The Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum hosted a series of winter holiday activities on Saturdays during the month of December. One of the activities was reading favorite stories, both old and new. Photos by Marilou Newell
Going Home
“I miss my Roland every minute of every day,” she said to me again during our Christmas season telephone call between Myrtle Beach and Mattapoisett. My mother-in-law, a woman now deep into her elderly years, is courageously facing her 92nd birthday alone, except for her grief.
Her heart was broken 20 years ago when her Roland died suddenly at the age of 80. “He was “sumin’ special,” she says in her unique British/Southern accent.
Long before Roland came into her life, she had been a war bride. Sylvia met her first husband, a dyed-in-the-wool hill country farmer from West Virginia, during WWII while he was stationed near her village in England. It is a story told by many from that generation. He was smitten at first sight of Sylvia. She was a petite tomboy only 17, daringly dashing about the English countryside as a lorry driver.
Sylvia had signed up to help England in its time of need. She recounts today that she loved the work, felt it was important, and was pleased that she learned to drive well enough to handle the large lumbering vehicles known as lorries. She was a ‘spit-fire’ ready to fight the enemy.
She grew up in the country where hunting for rabbits supplemented the family’s diet, keeping dogs was strictly for getting rid of rats, and developing homemaking skills of every sort was critical to surviving. The war would mandate the use of all these talents. Sylvia was young, healthy, full of spunk, and with a steel backbone. Those last two qualities serve her well today.
She married her Yank and then immigrated to the United States after the war. The West Virginia parcel to which he brought her was not that different from the place she had just left, but now there was a grand future – a future full of food and warmth and physical love, all things she had not really known in England. They built a home and filled it with children, became part of the church community that was so important to them both, and lived happily for years.
Then the accident happened. A drunk driver crashed into their car. Her husband was killed, and Sylvia sustained serious injures to her legs. In an instant, she became a widow.
Her faith in God and self-confidence would help to sustain her in the coming weeks, months, years. But nothing could lessen the loss of her beloved husband. Life moved on carrying Sylvia with it. Her children needed her. Grief would be her secret companion.
When she retired, she spent the winter months in Florida. Living within her meager means, she took up residence in a small travel trailer set on a campsite surrounded by other widows and retirees. Here, neighbors were close by, social activities aplenty, and most of all, distractions from her interior dialog. Sylvia enjoyed it all and participated in everything. She was attractive and vigorous and full of life. Some of her spunk had returned.
Roland and his first wife were part of that community and knew Sylvia. One winter, he returned to the campgrounds a widower. His wife had died unexpectedly. There was plenty of tea and sympathy from the social circle to provide Roland with a balm for his grieving soul. And there was Sylvia. Before long, their casual relationship changed to something much more.
Roland and Sylvia wouldn’t waste any time. It was too precious a commodity. They were from an era whose moral code dictated marriage if they wished to be really together. They didn’t want it any other way. They married soon thereafter. They were happy. They were deeply in love. I witnessed their giddy response to one another on many occasions. Not unlike teenagers who are tickled at the sight of their new love – except for their white hair and aged faces – Roland and Sylvia could have been mistaken for kids.
Of course, they didn’t hold any illusion that they would have decades together. They simply hoped for as many healthy, happy years as God was willing to provide. They filled their days with the joy of being together. It lasted for ten blissful years.
She has shared that with me, and although you never really get over a loved one dying, you can learn to live and love again. She is grateful for the time she had with both her husbands, but it is Roland who she longs for as she recalls everything about him that she holds dear and dreams about at night.
Another Christmas rolls around, another phone call from Sylvia. “Hello Mare-e-lou, it is Sylvia,” she always confirms. After she reminds me of the litany of physical ailments that now slow down her otherwise willing spirit, we fall into our usual touching-base conversation.
She’ll want an update on all of Roland’s family members. I’ll begin to give her what little information I have, even repeating myself from talking points shared during previous conversations. She’ll accept it all as new information with grace. Inevitably, only a few minutes pass when she announces, “Oh, I miss my Roland!” It is said with pain as real as the day she found him dying in the yard while mowing the lawn. It has indeed been a very long twenty years for Sylvia.
She is my hero on so many levels. She has had to bury a son and two husbands. The pain, loss, and sorrow she has endured while finding the strength to give of herself to others, even at her advanced age, speaks volumes to the character of this woman.
“I still go to the nursing home and sing hymns to the old folks,” she proudly declares with a raspy chuckle. The humor of that statement is not lost to her.
Our conversation is wrapping up. We wish each other a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and then she says as she has for so many years, “I’m waiting for the Lord to call me … I want to go home to Roland.”
By Marilou Newell
Ham & Bean Supper
The American Legion, Florence Eastman Post, will hold an Old Fashion Ham & Bean Supper at the Post Hall on January 10 from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. Storm date is February 15. Call 508-758-9311 for reservations, questions and storm information. The supper will feature cole slaw, potato salad, dessert and beverage, as well as our signature baked ham and homemade beans.
We need your support for our Tri-Town Youth and Community Services (e.g. Boys’ & Girls’ State Scholarships, Flag Day Ceremony, Veteran’s Day Observance and Memorial Parade).
Reservations are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. Cost is $10 per person or $25 for a family (Mom, Dad and small children). We need your support to continue our Community Service and look forward to providing our guests with a great meal and good fellowship!
Joan F. (Daniher) Ten Eyck
Joan F. (Daniher) Ten Eyck, 94, of Marion died Saturday December 27, 2014 at home. She was the wife of the late Everett Kyle Ten Eyck.
Born in New York City, the daughter of the late Charles and Mary (Carter) Daniher, she lived in New York City, Minneapolis, MN, and Needham, before moving to Marion in 1982.
She was a communicant of St. Anthony’s Church in Mattapoisett.
She is survived by her children, Roberta J. Ten Eyck of Millis, Richard K. Ten Eyck of Wellesley, John E. Ten Eyck of Wanaque, NJ, and Chris C. Ten Eyck of Framingham; four grandchildren, Carolyn, Jonathan, Corinne, and Carson; and several nieces and nephews.
Her Funeral will be held on Wednesday Dec. 31, 2014 at 9 AM from the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Route 6, Mattapoisett, followed by her Funeral Mass at St. Anthony’s Church at 10 AM. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Marion. Visiting hours Tuesday Dec. 30, 2014 from 3-6 PM. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Southcoast Visiting Nurse Association, 200 Mill Rd., Fairhaven, MA 02719. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
Nasketucket Bird Club Meeting
At January’s Nasketucket Bird Club meeting, Fairhaven resident and professional photographer Dan Logan will show some of his images from the past year of birds that live in or pass through southeastern Massachusetts.
The event will be held at 7:00 pm on Thursday, January 22 at the Mattapoisett Public Library. The meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Carolyn Longworth at bvm1290@comcast.net.
Logan’s images range from common summer birds including the Piping Plover and Barn Swallow to less frequently seen species such as the Long-Eared Owl, Yellow-breasted Chat, Wood Duck, Northern Gannet and Black-throated Gray Warbler.
He will share the stories behind the photographs and talk about the challenges of photographing fast-moving birds.
ORR Student Fundraises for 3-D Printer
It is time for technology at Old Rochester Regional High School to enter the 21st century, thinks junior Drew Robert, so he has taken the first step towards leading the school into the future of technology education.
Robert has taken just about every technology course offered at ORR.
“And I wanted more,” said Robert during the Robotics class taught by Thomas Norris, in which Robert now acts as Norris’s teacher’s assistant.
Technology is evolving fast, said Robert, and even though the school has been acquiring new technological devices for students to implement into the school curriculum, Robert wants to take it to the next dimension – the third dimension, with a 3-D printer for the school to call its own.
“It’s something that me and Mr. Norris had been talking about for a while,” said Robert. “There’s countless possibilities for it.”
Robert started to research grant and fundraising opportunities for the school to purchase a 3-D printer and happened upon Donorschools.org, where Robert submitted a proposal for his 3-D printer and the organization approved it. The website aims to assist schools in funding projects and purchases that are outside of the school budget.
So far, Robert has raised $100, and the goal is to raise $1,250 before April. Even some students have donated money towards the 3-D printer, according to Norris, which makes acquiring the printer a vested interest for the students. Norris said he supports Robert’s efforts, calling Robert “a model student.”
“If I didn’t think he could handle it, I wouldn’t have had him try for it,” said Norris about Robert’s ambition to land a 3-D printer for ORR. “I think it’ll be a successful venture.”
Robert went on about the potential uses of the printer, saying it would enhance the engineering courses by allowing students to print models that they design in class. For example, students could print out a model of a bridge they design and test the limits of its engineering.
The problem at ORR is that access to the latest technology is limited. Robert said, as far as technology equipment goes, “there isn’t a lot here.” He said for engineering students, outside of computers, there is a wood cutting machine but that is about it.
Norris said a 3-D printer could change some of the technology course offerings at ORR, and having one would also benefit the entire school. Norris said the printer could be integrated into the biology curriculum at ORR as well, and even into fine arts.
“I’d love to open it up to the entire school so kids can get a chance to see how it works and to use it,” said Robert.
As for Robert’s efforts, Norris said Robert is doing a great job so far on behalf of all the students at ORR who want to make a 3-D printer at the school a solid reality.
“We’re out of the world of pencils and paper,” said Robert. “We’re into the world of computer design.”
To make a donation to help Robert achieve his goal of purchasing a 3-D printer for the school, go to www.donorschoose.org and search for the project using the school’s zip code, 02739, and the keywords “Help us Print Education.”
By Jean Perry
Davis to Play for the USA U18 Hockey Team
Although the Winter sports season is just beginning at Tabor, Tabor Academy senior Samantha Davis has been playing hockey all year.
Davis was recently named to the USA U18 National Team after a series of training camps. Over the summer, Davis was invited to Lake Placid, where she participated in a training camp for the team. After this, she was named to the U18 select team and competed against Team Canada in a three-game series in Calgary, Canada.
This past fall, Davis was invited to the Pre-Four Nations Camp with the National Team players. This was “an amazing experience” for Davis – an event during which she had the chance to meet some Olympic competitors.
These camps and series led Davis to being named to the U18 team a few weeks ago. She and the team will compete in the Under-18 Women’s World Championships in Buffalo, New York next month.
Davis, who has been playing hockey since age seven, signed her letter of intent to continue her career at Boston University in November. She has been a varsity member of the Tabor Academy Girls’ Hockey Team since her freshman year and is now a co-captain of the team.
“I am excited about competing for a gold medal in a few weeks and for the experience I’m about to have,” Davis said. “I can’t wait to put on the USA jersey again because it never gets old.”
Despite all of her accolades, Davis is modest about her hockey career and seeks to improve even more.
“My goals as a hockey player are to keep developing my game, to become a better player and to learn from the older girls ahead of me,” said Davis. “I just want to be the best I can be.”
By Julia O’Rourke
Vincent Barboza
Vincent Barboza, of Rochester died on December 25, 2014. He was the husband of Jeanette (Barros) Barboza. Visiting hours will be held from 5:00pm to 8:00pm on Monday, December 29, 2014 at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 2599 Cranberry Hwy., Wareham. Funeral services will be held at 10:00am on Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at the funeral home, followed by burial at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Wareham.
Taking the Christmas Plunge
On Christmas Day 2014, about 50 hardy souls, young and old alike, ran into 42-degree winter waters at Mattapoisett’s Town Beach with yelps of joy. This annual event raises funds for Helping Hands and Hooves, a non-profit organization in Mattapoisett that provides horseback riding lessons and therapeutic sessions for people with special needs. Photos by Marilou Newell
Barbara A. Dooley
Barbara A. Dooley, 78, of Bourne formerly Marion, died Tuesday December 23, at the Royal Cape Cod Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Bourne. Ms. Dooley was born in Boston, the daughter of the late Walter J. and Marion E. (Rose) Dooley. She attended Saint Peter and Saint Paul Elementary Schools and Immaculate Conception High School. She loved her family and helped to raise her brothers. Ms. Dooley worked for many years as an Inspector for the EF Space Industry.
She is survived by her daughter Ann Marie Kopal of Texas, her brothers Paul E. Dooley of E. Wareham and Michael L. Dooley of Marston Mills, 4 grandchildren and many loving relatives and friends. She was the mother of the late Richard H. Boyer and Suzanne Scott and sister of the late William F., Robert F. and Walter Dooley.
Her funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday January 5, 2015 at 10 O’clock in Saint Patrick’s Church 82 High Street Wareham. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. Please arrive at the church at 9:45am. Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery Brockton. Visiting hours have been omitted.