Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Remembering Mary Ann...


September 25, 2009 marks the passing of the second oldest of the Crotty 15 cousins. Our dear cousin, Mary Ann Callahan Niedzielski died early that morning surrounded by her children.

Mary Ann….I remember one time asking Julia why she named her Mary Ann as it seemed kind of ‘rhymey’ with Callahan. She said she was named for the Blessed Mother, and her mother, Saint Ann. ‘Nuff said. That was Julia.

As a kid, I used to spend the night at the house on west Third street…. I remember that she was always sewing, LOVED to sleep late and was so pretty. I aspired to be as talented and pretty as she was. When I had my first dance at St. Pat’s in the 8th grade, Mary Ann let me wear one of her dresses. (I was a whole lot skinnier then!) I felt like a princess.

Mary Ann gave me my first year St. Ben’s uniforms. We knew they were going to change uniforms between my freshman and sophomore year and it made the most sense for me to wear her ‘hand me downs’. Kids today would be appalled….but that is the way it was.

When I graduated from St. Ben’s, she was my sponsor (don’t remember exactly what it was called, but she attended a luncheon with me)


Mary Ann was Miss Industry of Erie in 1963. See the picture of her attached on the float in the parade.

When I got out of high school, Mary Ann was already working at Hammermill, and I was working at Westinghouse on Hess Ave. About once a month we would go to our house on Eagle Point and Mom would fix us lunch. We would talk away the hour….

After Kim was born, I would go over to their house on 7th street to play with Kim and visit with Mary Ann and Stan. Funny story, I met Rick on Memorial Day, 1968. (May 30). On that weekend, Mary Ann and Stan were going to go out and had asked me to babysit. Rick really wanted to come over or call me while I was there. I wouldn’t tell him where she lived, but I did tell him that Stan’s name was Niedzielski…I figured he would never be able to spell it. He did, looked up the phone number, called me and we talked the night away after Kim was asleep! He reminded me that he too grew up in Erie and knew how to spell Polish names! The rest of Rick and I are history…we were married 6 months later.

When Mary Ann was expecting daughter number two, we all had the biggest shock when David died. A truly tragic time that we will all never forget. But then sadness turned to joy, when little Karen was born and I was asked to be her godmother!! What a thrill!!

I kept up with Mary Ann intermittently through the years…mostly keeping up with Karen.

We have all kind of gone our separate ways through the years, marrying the loves of our life, some getting divorced and then finding that special someone again to share their life with. Some of us have lost our spouses due to death. We mourn that loss with each other, but celebrate lives well lived. We raised our families, watched them grow, excel, and then marry and have families of their own. Some of our children now have grandchildren of their own.

The 14 remaining cousins have reconnected in recent years and it has been wonderful. We sit down to talk and the years just melt away.

In October, 2007, Rick and I were in Erie to attend his nephews wedding. I had been emailing Mike Crotty and found out he was going to be in Erie that weekend. We took a ‘mug shot’ of the gang of us at Nunzi’s Restaurant.








Also attached is a picture that was taken at Kristin’s on June 7, 2009. On July 3, Rick died, and now Mary Ann on September 25. May you both rest in peace and know no more pain.

I feel very fortunate to have been her cousin. The joy and happiness we have had in our lives far out shadows our sadness. Through it all, our life and our legacy lives on.