In The Blink of an Eye by Chuck Walgenbach

Celestine Ann Walgenbach

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

I believe Celestine Ann Walgenbach, my mother, had a fully acknowledged sound relationship with her mother, so I am confused as to why my mother was raised in an orphanage managed by Catholic nuns.   I believe my mother’s mother, my Grammy, had some financial resources, so the question remains … Why my mother was placed in an orphanage by her own mother.   It may have been due to any number of factors, or combination thereof:  the number of children that my Grammy bore (four or more) and had to feed, the lack of a stable spouse, the lifestyle my Grammy pursued, or simply the harsh economic period of the times (Grammy gave birth to my mother in 1920).

Celestine, or Sally, as she became to be more commonly known as, was raised by the Catholic nuns for the greater part of her formative years, as I understand.   Without the benefit of formal records to refer to, I surmise my mom was cared for by the nuns before age 5, up through age 16.  Mom relayed a couple stories to me regarding her stay at the orphanage, that seemed to accentuate the strictness of the nuns, and reinforced in her the value of a penny.  The stories she told have lost all the specifics over time, but they seemed to conjure up the images of the Shirley Temple movie, “The Little Princess” , in  .

When the Catholic orphanage decided to turn my mother out, in her mid to late teens,  I believe my mother went to live with Emmett and Gertrude Dwyer who resided in Denver, Colorado.   I am not certain whether the orphanage matched my mother with the Dwyers, or if it was an arrangement that my mother had arranged on her own.  It was through the Dwyers that my mother met my father.  My recall of the separate ancestries between my mother and father are not crystal clear, but I believe Gertrude Dwyer’s maiden name was Mulligan, which would make her a sister to my father’s mother, Margaret.  The memories my mother had of the orphanage were a blend of rigidity and affection.   The stay she had with the Dwyers, and in particular with Gertrude were especially memorable to her; fondness and sincere affection came over her when relating stories of Gertrude.   As I understand, mom stayed with the Dwyers from her late teens until she married my father in her early twenties.

… to be continued… 5-21-2011  .. the Day of the Rapture !