Adel's Story
AT SEA - OFF THE COAST OF S. E. AFRICA, FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1981
Writing is not my forte, but since I promised Susie three years ago to write my
autobiography, I'll try. With these long leisurely days at sea on the freighter "Mayolykes", I no
longer have any excuse.
I was born Feb. 4, 1911 in a front bedroom of our house at 218 Hosea Ave., Clifton,
Cincinnati, Ohio. I was young Dr. Francis Siege1's first baby and Mama said he worked out a milk
formula for me in our kitchen, as I needed a supplementary feeding. My sister, Marcia, was 10, my
brothers, John Norbert 12, and Alfred 7. My brother, George, had died at age 3 of diphtheria-before
I was born (he was the second son) Carl is I 1/2 years younger.
As I recall my childhood it was a happy one. I always knew my parents loved me. Tho they
were seldom openly affectionate, they were wonderfully good to all of us. I never heard my mother
say anything unkind about my father or vice-versa. They backed each other up. They were good
Catholic parents. Dad sang in the choir and Mama worked on church projects. Holidays, Christmas
and Easter, were real celebrations, much as we've had at the farm.
When I was 3 or so, Dad added a large addition to our house. It had been a square brick
house. He added wings on the back, an extra living room, breakfast room, large pantry and in the
basement a swimming pool and pool room with Terrazzo tile walls. We often swam three times a
day, and had many parties in the pool room. My brothers all played musical instruments saxophone,
clarinet, ukelele etc. and there they practiced.
At 6 1/2 Marcia took me to school for the first day to Sacred Heart Academy. I cried and
didn't want to stay, until the Sister led me to the pantry and gave me some cookies. From then on :1
I liked school and did well. Since the classes were very small, I skipped the second grade and so i I
graduated at 17. During high school I had few dates, except for church parties and sometimes group
parties with Al's friends.I remember at 15 thinking my parents were really mean, because they
wouldn't let me go dancing at Swiss Gardens, a nite club on the outskirts of Cincinnati
Altho I wanted to go to Trinity College in Washington, my parents thought I should go to
college at home, and so I registered at the University of Cincinnati. After my quite years at the
Convent, I found the University exciting and different. I think I joined every club and eventually
became president of Womens' Student Government, Mystic Thirteen-Mortar Board Member and Jr. Prom.
Queen. I had so many dates. I now don't remember all those I dated. I made good friends, men and
women and today many of them are still my best friends. Our stitch and chatter group was
today many of them are still my best friends. Our stitch and chatter group was started our junior
year, and still meets monthly. There were sorrows too during my college years.Three boys I knew
well were killed in car accidents. My grandmother had died when I was 16, but she was old and
ready to die. My cousin at 19 had been killed in a glider accident, but we had not been close.
But this experience, 3 times in one year, made me realize for the first time how close we may be
to death, and I loved and appreciated my family more because of this experience.
College for me was four years of fun. But a very mediocre education. Part of that was my fault
as I had no definite goal. At first I liked social work and took two yeas of liberal arts. Then
child psychology, so my last two years were in the school of Household Administration graduating
with a B.S. The only job opportunities then available were not of interest to me, so at Dean
Simrall's suggestion, I applied for a scholarship for graduate work in preparation to be a Dean
of Women at a University. Three colleges offered this and I chose Ohio University as the closest.
That year, Sept. 1932 to Aug. 1933, was an interesting one for me. I at first. found living in
Athens, Ohio a small town, very confining, but later liked it. Living away from home was also new.
As a part of my practical work for my degree I was in charge of a large old house that was a
dormitory for 22 girls. These girls had all been in trouble in the large dormitories and placed
in my house on probation. Most of them were as old or older than I (21) and far more experienced.
Tho I thought then very unsophisticated.
The year before they had an older woman as matron, and I soon found out that as soon as she went
to bed, they all went out the back door. With that in mind, I was the last up or out. During my
first week in Athens, only the football team was on campus. I first saw Joe Colvin. I didn't meet
him until several weeks later on a train going to the Miami U.C. football game. At first, I thought
him very attractive looking, but different. I wasn't sure I liked him. He didn't have the usual
"line" of flattery etc. and liked to talk about serious subjects. By Christmas time I knew he was
the man for me, I was really in love. This surprised me as after dating so many men without
getting seriously involved, I had begun to think I'd just have a career. Scholastically it was a
good year as I had excellent professors and enjoyed my courses. Mainly psychology, current events
and history. Since I had to write a thesis, I stayed on campus thru the summer. In September, I
started work as Assistant to Dean Simrall at U.C.
Joe graduated from Ohio U. in June -pre-med. He had played football in High School at
Portsmouth, Ohio and earned his way thru O.U. playing football and working in one of the Women's
dorms. He was chosen all Ohio center and offered a good salary if he would play professional
football, but he knew if he didn't start medical school immediately he probably wouldn't. So when
I started work at U.C., he started his freshman year in medical college.
The following August we were married by Father Lilly in the Jesuit Chapel at Xavier U. Joe
had taken instructions from Father Lilly and received the Sacraments. Altho I would have married
him as a protestant, it was a wonderful blessing that the Lord gave him faith, and our marriage was
much better because we shared our religion. Like most other converts he was a very good Catholic
and I admired his zeal and enthusiasm.
For one year we lived in a St. Louis apt. near the med school, then moved to 219 Hosea,
when my parents bought that double house. Florence and Al lived downstairs. Mary was born
during her dad's junior year. His classmates took up a collection to buy the baby a gift and it
amounted to $3.54. No one had money.
Joey was born in Jewish hospital two days before his dad started his internship at Good
Samaritan Hospital. Bess Wheir rented our 3rd floor bedroom (219 Hosea) as Bill was also an intern
at Good Sam. She stayed the whole year and it was pleasant for both of us. During Joe's year at
Good Sam interns were paid $35.00 a month. Joe worked summers at General Hospital and got
interested in research under Dr. Mills.
Joe opened his first office on Vine St. near the zoo. We lived on Terrace Ave. in Clifton and
Annie was born June 29, 1939. About six months later we were able to buy an old house on the
comer of Whitfield and Ludlow in Clifton. The first floor front rooms were Joe's office, our living
and bed rooms were on the second floor, and on the third floor was a large playroom. It was from
this room that Joe shot the practice arrow that missing the target, landed in the middle of the
streetcar tracks on busy Ludlow Ave. Here, too, the children enjoyed the tower room. In the fall of
1941, we decided to redecorate our living room. and got new wall to wall carpeting, wallpaper and
draperies. Everything was just completed when Pearl Harbor changed everyone's plans. Joe enlisted
in the Navy in Feb. 1942, and in March 1942, went to Chicago as a Lieutenant (Jr. Grade) in the
Navy Medical Corps. I stayed in Cint. until June, when Joe was sent to Cleveland, Ohio to the
Officer Procurement Office. We rented a lawyer's home in Rocky River for the summer. In the fall,
two days before we had to vacate, we finally found another house- (inside unseen) -we wired an
Army Colonel in Washington to rent it - and stayed there, 21669 Kenwood Ave. Rocky River, thru
the fall and winter. Mary went to the parochial school and Joey to kindergarten. In the spring Joe
had orders to report to Washington D.C. with help from Margretta Shriver Forbes, who lived in
Washington, we found a house. Before we could move in, Joe had new orders to New York. We
left the children with Meg, finally found a house in N. y., but before we signed the lease, again Joe
had his orders changed and we had to house hunt in Washington allover again. After 6 months in
epidemiology training, Joe was sent to he naval air station in Corpus Christi, Texas. We drove there
in Sept. 1943 and fIrst lived in one room on North Beach. Then, we had a three room cottage, where
I swept the sand thru all 3 rooms right out onto the beach, and washed clothes in the bathtub. Here
too, we lived thru the hurricane scare, with Joe unable to leave the base, and the lacals telling us they
should be able to get us out, tho the last bad stonn with tidal wave had completely washed out North
Beach. After 6 weeks we found a house - 1300 Florida Ave. and lived there until March of 1944.
Joe expected overseas orders so he drove the children and me to Cinti. We stayed with Mother and
Dad while I looked for an apt. I finally found a large St. Louis Apt. - 3394 Bishop St. - Two houses
from Shrivers. In April, Joe got his orders for overseas, and flew out of Corpus Christi and San
Francisco and the Pacific.
He was at Pearl Harbor on his way to the invasion of the Mariana's (with the Marines) when
Adele was born. He was on Tinian, Saipan and Guam when the war ended on Aug.
6,1945. He was finally sent home in Nov. 1945 and then to Norfolk, Virginia. We found a small
house, 8246 Bygax Rd., in a Navy housing project - to rent the house we had to buy the furniture.
After 6 weeks Joe got new orders - to Washington D.C. during a snow stonn we moved to 419
Shepard St., Chevy Chase, Maryland to an old house on a dead-end street. There were 37 children
on the block. The old furnace blew out on me and singed my eye brows as I tried to fIre it. The
children still tell the story of Joe climbing out the 2nd floor window when they thought he was
locked in and appearing at the door with ice cream for them and of Adele at 2 1/2 years walking to
the store by herself and ordering an ice cream cone. Saying her daddy would pay for it.
During this year, Joe tried three times to resign from the regular Navy (he had gone from the
Naval Reserve to the Regular Navy During the war) and fina1ly his last resignation was accepted.
He liked the Navy, but would soon have been a commander, and then have done administrative work
instead of practicing medicine, which he wanted to do. Then too, Joey had been sick 2-3 days out
of each week. At the naval hospital they told us his coughing and vomiting, which had started when
he was 5, was due to bacterial asthma. We hoped a drier climate than Washington's might help him.
We spent Christmas 1946 in Cinti. with Mother and Dad. On January 1, 1947 we left for Tucson,
Arizona, leaving Mary and Ann at Sacred Heart Convent. We took Marcia with us, thinking a
change of scenery would be good for her. Soon after we reached Arizona, Joe had to fly her home
as she refused to eat and we did not think we could get her proper treatment there. We had a small
apt. for the first few days-near, the R.R. yards and I thought the trains were coming right thru our
rooms. With Helen Moffitt's help (she is Joe's cousin) we found a small house near the edge of town
lookipg toward Mt. Lemon. When I returned to Tucson years later, our house was no longer on the
outskirts, but close in. We spent Jan. Feb. and half of March there, and realized that tho Joey was
better, warm climate was not the answer. We returned to Cint. and Joey started school at the
Summit. Joe found temporary work with the Athletic Director at U.C. That spring, Joey got very
sick had 105°t. for days. We finally took him to Children's hospital and later that same nite I went
to Jewish Hospital and Susie was born. It was Holy Thursday. Apri I3,1947. I came home Easter
Sunday to our old house on Whitfield. We had made a first floor bedroom as I wasn't allowed up
and down steps. Juanita, our black African Methodist Deacones, came as nurse at nite, and Tanta
Loretta during the day. Between the two of them, I was about out of my mind. Neither could find
anything the other had used and I was anchored down in bed. In September of that year we sold our
house on Whitfield, as we were planning to go to Fort Worth, Texas, where Joe would take a
residency in Orthopaedic Surgery under Dr. Clayton. During October, we lived in Grandma Berger's
old house on the hill (it was furnished but unoccupied). From there in Nov. we left for Texas,
pulling a fold-up trailer for all our necessary goods. We stopped frequently to heat a bottle for Susie
who was 7-8 months old. We also had "Chippie" our part Chi puppy who lived in a motel on the
east side of Fort Worth. While Mary was the babysitter, Joe and I house hunted. We found a red
brick house on Ashland Ave. in Arlington Hts. We changed it from a 3 bedroom and study to 4
bedrooms and added 1/2 bath. Joe started his residency at Harris Hospital, Jan 1 1948. Monsignor
Langenhorst accepted the children at St. Alice school, tho we really were within the geographical
boundaries of St. Patrick's.
In June, 1949, Joe finished his residency at Harris and needing money, started in general
practice with Dr. Leroy Bursey. They opened their office in Ridglea on the corner where the drug
store is now located. Joe's brother Buzz, and his wife Ann were divorced and Ann with a new baby
(Chris) was working as a nurse in a children's home in Columbus, Ohio. We asked her to come to
Texas to live with us. Our house on Ashland wasn't big enough for two families on a permanent
basis, so we leased a farm on Mary's Creek with a large old house and a smaller house for Ann and
the children. Here we acquired our first three horses (the barn was larger and newer than the house)
We stayed here only 6 months, as Joe found our present farm, and we moved to it on June 2,1950.
During the months we lived on Mary's Creek, Grandma and Grandpa Colvin and Buzz came
to Texas. Grandma Artie had been ill for the last three years and lived only 3 weeks, but
long enough to be Baptized by Father Joe Thomas. She said she had wanted to be a Catholic for
a long time. Ann and Buzz got together again and moved on their own. When we left Mary's
Creek, after Grandma Colvin's death, Grandpa went to California, but soon came to live with us.
We made the room and bath next to the garage (that had been Elizabeth Zarembo's room) a room for
him. Elizabeth was from Latvia and had been in a displaced persons camp for 6 yrs. She and
her sister and family left Texas after their year they owed their sponsors was up and joined other
sisters in Glen Falls, NY.
The years on the fann were busy and happy ones, and we gradually learned more about
farming. At first, I boiled the milk Hattie brought to the door, and of course, had to throw it out.
We killed the Newman's prize chickens. Joe paid George (who with Hattie lived in the tenant house
and helped us) when we had a good corn crop. He having never had that much cash a head,
decided to retire. I knew nothing about milking cows, but Joe said he did. He milked by
hand one morning, then went down to Leonards Farm Store and bought an electric milking machine,
which the children learned to operate. We had a cooler installed in the garage and the cream off the
top of the milk was something to remember. I made ice cream, butter, cheese and we gained 10
pounds.
Soon after Joe had started to work with Dr. Clayton at Harris Hospital, he found out that
Dr. Clayton's daughter had the same condition as Joey and had been successfully treated by Dr.
Patterson in Dallas. We took Joey to him, at fIrst, every week, then less frequently he had, as we
knew a cardia spasm of the esophagus, a condition common in old people, but uncommon in
children. We had been told a cure would involve major surgery. Dr. Patterson had him swallow
a boogie and under fluoroscope dilated the muscle between the stomach and the aesophogus. Joey
soon learned to do this as easily as a sword swallower. In a few weeks time he had gained many
pounds as, for the fIrst time in years, he retained all of his food. We were very thankful the Lord had
sent us to Texas, for altho Dr. Patterson had been using this method of treatment successfully for
many years, he had not published anything on it.
Joe had stayed with Dr. Bursey for only 1 year, they basically disagreed on some principals,
and then the summer of 1950, when we moved to the fann, he also moved his office to a building
at 5201 Camp Bowie Blvd. This building was purchased from the Harveson and Cole Funeral
Home. He rearranged the interior of the building to include on the east side an office for Dr. Bob
Kline a Dentist. Bob stayed there until I sold the building in 1978.
In 1957, the Knights of Columbus needed space for their meetings. So Joe remodeled the
basement to rent for a K.C. Hall. Here they had fish fries every Friday nite, to make needed income
for their council as well as for social reasons. The K.C. left the building in 1960 to acquire their own
hall and Bryce Evans used the space for a dance studio- later it became a bridge hall.
Joe was interested in registered quarter horses and added many more to our fIrst three, which
the children had ridden over from Mary's Creek when we moved. Belle and Jack Summers and their
children, lived in our little tennant house for five years and Jack worked with the horses. We entered
them in many shows and won numerous ribbons and trophies. One year we won both first and
second place in the colt class at the Fort Worth Stock Show. After the Summers left, Mr. and Mrs.
Booker who needed a house, stayed in our little house for a year. Then Shorty Dixon and
his family Marie, Randy, Sheila, Sandy and Keith, moved in and were with us 11 years, leaving
finally for their own farm very near to us. Shorty still came to help out with farm chores until our
help became "home grown."
The children drove to and from school, O.L.V. and Laneri and later Nolan. As soon as Mary
was 14, she got her license, so I had only 1 year to be the chauffeur. In turn, each of the children
took over the driving.
Our parish church St. Peters, 10 miles away in White Settlement, underwent many changes
from Mission of St. Alice's meeting in a public recreation building with a portable alter, to a real
parish and school. It was a very important part of our lives, and we were blessed with many good
friends, parishioners, priests and sisters.
In the fall of 1959, while Father Remy, a Franciscan, was our Pastor, Joe got sick. He came
home from a deer hunting trip with severe pain, and finally was convinced he had to go to the
hospital. He had an embolus that settled in his lungs. After several weeks of hospitalization, he
recovered and early in 1960 returned to his practice. He had not really recovered, however, and had
nephrosis which necessitated giving up his practice completely. He stayed at home to rest and
recuperate, but did not recover his good health. Getting progressively weaker .
In 1961, bored with staying home, as he had not the strength to work on the farm, as he had
hoped to do, he took a job as medical director of the dispensary at the Army General Services Depot
on Hemphill in Fort Worth. He worked there until February of 1962. On March 9, 1962 he died at
home having decided he did not wish to go back into the hospital. He had gone thru all the phases
of facing death, denial, anger, bargaining and finally acceptance. We drove into Mass and
Communion each day, as long as he could and then Father Nelson brought him Communion each
day until he died. Mary came from Houston to help me. I couldn't have done without her. And so
ended 27 1/2 years, of a happy and fulfilling married life. Joy went out of my life, and I didn't know
how I would face the future. My doctor, Dr. Tom Coleman, told me to stay busy, and I promised
myself I would do something special each day for someone else. God took care of me, and the
succeeding years were good and happy ones, with the many blessings of a large and wonderful
family.
To go back again to the 5O's and 6O's, the children went off to college. Mary started at St.
Mary of The Woods in Indiana, then before her sophomore year we looked at all the Texas
colleges, and she decided on the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Mary and Joe graduated from
there, Ann had two years, then married, Adele graduated and Susie had 3 years before she
married. Each one, with the exception of Ann, who met Jim in grade school, met their spouses at
St. Thomas, Harriet, Andy, Steve and Augie. When Joe died in 1962, Mary, Joe and Ann were
married. He saw the first three grandchildren, Elizabeth, Jimmy and Joey. Neither one of us ever
expected to have 32 grandchildren (16 boys and 16 girls)
For two years after Joe died I stayed in the old house, then I started to build my present
house. Wally Sheblessy, my cousin, was the architect as I had admired his home, and Peck Shaner
my good contractor. I got a phlebitis in my leg while I was in Houston helping Mary with Catherine.
Harriet and Joe were living with me in the old house as Joe had graduated from U of T. Law School
and they had returned to Fort Worth. I thought I would be able to help Harriet, instead, she not only
had to take care of me when I returned from 10 days in the hospital, but to make some of the final
decisions about the new house for me. I have been blessed with a beautiful, loving and good
daughter-in-Iaw, besides my own wonderful children.
For many years after Joe's death, I think the most I did was to take care of grandchildren,
twice there were 3 born in one month. A few years ago I was telling a friend I met on a plane
trip about my grandchildren, and when she made some remark about "overpopulating the world" I
didn't hesitate to tell her that these children were all "very superior" and would undoubtedly do good
in this world - so, it's obvious how I feel about my grandchildren.
In the 70's I bought a Chevalero Motor Home, after renting different ones for three successive
swnmer trips to try them out. We had many fun trips (1968,69,71). In 1970 I flew with Sue and
Laura to King Salmon, Alaska, where Augie was stationed. In 1972, a 3 week Bible Tour (Texas
Cath) to the Holy Land, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Renewed my interest in travel from then on I've
taken a trip or trips every year. In 1973, Ann Hinds and I joined a Catholic Travel Group to Portugal
and Spain. In 1975, Katherine Dore and I went to Italy for the Holy Year with Monsignor Erbrick.
In 1976, Kay and I joined a T.C.U. Holy Land Tour. Taking a ship from Greece to Egypt, Israel,
Turkey and to 4 beautiful Greek islands. Kay and I took our third trip together in 1977 to England,
Scotland and Ireland. In 1978, I joined Florence and Al and 10 of their friends for three weeks in
Torremolinus, Spain and in 1975, the year after Wally Meyer died. Elsa and spent a week in Mexico
City and surrounding towns. I enjoyed Mexico so much that I went again in 1976 for the Pilgrimage
for the opening of the New Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. And again in 1978 to Mexico City
and the Yucatan with Kay Dore, and in 1980 to Mexico City and the Old Colonial Cities and
Guadalajara with Ann Hinds.
For many years I had read of people taking trips on freighters and thought it would be fun.
Encouraged by friends or my brother Al's, Marie and Elmer Paner, who took a trip every year, I
applied for passage on a Lykes Line Freighter. After waiting for I 1/2 years, I was finally
offered passage on a ship to the west coast of South America. Ann Hinds had planned to travel with
me, but due to illness could not go, so Marian Byrne became my travel companion. We enjoyed the
trip so much that immediately upon our return we requested space on a Lykes Freighter to South
and East Africa and sailed from New Orleans in Feb. 1981. This account of my life was written on
board ship in the Indian Ocean.
The most important thing that has happened to me in these last years is that Father Breedlove
asked me to be a Eucharistic Minister to the sick and old in our parish. This has been a wonderful
privilege and I know I have gained much more than I have given.This summer I will start my 4th
year of visiting and taking communion to the nursing homes and I have many new friends both here
and in heaven.
As I look back on my life, I realize how many blessings I have received from a merciful
and loving God and hope he doesn't expect too much from me in return. I especially like the
words of St. Augustine "Leave the past to the mercy of God, the present to his love, the future to
his Providence. "
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