An O'Grady Family Memoir

Thomas O'Grady's parents were John Grady and Maria King.  John was lost at sea prior to 1900.  Maria emigrated to the USA leaving her children in the care of her mother.   Mary Francis Grady   (1889 - 1951) and  Thomas John Grady (6 Aug 1891 - 10 Feb 1969). had been born in Balyhedreen, County Mayo, Ireland:   Maria met and married James Sheridan and settled in Mount Kisco, New York.  Mary Francis and Thomas arrived in the United States on the Oceanic from Queenstown, Cork on March 27, 1902.  The immigration authorities added the  "O'" to the name on entry papers, so they carried it on through life.

Family

Thomas married Jane Foy in Manhattan on Columbus Day 1915.  The Best Man was her brother Patrick and the Maid of Honor was Tom's stepsister Gertrude Sheridan. The newly married couple went on to live in Valhalla, New York, then moved to the Bronx in 1925 and finally Yorktown Heights, New York in 1958.

Their life

Tom and Jane had a wonderful married life.  Both were Irish immigrants, born in the same County Mayo.  They lived in the Roman Catholic tradition they were taught at 'hom' (Ireland) and continued all their life.

Jane lived down the street (Moore Avenue in Mt. Kisco).   She worked as a governess for the Parker's,  just a few houses down the road from Tom.  Jane came from a large family, most of which had emigrated and lived in the New York City area.  The three nurses from her family  Cecelia, Hanna and Elizabeth went to Ireland after the war and brought their youngest brother Luke to Valhalla and asked Jane to take care of him while they were at work.  Frank was a newborn and having a patient in the house with a communicable disease (tuberculosis) was a great worry for the couple.  Luke passed away some time later and was buried September 1920. 

Bob was born in May 1923 and they moved to the Bronx on Lydig Avenue.  Tom II was born in White Plains accompanied by Cecelia, who called Tom at the office and told him you had better get to the office earlier: you have a third son!  Those girls were very supportive of each other.  The couple moved to the Country Club area in 1930.  Jane was enthusiastic about the surroundings.  There was a small beach club on the Eastchester Bay called the West Chester Country Club Land Assn.   And she loved to swim.   There was a dock, floats, bathhouse and only three blocks from the house!  There were schools nearby and ice skating in the winter in a park close to the house.  Both Tom and Jane enjoyed the ice skating cross-handed for hours.

The family auto was a 1920s Studebaker Sedan with Isinglass curtains for windows.  The house on Parcifal Place was rented to them by an English couple that built the house but could not live in it because they did not know how to keep a coal furnace working.  Tom didn't know either, so Jane and later Frank as helper (he was 13 years old) maintained the furnace.  Tom was too busy at work and was never very handy.  Except at tennis and golf on some of the weekends.  In 1932 they bought a brand new Buick sedan.  The boys were so excited when they drove up the driveway.

Jane II was born on New Years Eve of 1933.  At that time the three boys were vacationing in Mt Kisco.  There was such a commotion about the birth.  Of course the  grandparents Maria and Jim Sheridan, Mary Francis, Uncles Peter and Jim and Aunt Gertrude (and her boyfriend Harry Eberle) were the saviors of the O'Grady children's Christmas.  There was more snow up there, so there were horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice skating and constant spoiling.  Home made bread, cakes and good food, cooked on a wood stove, a pantry full of good things was the fare.  The Sheridan's gave all of the bicycles and major toys to the children at Christmas.

On Thanksgiving Day the gang of relatives from Mt. Kisco all would venture to the Bronx and join with some of the Foy family for dinner.  

In the summer of 1934 Jane gave up the work of the house and moved the family to an apartment around the corner, a two family house on Parcifal Place.  The owner maintained everything. This was a very sociable family. Jane's Brother Patrick Foy had five children all in the same age group as the O'Grady's. Patrick  lost his wife to breast cancer when the youngest, Monica, was 2, Jane and he would talk on the telephone at least once a week. Once in a while in the summer time he would crank up the model-A Ford load up all the Kids and cross from Long Island to the Bronx via ferry. Then all would head for the club for a swim. There was a great time for all, but Tom; he could not swim in fact after "the crossing'  he did not care to see that much water much less swim in it.

The Whitestone Bridge was opened in 1938 to enable traffic to pass from the Bronx to Long Island. This was to facilitate the 1939-40 Worlds Fair in Flushing. The road passed very near the Patrick Foy residence in Corona. Travel was easier and both families visited more often. The Fair was a big attraction especially for the children. The relationship of the children of both families lasted for life.

All the parties where the Foys,  O'Gradys,  Mullins and Martins met were gala family meetings. The musical instruments were broken out and the dancing started. What a wonderful time of life!  Radio was new.   Movies were just turning from black and white to color and the Big Bands were playing in the hotels of Manhattan. Few could afford the luxuries. They entertained each other and family ties were tighter.

World War II was difficult for the O Grady family. Frank was drafted into the Army on February 7, 1942. Bob enlisted in the Marines in 1943. Tom II enlisted in April 1944. Jane was in Grade School. Tom worked on the draft board and gave blood every chance he could. He gave many gallons. Jane preserved jelly, made soap and all prayed!

James Sheridan enlisted in the Navy as a Chief Petty Officer.   He was killed while working with the Seabees in Trinidad.

All the O'Grady came home safely. Frank married Margaret Wilson;  Bob returned to Manhattan College and Tom II to Samson College. Jane graduated from Villa Maria High School and College of New Rochelle.  Bob married Marion Walsh. Tom II married Hedy Holzhauer.

Tom soon to retire wanted to move out of the city and preferred Westchester County. He found an old farmhouse in Yorktown Heights. It once was an apple orchard with two acres of land and seven bedrooms (five upstairs and two down). Much to the chagrin of Jane but she made a 'silk purse out of the Sow's ear'. She was good at that. Young Jane and the parents made a home out of it. She worked for IBM. Tom commuted to the Bronx and stayed at the local YMCA returning by bus on weekends. He did this for two years and finally retired. In the meantime the house accommodated many a guest. Tom II and his family came down from Syracuse for Thanksgiving and summer vacations. The upstairs bedrooms took care of him, his wife, five children and his mother-in- law!  One small bedroom was converted to a full bath. There were many parties held there. The best was their 50th Wedding Anniversary. There were at least 70 people there at the house. Mass at the local Church with retaking the vows and the same attendants Patrick and Gertrude there. It was a monument to their lives. Gertrude and Harry prepared the breakfast at their home in Chappaqua with Jane II, Tom II, Hedy and Patrick as guests. A maid served a sumptuous meal. At the house,  Frank, Bob, their wives and  cousins  decorated or prepared food and greeted the guests. When the couple arrived the party was going full steam. Guests roamed the lawn; the house and all had a chance to be updated in the latest news. When the cake was to be cut and most crowded into the house; the couple opened the cards and presents. All the money gifts were donated to the chapel at Marist College.

Tom tried to keep up the lawn but was always seen trying to pull the weeds or mowing the lawn or occasionally playing golf at Mohansic. He tired of that and crossword puzzles and took up Real Estate.  He was not the best salesman, as he would tell people not to buy that house 'you can't afford it'. The snow took a toll on him;  'all that shoveling took his life'.

Jane lived out her years there and died while preparing the soil for the new crop. She lay there in peace till the neighbor children saw her. A priest was called and all knelt to pray for the Matron of the Family. She was 94 years old and had led an exemplary life.

Thomas And Jane are interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery

May they rest in peace.