Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Mary’s Message - Volume 1




by Mary Malloy Bramstedt
(2-19)

Editor’s Note – After a period of being disconnected from my notable friend, Mary reappeared thanks to a new cell phone and members of the community who passed along her number. I welcomed this opportunity to correspond with her and suggested she compose new material for this newspaper. What follows here is the result:


The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month is an historic time for all members of the public who pause near the steps of our great Geauga County Court House to hear the patriotic words of veterans who have been presented medals of honor for their heroic deeds defending our country in times of war. Their allegiance to God and country makes us all proud to be Americans.

And so it was on November 11, 2019 when I was privileged to listen to the speech of Lt. Col. Allen Bernard West, who served 26 years in the Army and was a US Congressman from Florida. He was the distinguished military hero whom I spoke to about my Dad's service. I spoke to the distinguished man afterward and told him I was proud to be there as we prepared to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the end of WW 1. As a daughter of WW 1. I was honored to tell tell him of my dad's
service in the gas division of the "war to end all wars."

My dad was James Trant "Pat" Malloy (b 1895--d 1967). He married for the first
and only time to my mother when he was 49 and she was 24! After his military
service ended he graduated from the Wharton School of Business at the U. of
Pennsylvania, he traveled around the world and spoke five languages including
Arabic and Yiddish since he worked in the Middle East as well as Europe. I am
glad he returned home to Williamsport, PA to meet and marry my mom. We had a
wonderful life and he was a youthful 64 when my baby brother Mike was born. My
brother Pat and I were only in our teens and Mike was only eight when he went to
be with Our Lord and we have missed him dearly ever since.




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