same way he made the view from that bridge more beautiful, the same way he made us more beautiful. We would often facetime, and every single time we chatted, even at the end when my face was splotchy and eyes bloodshot from crying, he would look me straight in the eye and tell me that I looked beautiful. Grandpa’s love made each and every one of us beautiful and I have no doubt that if he was standing here right now, he would look out at this crowd and say that this is the most beautiful gang he had ever seen.

Grandpa embraced dying the same way he embraced living—with eternal optimism and utmost faith in his future. I find great solace in knowing that now Grandpa is in a place that is not only as beautiful, but even more beautiful, than even he could have imagined. And that is saying something.

Christmas 2016

2015 Blaney Family Christmas Letter

2015 Blaney Family Christmas Letter     

                                                                    Yes, We're Just That Cheap.

Disney 1997

   In 1996, we "earned" free flights by being bumped on our trip to Tim and Min's wedding.  So in 1997 we took the girls to Disney World where we purchased a five day Disney pass but only used three of those days.  Fast forward 18 years and after a little confusion on the part of the Disney staff, we met up with Jon and Mary Jo in March and used one of our two remaining days!  At this rate, our next return to Disney will be in 2033.  Who's in?

   While we were in Florida we were able to spend some quality time with Bill Blaney who had taken up temporary residence in the Villages which is kind of a Disney World for seniors.

                           Eugene R. Kolb, U.S. Navy

Gene at the Korean Memorial

   With some urging from his family, Gene Kolb participated in an Honor Flight to Washington D.C.  The Honor Flights are an attempt to help WWII and Korean Veterans see the memorials erected in their honor as all of them are now in their 80s and 90s.  They were treated with such respect and dignity and the welcome home celebration they experienced when they returned was so emotional, it still gives us chills remembering it.  As an added bonus, Cathy was able to be Gene's escort on the day long trip. 

                                                          Erin Blaney B.A. MSW.

Erin Blaney MSW

   After two years of class work and internships in the Chicago Public School system, Erin earned her Masters of Social Work Degree from Loyola University Chicago!  We have always been proud of Erin but even more so on that day when one of her colleagues spoke at the graduation ceremony.  She reminded her fellow graduates that it's hard for some to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps as many of the people with whom you will be working have no boots.  Erin has moved back to Green Bay where she works as a social worker at Washington Middle School where 75% of the families live under the poverty level.

   While in Chicago for the graduation, we were able to find an inexpensive flight to New York where we hit the top tourist spots and took in four shows.

                      Peru?  I Thought You Said Purdue! 

Kathleen & Cathy at Machu Picchu

     As a nursing student in 2009, Kathleen volunteered at a mission called Santisimo Sacramento, in Piura, Peru.  She always wanted to return so in June, Kathleen and Cathy flew to South America and volunteered for six weeks.  During that time they met some of the most wonderful people, witnessed extreme poverty and made some life long friends.  They were even able to take a bus trip from their parish to Ecuador to see Pope Francis.  If you get the chance, ask either of them if it was hot during the Pope's outdoor mass!  Before returning home, they also took a trip to Machu Picchu. They kept a blog of their experiences.  To visit that blog please go to www.PeruBlaney.blogspot.com.

                                        New York, New York A City So Nice They Named It Twice

  After leaving her position as a nurse case manager at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, Kathleen accepted a job at the New York City Dept. of Public Health.  Apartment hunting in NYC was... interesting.  Since her arrival in the city that never sleeps, she has reacquainted herself with some old friends, made some new friends and embraced many of the features for which New York is known; Broadway shows, museums, Macy's Thanksgiving parade (balloon blow-ups), Halloween in the Village and thanks to Leah Jenk, she was even able to take in the final game of the World Series.

Thanks for letting us relive some of our favorite memories from 2015.  A blessed Merry Christmas to you all!

   Ken, Cathy, Kathleen and Erin

Disney the Good and the Bad

Disney Service

I'm still on the fence when it comes to the Disney Mantra of the "Customers Always Come First".  I've heard and read about it so much I've come to think of it as almost cult-like.

THE BAD:  Eighteen years ago, Cathy and I purchased 4 Five Day World Hopper Tickets from Disney World.  We only used three of the days.  Before booking our current trip, Cathy called and was told that the tickets were still good, so we booked a hotel.  We received a number of emails from Disney about our upcoming visit.  One email encouraged us to link our Magic Kingdom tickets with our hotel reservations.  Because our tickets were so old we followed the on-line instructions which included calling a special phone number for tickets purchased before 2007.  The operator told us that if the tickets didn't say "Don't Expire" they expired.  There is an appeal procedure to which we availed ourselves.  We had to email copies of our tickets along with photo IDs and call a certain phone number the next day.  When we called they said they'd call us within 24-48 hours with a decision but they didn't.  We called them and they had decided that the tickets were still good.  To be clear, they did not give us two days worth of tickets - they only agreed that we were right all along.  When I showed up at the Magic Kingdom ticket booth there was still a slight hassle even though I provided them with our file number.

THE GOOD:  Many of you have heard the story about how when we stayed at Disney 18 years ago we bought a free re-fillable mug and refilled it many, many times during our stay.   We brought it back on this trip to see if it was still good.  We filled it with coffee and asked the checkout person (think cafeteria) if the free refill offer was still good.  She laughed along with us when we explained the situation.  She called over her supervisor who also laughed with us and said that the re-fill offer was no longer good.  Then she said to the check out (under her breath), ''don't charge him for the coffee" and then she walked away.  The clerk waited for her supervisor to leave, looked up at me and said "I already rang you up - I didn't charge you for either coffee".

Christmas 2014

                2014       

       Merry Christmas

       from the Blaneys!

Ken and Cathy celebrated Cathy's first year of retirement by taking the camper out of storage and spending nine days camping, visiting Mackinac Island and returning home via the western side of Michigan and Chicago to visit Erin. We made it home just in time to go to the Packer game!

 

Kathleen joined two friends and spent two weeks traveling through France, Italy and Spain. She continues her work as a Nurse Case Manager at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin.

  

Erin is in her second year of a two year Masters program at Loyola University Chicago. She is loving the city and will earn her Masters Degree in Social Work in May!

Merry Christmas!            

Ken, Cathy, Kathleen and Erin!