Nell Madigan Sullivan, Death Certificate, 1966

Nell died on January 21, 1966, almost 10 years to the day from when her husband, Al, passed away. A few weeks before she died, she had a party for all of her friends at her home at 18 N. Latrobe on Chicago. She spent the week before the party cleaning the apartment, walking to grocery stores, the bakery and the meat market -- collecting the food stuffs for the party.  I remember she was so happy getting ready for the event. However, within days of the party, she seemed to fail. Mom said she was supposed to be taking high blood pressure medication, but felt the pills weren't necessary and thought that an aspirin was just as good. Mom thought Nell might have chosen not to take the pills because of their high cost.

She probably had had several small strokes which eventually made her bed-ridden. An ambulance was called but Nell refused to go to the hospital and they had to leave. Her doctor came to the house and gave her some medication that caused her to relax. Unfortunately, it may have also taken her "fight" away and she seemed to slip into a coma. The ambulance was again called and took her to St. Joseph Hospital. She was pronounced dead on arrival.

Like her husband, she was waked at the Hursen Funeral Home on west Madison Street. Her funeral service took place at St. Thomas Aquinas Church -- the Church where she attended Mass each day, almost to the day she died. She is buried next to her husband in Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.

Nell was a homemaker her entire married life raising two children and tending to her husband Al.

Note, although her death certificate states she is 79, she was actually born on May 29, 1880.  She would have been 86 at the time of her death per her birth certificate.

Helen remembers Tom when they were young

Helen writes in The Story of a Lifetime: The Personal Memoirs of Helen Sullivan McIntyre about when Tom and she were young:

Tell about your brothers and sisters and your relationships with each of them when you were little.

I just had a brother called Tom.  He was 5 1/2 years older than me.  We didn't do too much together.  He always seemed so grown up.  Although I did remember when I was about 6 we would play down in the basement.  We'd fill the double wash tub with water and sail home made boats.  My tub was the Atlantic Ocean and Tom's was the Pacific Ocean.

I also remember when I was in second grade and Tom was in eighth grade at St. Thomas Aquinas School, I became sick to my stomach and the nun said I should go home.  She said do you have any friends or relatives in the higher grades that could walk you home.  I thought and thought, finally I said I know Joe Differman in 8th grade.  So she had him brought down to my room and he took me home.  He was a good friend of Tom's.   When Tom got home he was mad and asked me why I said Joe and not him.  I said, "Oh, I forgot you were in 8th grade!"  He sure thought I was dumb!

We also had some white rabbits in cages in the back yard.  We never cleaned their cages and sometimes forgot to feed them and a couple died.  My Father got disgusted and opened the cages and let the rest run away.  We were upset - but had no more rabbits.

What other memories would you like to share?

Tom was in 8th grade at St. Thomas Aquinas and I was in 2nd grade.  He was an altar boy at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.  One day the altar boys were told to bring their cassocks home to be washed and ironed.  When I saw my Mother ironing this pretty, white lacy thing I thought she had made me a new dress.  I wanted to wear it.  She told me it wasn't mine, it was Tom's  I started to cry.  I said "Why is Tom getting a new dress and not me?"  My Mother tried to explain why, but I still was jealous.

My Mother always had Christmas Eve with all her relatives.  We always had the biggest real tree ever but there was never any presents put under the tree until Santa Claus came.  When it was time for him to arrive, Tom and I were told to go and wait in the kitchen, a bit later we would hear the doorbell ring and a few minutes after that we were called back into the living room and there was loads of presents under the tree.  One Christmas Eve we were waiting in the kitchen and the bell rang.  I said "Oh that's Santa Claus!"  Tom said " There is no Santa Claus, That's Mother ringing the bell.  Then she hurries upstairs and puts all the presents under the tree."  That was when I didn't believe in Santa Claus anymore!

Helen M. Sullivan McIntyre 1914-2008

The second child of Al and Nell Sullivan, Helen Mae was born on March 11, 1914 in Chicago, Illinois. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas Grammar School, Chicago and Trinity High School, River Forest, Illinois.  At the age of 23 she married Lawrence F. McIntyre on November 26, 1937 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.  She lived on the west side of Chicago and as her family grew she moved into the two flat that her parents owned on Latrobe Ave c1949.  Helen and Larry raised two children, Laurence F. and Elaine M.  Once her children were in school, Helen went to work.  She worked at Apollo Savings and Loan on west Madison Street.  Apollo eventually moved to Michigan Avenue and Helen followed.  She then worked for Home Federal Savings on State Street in the mortgage loan department where she learned about condominiums being built on the shores of Lake Michigan.  In 1967, Helen, Larry and their daughter Elaine moved to their condo on Sheridan Road.  Many people keep journals or diaries, Helen recorded her thoughts, dreams, fears and good times in poetry.  A book entitled The First 90 Years;The Poetry of Helen Sullivan McIntyre was completed for her 90th birthday party.  Helen died of acute respiratory failure on September 29, 2008.  See also McIntyre/Sullivan Blog. Photo: High School graduation, 1931.