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Growing Up Quinn a keepsake from Memoir for Me memoirforme com
To Mary Marguerite and Pops Quinn for your beautiful daughter Kathleen She is the heart of the family Love Ma Pat Devine Coach Rick Devine
Ron and his sister Jeanne 1950s Though all the Quinn children now adults sat around the same oversized dining room table at 22 W 666 Hackberry Drive their stories about growing up Quinn are as varied as they are in personality They number 8 total Marguerite Michelle b 1959 Ronald Kevin Kevin b 1960 Patrick Timothy Tim b 1962 Daniel James Dan 19632013 Molly Ann b 1965 Thomas John Tom b 1968 Peter Joseph Pete b 1970 and Kathleen Maria b 1978 While each had their own memories or even different recounts of the same events certain themes emerged around family traditions and values This is their story On their parents Ronald Ron and Mary Marguerite n e Fesenmeier Quinn Mary Maguerite Fesenmeier came from an established family with a name that was well known in Huntington West Virginia because the family owned and operated Fesenmeier Brewing Company with the slogan Brewed to win ya Mary Marguerite was seeing someone in this established social circle when she met Ron Quinn at church My dad was a charmer said daughter Michelle Whatever he did that day at church worked Ron and Mary Marguerite were married May 10 1958 Ron worked his way up the ladder at Sears Roebuck and Co where his father also worked My dad started at the very bottom said son Tim His father gave him a job but no perks He got his start selling laundry detergent soap through the appliance guys 3
With Ron s work ethic and dedication he moved his way up to floor manager then became a senior buyer of sports equipment With career advancement came geographic moves and a whole bunch of children The family left West Virginia in 1961 where Michelle and Kevin were born They spent a few years in Middletown Ohio where two more sons Tim and Dan joined the family In 1964 the family moved to the Sears HQ town of Chicago where the family was completed with Molly Tom Pete and Kathleen Soon the iconic Sears Tower in downtown Chicago would be built Ron s future office Sears was the Amazon of America said Kevin We were quite the Sears fans everything came from there from our clothes to our washing machine But life wasn t all about work for Ronnie Quinn He was sensitive a family man and adored his wife Son Tim remembers his dad as an avid letter writer and has many of the notes he wrote for his wife One thing my dad taught me and all of us boys was to respect women It was drilled into us said Tom Respect even when their sisters didn t necessarily deserve it The girls would smack us and then say You can t hit me back Dad will kill you Ron also often had a camera around his neck He took his camera everywhere said Tim It got to be a bit annoying He was always saying Hold on while he lined up his next shot Ron with Michelle 1961
Quinn sibs 1971 Outside Hackberry 1979 Ron and Mary Marguerite settled in Glen Ellyn a western suburb approximately 30 miles from the city They soon found a perfect house with an imperfect address 22W 666 Hackberry Drive Whenever we would order a pizza and give them our address people thought we were joking said Kathleen My mother hated that address Trust me if it could ve been changed she would ve changed it I loved that house recalls Molly I wish I still lived there We had a crack in our driveway and couldn t go further than the crack Pete remembers the huge yard where the kids could roam We had a normal backyard but then we had the back backyard The house backed up to Butterfield Road but was buffered by woods Ron Quinn cleared a section of it to give his kids plenty of room to play I spent 8 million hours there playing whiffle ball said Pete Coming to Chicago was a big change for the Quinns They had no family in the Midwest but found the next best thing a Catholic parish just starting out just like them The Quinns would become a founding family of St James the Apostle Both Ron and Mary Marguerite became very involved and friends became a second family My dad was very social and said hi to everybody My mom would be pulling him to leave parties or after church said Kevin She had us on a tight leash and schedule 5
On the Fire Life took a dramatic turn in 1970 when faulty wiring started a fire in the Quinn s brand new upstairs addition built for Mary Marguerite s parents Ron was working downtown when he heard and rushed home beating fire crews to the scene Hackberry ended and started again in a different neighborhood explained Kevin The fire truck drove to the wrong Hackberry Drive Mary Marguerite her parents new baby Pete and Dan Molly and Tom all got out in one piece The older 3 Quinn children were at school Sr Patricia school principal called Michelle Kevin and Tim down to the main office Michelle remembers the incident with vivid detail She said I want you to go to the church and say your prayers I turned to Kevin and said It must be really bad The older kids were driven home and Kevin remembers pulling up as their school bus drove by everyone glued to the windows watching the Quinn family house burn down Half the kids had jumped off the bus to watch it burn remembers Kevin The family lost pretty much everything but the clothes on their backs In that day and age so much was irreplaceable said Kevin Baby photos and my father s record collection close to 400 albums all became tinder for the fire All of Ron s hard work behind the camera hundreds of photos that he had meticulously transferred on to slides and catalogued by date and milestone all of it went up in smoke 6 After the fire 1970
Around the legendary table 1972 For years after whenever we couldn t find anything my mom would say it went with the fire said Michelle Remarkably one thing did remain standing in the house their oversized dining room table We had a famous kitchen table made with half of an 8 foot log said Kevin It was probably 400 lbs You could sit 5 on each side and my mom and dad on both ends My mom and dad vowed to fill the table up and boy did they said Pete It was a good thing that Ron and Marguerite had deep connections with their parish of St James because for the next week the Quinn family all lived with the nuns at the church convent My father was probably the first man to ever sleep in the convent said Kevin A parishioner had a house for sale and agreed to let the Quinns rent it for 1 month The Sears Company helped to redecorate the house and made sure the family was outfitted in new clothes Everyone rallied together to support the family The local public school organized a collection of food and clothes said Kevin The garage was packed 4 5 feet high with canned goods Ron and Mary Marguerite decided to rebuild their home on the same lot this time designing a house that would fit their large family 7
It made a lot more sense said Michelle It was a better designed house Between the great fire of 1970 and the family s sheer size the Quinn family made a name for themselves in Glen Ellyn My parents were famous everywhere at church and school said Kevin Everyone had a Quinn in class Everyone knew our family said Tim As a founding family of St James we had a nice legacy that still resides to this day On becoming 8 in 78 The baby of the family Kathleen Maria joined the Quinn family 8 years after Pete Her birthday was fitting of the surprise April Fools Day 1978 It was always the running joke said Kathleen For the older siblings having a new baby brought different reactions I sill remember the day when they called us all into the kitchen for a family meeting said Tom We all sat down at the kitchen table and my mom said We were going to have another brother or sister Everyone was shocked I was excited I actually made the announcement corrects Pete Mom created this poem with the line There will be 8 in 78 and my dad had this huge sign made Molly remembers a less than ideal reaction to the news that her mother was pregnant again I was in 8th grade when she became pregnant I was mortified That meant they were still having sex 8 Some of the gang 1980 Kathleen 1982
Kathleen with Tom 1983 But once the baby arrived Molly changed her tune and little Kathleen became her shadow She followed me everywhere When my mom went back to work we d go grocery shopping together and people thought she was my kid The two bonded through the years When I left for college it broke both of our hearts The boys also had a soft spot for this new baby When she first came home from the hospital Pete and I put out a rocking horse thinking she could already ride it remembers Tom He learned other ways to bond with her With both mom and dad working we all had to do our share to help out I used to put her on my belly and lay down and she would go to sleep right there Kevin appreciated Kathleen for the distraction I was 18 years old a senior at Benet Academy I got completely lost in the shuffle which was fine by me The sibs all remember Kathleen had boundless energy and that her parents had a creative way to keep her contained 9
I had a cage said Kathleen I was a climber and would scale this thing up to the ceiling My dad kept having to build it higher and higher This was before the time of formal crib covers clarified Molly My dad built a wall up the side of her crib and when it was time for her to go to bed we all said Time for Kathleen to go to her cage Though her sleeping conditions might look otherwise Kathleen was doted on All she had to do was put her hair in pigtails and she could get anything she wanted said Molly She had my dad wrapped around her pinky from the day she was born Being Dad s favorite paid off during the holidays Since I was the youngest I tended to get what I wanted said Kathleen I got the big thing on Christmas The year of the Cabbage Patch I got one The year of the Glow Worm I got one Instead of chores around the house like her older siblings Kathleen remembers spending Saturday mornings running errands with Dad He was a creature of habit said Kathleen We d stop at the same few places every week the drug store the camera store then if I was lucky we d go to the Book Nook for a bag of candy Kathleen with Dad 1981
Kathleen with Molly 1983 Her chances increased if she wore the pigtails She looked like Punky Brewster said Tom We all called her that Though Kathleen may have had preferential treatment her older siblings mentioned that their little sister brought a special gift into the family She kept my parents young said Tom She was a refreshing change great to have around She made things fun said Molly We were older and getting into trouble Kathleen brought a spark to things Now as adults the Quinn sibs are scattered around the map with families of their own and getting together is increasingly difficult But Kathleen is insistent they stay connected She s a lot like our mom she s instrumental in getting us together for the big events said Michelle She s the glue of the family said Tom Tim agrees Kathleen has become the central point in our family She is Type A very driven I think that is a product of her big family having adult brothers and sisters actively involved in her life Kathleen has accepted the role of family gatherer I don t mind it because I so want it to be kept together 11
On Family Traditions Life as a Quinn meant a life filled with traditions big and small Vacations were spent in Florida Ohio or Wisconsin but the most memorable traditions were closer to home Birthday celebrations were frequent and simple with so many kids in the house You got to pick out the meal and the cake said Molly I always asked for roast beef and for dessert yellow cake with chocolate frosting Holidays like with many families were ripe for tradition Annual 4th of July fireworks were best viewed from the rooftop on Hackberry Drive St Patrick s Day meant a day off of school to go downtown to watch the parade followed by lunch at the Berghoff Ron had a love for all things Irish College football season meant everyone had to cheer on Notre Dame He was a devoted fan even though neither he nor any of the kids attended school there Kathleen explains Catholic Irish tradition and football he loved it all Thanksgiving was filled with family fun and food except for one year It was 1980 said Tom We were playing hockey outside and somebody shot a puck right into the dining room window There was glass everywhere all over the food Mary Marguerite did not handle it well She went upstairs and cried said Tom We all had baloney sandwiches and popcorn that year It was a quiet meal On Christmas the Quinn family would enjoy a dinner of beef Wellington and prime rib with caramel rolls for dessert Mary Marguerite loved sending out cards and was very particular about the house decorations 12 Ron 1983 Mary Marguerite 1983
Christmas joy Tom in 1972 Dan 1972 She had her Hummel Nativity set and in the front window a white tree with blue velvet bows recalls Michelle But for many years Mary Marguerite wasn t even with the family on Christmas day to celebrate She worked 3 11PM as a rehab nurse in a nursing home so she d meet us at midnight mass said Tom The best traditions of all were sometimes the most ordinary My parents made so many traditions for us said Kathleen Not just holidays the everyday stuff I valued that Everyone brought up the tradition of sitting down to dinner together as a family around the now legendary fireproof table While the kids had the run of their large backyard and much of the neighborhood to play in they always had to stay close enough to hear the dinner bell We had an actual bell outside our back door Kevin You could hear it from everywhere said Pete When the bell rang in they piled to enjoy a meal of well cooked meat and powdered milk Pete has a vivid memory from this time The powder smelled so bad I remember making it Kathleen remembers an equally unpalatable Lenten dinner tradition My mom would make a whole fish with the head on These were the days that you didn t tell them you weren t eating 13
But despite these standouts memories around the dinner table were good ones My mom was a good cook said Kathleen My sisters got it from constantly helping her in the kitchen I wish I had done more of that Lord knows I could use the skills As they settled down to dinner the kids all said a short prayer that none of their friends called during the next hour That would be the only time my dad would answer the phone If it was for you you were in trouble said Pete The kids had their designated spots around the table with one exception Whoever was naughty that day had to sit next to Dad Nobody wanted that seat He would come home at 6PM on the dot set his briefcase down and my mom would whisper one of our names in his ear said Tom Prior to Dad coming home the kids would all make their cases to Mom Around 5 o clock we d be following her around saying Please don t tell Dad said Tom Tim didn t have much luck in this department I almost always sat next to my dad with my brother Dan on the other side Dan was a total antagonizer said Tim The two brothers had some epic battles It was fun to watch said Pete 14 Dan Tom and Pete 1975 Molly 1975
Ron 1993 Kathleen said she missed out on the show My brothers would go at it and my dad would just shove them outside to beat the crap out of each other said Kathleen I m talking knock down drag out fights I was never allowed to watch Tim remembers one fight that still stings a bit I had spent days copying the top 100 Elvis songs off the radio onto tapes said Tim I was so proud of them Dan and I got into it and I caught him upstairs erasing the tapes When the boys weren t trying to kill each other they were playing basketball on their court out back or skating around the rink their parents made by flooding it in the winter Saturdays were spent doing chores around the house Duties were assigned based on gender roles The boys had to shovel take out the garbage mow the lawn while we cooked and cleaned said Molly I was the official lunch maker I stacked the sandwiches Some jobs were reserved for punishment When you got in trouble you had to go clean the leaves out of the lava rocks on your hands and knees said Molly 15
Ron and Mary Marguerite also loved to be outside Their mother loved to garden and their father took up creative landscaping installing a working waterfall and 7 ceramic dwarves around the backyard I spent all of one summer painting them remembers Molly Weekend nights meant a happy hour for everyone Mom and Dad enjoyed a cocktail while the kids had soda and popcorn or even better Our house was close to the local 7 11 and on the weekends he d take us boys there for candy and Slurpees said Tom He called it a party Sundays were back to business They got up early and went to 8 30AM mass every weekend without fail If we had a friend sleepover on Saturday night they had to come with us said Pete We always sat in the front row and all hated it My dad loved it Following church Mary Marguerite made a big homemade breakfast with fresh baked bread basted eggs and bacon Ron provided the soundtrack with his record collection He loved Charo Cyndi Lauper Michael Jackson Neil Diamond and musicals said Pete I think I know every word of Fiddler on the Roof On Loss Mary Marguerite the matriarch of the large Quinn family was always in control She was a perfectionist and kept things in as close to perfect order as having 8 kids would allow She led a very regimented home and was very particular said Molly She liked a picked up house 16 Michelle with Mom and Tom 1979 Molly with Mom 1977
Michelle Mary Marguerite Gammy Kathleen and Molly 1981 Kathleen remembers a distinct feature of her mom s She was this tiny lady with beautiful hands and nails but she had crooked fingers She was a finger pointer and she d stick her crooked finger right in your face Whether it was housework raising her kids or working as a nurse Mary Marguerite was no slacker She was the nurse you think of crisp and perfect said Michelle but she worked herself to the bone Perfectionism had a cost She could be tough on the kids and carried a lot of stress My mom was a cabinet slammer said Kathleen A spitfire she would control it all then blow up Michelle agrees I knew she loved me but sometimes it was tough love I didn t give her an easy time either In 1989 Mary Marguerite found a lump in her breast and died 2 years later from breast cancer Her youngest daughter Kathleen was only 12 My dad was never the same said Tim Ron s occasional eccentricities came out in full effect 17
After my mom died he turned the house into a ND leprechaun haven His clothes too he was always dressed in green or ND He declared his love to the Fighting Irish all over the family vehicle My father took our family van and painted it green and white put shamrocks all over it with Go Irish and our family s name and address on it said Tim Cancer would strike again Ten years after his wife died Ron died of lung cancer in 2000 When he died we had to reform our family again said Tim The Quinn sibs have seen their share of loss most recently losing their brother Dan in 2013 But though they ve seen a lot of sadness there is always more joy They ve also learned a lot through the years Lessons learned growing up Quinn Parents often try to leave their kids with certain values For the Quinn kids identifying those lessons depends on whom you ask Work hard play hard and always be kind said Michelle I learned the importance of being on time said Pete Coming home from Benet Academy picking up Pops from the train station at 5 55 and never be late for dinner Other lessons learned were based on necessity With 8 kids Ron and Mary Marguerite never had a surplus of anything in the house but they were blessed with just enough Clothes were handed down from one kid to the next and tricks were used to sort clothes by owner Underwear and socks were thankfully not passed down said Kevin All the boys had different color accent colors on our socks I was yellow my whole life 18 The Quinn family van
Celebrating the High Holy Day 1975 We had everything we needed just not everything we wanted said Kevin Growing up in such a large family we didn t know any different Pete agreed We didn t have a lot but we didn t want for anything Many of them agreed that family always came first Everything revolved around family said Pete Mom and Dad never missed a game if they weren t working I don t know how they physically got us everywhere They must ve had awesome carpool skills Life was complicated logistically but perhaps God helped Family AND faith come first said Molly We always said a prayer before dinner and at night we would all knee around the bed and say a Hail Mary and Our Father Growing up Quinn was fun and full to the brim full of kids full of noise full of life It was organized chaos said Tom I don t know how they did it You make it sound like we had a choice laughed Tim It was character building said Pete But it was a fun way to grow up I wouldn t trade it for anything 19