Marjorie Strelesky Journal, Part 6 of 6

Our mother’s [Ernestine (Sanders) Strelesky] body was sent to Dubuque for burial. I went with Aunt Norma – our mother’s wish. Our dad [Jack Strelesky] and Eunice, Alice and Herb went to Grandma Sanders [Josephine (Uhlrich) Sanders]. The flu epidemic was so bad everything was closed – schools, churches, department stores and all public buildings…

Marjorie Strelesky Journal, Part 3 of 6

One Christmas Aunt Norma spent with us. There were a lot of letters going back and forth between Alice Strelesky and Dubuque, so Alice knew Aunt Norma was there. When her box was opened there was a present for Grandma, Irene, Eunice and me but nothing for Aunt Norma. A.N. cried. In the early years…

Marjorie Strelesky Journal, Part 2 of 6

Before Vatican II the day before Christmas was a day of fast and abstance [sic, abstinence]so Christmas Eve for supper we had oyster stew. Then came Christmas Eve. The sheet was taken down between the living room (parlor as it was called) and dining room and we saw the Christmas tree for the first time….

Marjorie Strelesky Journal, Part 1 of 6

This is part one of six journal entries that I have for Marjorie Strelesky, the sister of my paternal grandmother Eunice (Strelesky) Lightcap. —— Feb. 26, 1993 Today is my 74th birthday and I think this is a good time to start this journal. It will be about my thoughts, perhaps opinions, and memories –…

Obituary: Gary George Lightcap

Gary George Lightcap was the infant son of my grandparents, Wally and Eunice (Strelesky) Lightcap, and older brother of my dad. Gary was born on April 7, 1946, in Dubuque, Iowa, and died on April 23, 1946. He passed at Finley Hospital in Dubuque, one of several babies who died due to an illness that…

Marriage: Eunice Strelesky and Albert Lightcap

Eunice Strelesky and Albert Lightcap are my grandparents, and figuring out their correct marriage date has been challenging. Both my dad and Uncle Bill told me that their parents married in December 1935.  I used that date since, as their sons, they should know. Then I stumbled upon an announcement published April 14, 1936, in…

Obituary: Albert Wallace “Wally” Lightcap

My grandfather, Albert Wallace Lightcap, was born in McIntosh, South Dakota on September 15, 1914 to Ernest and Henrietta (Doose) Lightcap.  He had one brother, Paul.  Wally died in Dubuque, Iowa in 1975. He married Eunice Strelesky in 1936.  Together they had seven boys: Tom, Bill, Ted, Gary, Greg, Jack, and Joel.  Gary died in…

New Header – Sheridan, Wyoming 1909

I updated the header.  This Library of Congress image is the town of Sheridan, Wyoming in 1909. My grandmother, Eunice (Strelesky) Lightcap, was born here in 1914.  Her sister, Marjorie Strelesky, was born there in 1919.  My great-grandmother Ernestine (Sanders) Strelesky and her unborn child died in Sheridan during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1920.

Obituary: Eunice (Strelesky) Lightcap

Eunice Strelesky Eunice (Strelesky) Lightcap, daughter of John Joseph “Jack” and Ernestine (Sanders) Strelesky, was born in Sheridan, Wyoming, on December 21, 1915, and died on November 15, 1998, in Dubuque, Iowa.   The picture at the left is her 1933 high school graduation. My grandmother’s obituary was published November 18, 1998, in the Telegraph Herald…

Obituary: John Joseph Strelesky

Up until now, I’ve really been focused on sharing obituaries from my mom’s side of the family.  Probably because I know much more about that side of my family than my dad’s.  However, today I’m going to share my great-grandfather’s obituary.  Jack Strelesky was my grandmother’s father. I know next to nothing about this side…