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Therese M Browne Schenfeld An Extroverted Life a keepsake from Memoir for Me memoirforme com

I love you for being late all the time John Thanks Mom for all the love and support through the years it s made a huge impact on all of our lives Love Daniel To the most caring passionate social and with it mother with the elephant memory thank you for providing a wonderful family environment and teaching us all valuable life lessons so we could become successful Love Tom You are an amazing mom and friend to me and awesome grandma to our children My life is wonderful because you are my mom so kind and loving You continue to guide me and give me strength Did you know that you are my hero Love Nancy Thanks Mom aka Mother Theresa for being the most dedicated and loving mother and grandmother in the world You are the BEST role model and I am very lucky that I won the MOM Lottery Love Mary Pat

It is easy to half the potato when there is love Irish Proverb 4

The Browne family in 1935 Therese Browne Schenfeld turned 83 in 2015 Her social spirit love for family and sharp mind remain very much intact as she fills her days volunteering at a local hospital cheering on the Fighting Irish or watching her grandchildren in sports and Irish dance just as she did with her own kids Therese was born October 20 1932 to Anne Lydon Browne and James Browne both from County Mayo Ireland Her parents immigrated from Mayo to Chicago in the early 1920s and were married August 26 1925 Anne and James settled on the west side of the city what is now called the Lawndale area At the time it was a mixed group of Irish Italian and Jewish immigrants all hoping to make the American Dream a reality It was like a civil war growing up in the neighborhood But there was no fighting said Therese We just stuck to our own There were so few cars that we could play Red Rover in the streets while our parents sat on the porch The Browne family moved frequently from Filmore Avenue to Grenshaw Street then to Van Buren Street to Harding Avenue all spots within a mile of each other There were eight of us and we rented So that meant we had to move a lot 5

Despite the moves her schooling stayed consistent beginning at Presentation Grammar School at Polk and Springfield Therese went on to Mundelein Cathedral High School which is where Holy Name Cathedral now sits at the intersection of Chicago and State Therese commuted from the west side to the Gold Coast area taking a streetcar down Pulaski or the L train It was a wonderful experience The school was a melting pot with students coming from the West North and South sides said Therese Once a month the Cathedral girls made Confession then treated themselves to breakfast at Thompson s Cafeteria There they could spy on the boys at Quigley Seminary Life at home was simple but happy Anne and James Browne had seven children but lost their oldest daughter Mary Therese when she was only 20 months old Therese Monica was a middle child with three older siblings James Patrick Veronica Anne Vonnie and Thomas Joseph and two younger brothers John Francis and Michael Raymond The Brownes shared one bathroom Therese and Vonnie had a signal to each other to sneak right in while the boys would be left waiting recalls brother John Parents Anne and James were disciplinarians but loving Anne was quiet with a mind like a steel trap something Therese would inherit 6 Eighth grade graduation 1946 High school graduation 1950

Browne siblings 1950 My mom remembers everything said Therese s daughter Nancy Therese s father James was a jokester with a quick wit and a charming smile He also played the flute filling the house with music from his homeland including classics like Danny Boy and When Irish Eyes are Smiling as well as Mayo songs My Old Irish Rose and Take Me Home to Mayo The Browne kids all helped out around the house easing the workload for their mother I used to tell Therese she got away with doing nothing said brother John She reminded me that she ironed my shirts Turns out that was a small job I only had two shirts Money was tight growing up but enough I don t want to say we were poor said Therese We didn t feel that way We didn t have much but there was always food on the table Daughter Mary Pat thinks her mom s humble upbringing has defined who she is as a person She grew up poor but they were wealthy in other ways love family religion culture She learned to get by on very little and now she is grateful for the little things 7

Despite the Browne s tight finances there was always a big dinner on Sundays featuring leg of lamb meatloaf roast beef or ham Then afterwards the family occasionally went to the cinema to catch the latest MGM musical in color Theaters such as the Lexington The Lawndale The Marboro and The Paradise would be packed with eager moviegoers During intermission ushers would collect extra change for the war efforts It was a different time said Therese I remember one theater giving out dishware Times were simpler and daily transactions relied on people s honesty If your mom sent you down to the local mom and pop store without money the clerk just put your purchases on an account and your parents paid at the end of the month Easter outfits too expensive to be bought outright were put on layaway so families could afford a nice suit or dress for church John recalls how they saved money at Christmas We never bought a tree We just waited until the last few days before Christmas and they would be giving them away Whatever we had we were happy to have it said Therese We learned to make do with what we had It taught me how to manage money These are values she has passed this down to her own children My mom has always taught us not to be frivolous with our money and to pay our bills on time said Nancy She balances her checkbook to the penny 8 Char Paoli Vonnie Dick Sykora Jean Gaa and Therese 1951

Therese with her sister Joan Hintz in 1958 Therese loves to surround herself with people She s had a core group of friends through every phase of her life In 1958 she met a special person Ray Schenfeld Therese had just returned from a trip to California with one group of friends when she decided to join Joyce Fanzak Carolyn Karmann and Joan Hintz for a bowling league at the Lorraine Bowl Ray was at the bar and asked if Therese and her friend Joan were sisters Joan was little barely 5 feet tall and of German descent I was 5 5 with an Irish face said Therese We looked nothing alike That s just how he chose to make conversation Joan started dating Ray s best friend Bill Hergenreder and kept hinting to Therese to consider dating Ray It wasn t until June of 1959 that Therese took her friend s advice and joined Ray for his niece s wedding Bill and Joan came along and the four enjoyed a lively reception at the Habetler Bowl on the city s Northwest side Ray worked in the Quad Cities at the time so could only see Therese on weekends but a second date at Twin Anchors followed and the two became a couple They went out on Fridays for a Novena at Our Lady of Sorrows or St Mel s then for dinner at Solick s at Madison and Keeler 9

Raymond Eugene Schenfeld was the youngest of nine kids so he knew what it was like to come from a large working class family The two had similar values and their families got along well In early 1960 Ray asked Therese to marry him We had been dating for awhile and he just mentioned it over the phone said Therese He said We should get married So we did The proposal was low key but the wedding was not Despite not having much money the couple invited over 300 guests for an all day affair They married on August 27 1960 at St Mel s hosted a breakfast at the Wishing Well and then celebrated at The Liberty Hall with a buffet dinner Ray sold his car to pay for the occasion It was a special day but it was also the dog days of summer It was so hot said Therese I think the rice being thrown was cooking inside my dress The newlyweds first settled on the West side on Jackson Boulevard near Columbus Park Then in late 1962 they headed to the Northwest side to Gladstone Park first living on Parkside then settling into a lovely home on Menard Avenue As of 2016 Therese still lives there The wedding party August 27 1960

Newlyweds in 1960 Though the couple shared a strong faith and love for family there was one area where the two differed in opinion Chicago baseball Therese was a sox fan and Ray was a Cubs fan It was a mixed marriage said Therese Therese has been a lifelong sports fan and Ray had to adjust to her intense passion My dad would go to bed and my mom would wake him up from yelling so loud at the TV said Nancy Combine sports and religion and you have one of Therese s favorite pastimes watching Notre Dame football If it was a close game she would get down on her hands and knees and pray said Mary Pat She d be praying and also screaming at the TV It s painful how much she yells during Notre Dame football games agreed Tom Therese was even more fanatical when her children were the athletes She had surgery on her vocal chords from cheering so loud at all our games said Nancy 11

Before staying home to raise children Therese spent four years with Hoover Vacuum Company then worked for Commercial Light Company for seven years where an annual highlight included lighting up State Street for the holidays The work allowed Therese to stay busy and surround herself with people which always made her happy In 1962 Ray and Therese welcomed their first child Daniel Raymond Sadly they lost a baby in 1963 but in 1964 Thomas Michael joined the family Then came the girls with Anne Therese Nancy in 1968 and Mary Patricia Mary Pat in 1970 It was a great time I wouldn t trade it for anything in the world said Therese The kids all went to St Tarcissus St Tars on the Northwest side their local parish where the family attended church every Sunday Between sports and scouts the Schenfelds were actively involved in the daily goings on at St Tars My mom has a strong faith and has loved St Tars She still keeps the prayer chains going for all of us said Nancy With kids spread out over eight years Therese spent decades cheering her kids on in whatever activity they were involved in ranging from football baseball basketball to Irish dance competitions and shows If there was a game on Sunday Therese always made sure to put a roast in the oven to cook while they were away She is a great cook and takes a lot of pride in it said Mary Pat She always made a big meal on Sundays that we would eat at 3 or 4 o clock It was the one meal each week that we always had together Birthdays were a special event in the household with each kid choosing a special meal for a family dinner such as roast beef with lemon cake Dan baked ham with mashed potatoes and ham gravy Tom chicken kiev Nancy or pot roast Mary Pat 12 Ray and Therese with son Dan 1963 Therese with sister Vonnie kids Dan and Tom and cousin Joey 1967

Celebrating daughter Mary Pat s wedding 2002 Therese hosted small groups of friends at the house for birthday parties where there was always a special lunch including cake and ice cream Then like Therese did with her parents they all went to the movies When the kids were younger you could crowd them all in the car At that time no one wore seat belts said Therese I d bring popcorn and give them money for a drink Therese got such a kick out of a busy house full of not only her own kids but their friends as well I remember having friends over for a sleepover and my mom would stay up late with all of us said Nancy I d go to bed and she d be up chatting with my friends for hours Therese was always a night owl She would wait up for us if we went out at night said Mary Pat We d come in and she d be on her hands and knees washing the floors To say Therese doted on her children may be an understatement Dan was a picky eater and was very particular about his school lunches I liked salami but hated the look of it My mom cut out all the little white chunks said Dan I d say that is above and beyond what any other mom would do 13

And it didn t end there Wonder Bread was so soft it would leave finger marks and smash the sandwich It bothered me so much that my mom would buy special bread for me rye so there wouldn t be any finger marks in it Tom agrees My brother is so picky she made two versions of things just so all her kids would enjoy it Once the children were back in school Therese returned to work parttime first working for State Farm Insurance then moved to medical billing where she would stay for the next ten years She worked for a small company called Medidentic in Park Ridge that had a partnership with Taft and Maine South High Schools for work study programs The high school students worked alongside Therese which was a memorable part of the job That was a great experience All the kids were nice and respectful Not a huge surprise that a woman who loved raising her own kids loved working with these young adults She made many friends while on the job and still keeps in touch with colleagues and even some of the students she worked alongside 14 With the Jergers and other friends circa 1980

Ray and Therese at daughter Nancy s wedding 1994 In 2000 at the age of 68 Therese took her first trip to Ireland to see where her parents Anne and James grew up in County Mayo There was a wall still up from her mother s house said Tom It was fun to see her experience that Husband Ray was along for the ride and loved every minute But his health took a turn for the worse in 2008 after suffering a stroke He never really came back after that said Therese Ray s health declined and in 2010 he passed away three months shy of their 50th wedding anniversary Therese remained busy with family and friends because that is her nature and also because Ray would have wanted it that way He would say Therese go for it She still puts herself out there despite the devastating loss of our father said Tom She s really good at that She s a real gogetter socially In 2015 Therese returned to Ireland with Tom Dan and Mary Pat She was so thankful to enjoy the trip with her adult children said Tom Other memorable family vacations were closer to home including many long weekend trips to Wisconsin or Minnesota 15

Though her kids are now grown Therese keeps herself busy in many of the same ways cheering on her grandchildren in sports or traveling to Irish dance competitions These lucky grandkids Sarah Matthew Andrew Eileen Peter Bobby and Marty have one active grandma It s hard for me to fathom how she did everything all those years for the family said Mary Pat Now that I m a mother of three I seriously wonder how she did it Not surprisingly Therese loves to babysit her grandkids She doesn t care what time we come home so long as we come home said Tom But before leaving Tom knows to make sure the teapot is out and the TV is tuned in to the Hallmark channel In addition to spending time with family Therese takes trips with local senior groups including chartered buses to Milwaukee Irish Fest or even cruises to Bermuda She was a member of the Red Hat Society for many years meeting huge groups of other fun loving ladies in purple and red for tea at the Drake Hotel She s a very social person said Mary Pat She gets a lot of energy from other people But she s also very thoughtful She knows what it means to be a good friend She always sends cards and taught us kids to write thank you notes Tom agrees My kids are learning good manners from her I see them now asking her if she needs help A current staple in her week includes her volunteer day at Presence Resurrection Medical Center where she has worked the gift shop for the last 20 years She s so loyal said Nancy It takes up her entire Tuesday and she s not even paid 16 With granddaughter Sarah 2004 Celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2000

Therese with her siblings and their spouses in 1989 Aside from a few broken bones due to osteoporosis Therese is in great health and is busier than some women half her age She s going to live to be 100 the way she is going said her brother John She doesn t seem to worry about anything Things roll off her back No stress that must be her secret to good health Dan agrees She would give me 2 to buy lettuce at the store and I would lose it She d give me more and I would come back with cabbage She never lost her temper Her positive outlook may also help She s the eternal optimist said Dan The glass is always half full At 83 Therese s social nature and giving spirit are infectious Her energy is enviable She s enjoying her life and surrounded by many people who love her I m very thankful for my life said Therese From my choice in a spouse to our children who kept us busy for 25 years I don t have too many regrets We ve had our ups and downs but the good always outweighed the bad 17