Mommazine | volume one

Created by Steve and Molly Zoski alongside Allie and Chris Tadych.

A Star is Born

1963. It was the Chinese year of the rabbit.

On June 21, history was hopen-ing, Pope Paul VI was inaugurated, President John F. Kennedy made one of his most memorable speeches, and most importantly (to the writer and designer of this magazine, at least), Maureen Frances McMahon was born – in Dearborn, Michigan’s Oakwood Hospital where she would later work for a decade.

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“ a diminutive of Mary, which means “star of the sea.”

Maureen

aureen is a girl’s name of Irish origin. It is an anglicized version of Máirín, a diminutive of Mary, which means “star of the sea.” As Maureen’s mom Gloria and dad Tom brought their shining star home to their ranch on Dearborn’s Edgewood Street, their next-door neighbors, Bill and Kay Tant watched out the window as the bundle of joy arrived. Just a week before, they had welcomed their newborn son Sean home. The two would become good friends.

Sean said there is one word that comes to mind when he thinks of Maureen: compassionate.

“She was beautiful, and was always a sweet, smiling little girl, eager to help and please,” Bill and Kay recalled.

MPlaying Red Rover and hideseek was a neighborhood favorite. Maureen, Sean, and other friends would play duck, duck, goose, tennis, hopscotch and tetherball. They would ride bikes, go on swings, twirl batons, and dance in hula hoops. They liked Lincoln logs and matchbox cars.

In the Summer they would swim at the Ten Eyck pool just down the street. In the winter, they would ice skate at the Ten Eyck outdoor rink. One time, they took a trip to go visit Bozo the Clown.

Maureen has loved to read books for as long as she could remember. One of young Maureen’s favorite books was The Poky Little Puppy. Her family had a dog, a beagle named Cuddles. And she often cuddled her teddy bear and stuffed Eeyore.

there is one word that comes to mind when he thinks of Maureen: compassionate.

Sean Tant

1967 Sisters

Bill and Kay remembered another anecdote, “Later on, when Maureen was to the age when she was dating, her sister Mary liked to tease her by quoting the old limerick, “First comes love; then comes marriage; then comes Maureen with a baby carriage.” Then Mary would laugh and laugh and laugh, and of course, Maureen would then chase after Mary.”

Speaking of Mary – the addition of a sister into Maureen’s life can never be understated. Maureen often tells family and friends the story of when her little sister was brought home in 1967. They became lifelong best friends and would later even visit Ireland together in celebration of Maureen’s 50th Birthday. They never needed faraway excursions to have fun, however, they would oftentimes play for hours together, sometimes imagining, building, and shifting in the sandbox their Grandpa Provot made for them at their cottage up North on Murphy Lake.

“Maureen is always there to support you and is always giving to others,” Mary said. Maureen’s Aunt Joanne, her mother’s sister, also fondly remembers the joy young Maureen brought.

“Maureen’s outstanding qualities are her generosity, empathy, and beauty – inside and out,” Joanne said. “She would visit my family in Howell, playing flashlight tag with her cousins and attending the Howell Melon Festival.”

“Maureen is always there to support you and is always giving to others,” Mary said.

Driving forward

The wheels of Maureen’s mind were always turning. Sometimes she could not fall asleep easily. Her mother would tell her to try and shut off her mind at bedtime. Growing up near the Motor City, she was often on the road, cruising in cars. Sometimes in her father’s car as he listened to Jim Croce and drove along Hines Drive. Another time, when she, Mary, and her mom went to go pick up Slurpees and they came to a sudden stop causing Slurpee to fly across the car.

Maureen attended Ten Eyck Elementary from kindergarten until fifth grade, St. Sebastian Catholic School from sixth until eighth; Stout Junior High for 9th grade, and Edsel B Ford High School until graduation in 1981.

Edsel Ford was the originator of the Ford Model A and most of the time, Maureen was a ‘Model A’ student. In high school, she was part of the Wyka’s Whizzers named after athletic director Mr. Pat “Whizzer” Wyka to support school spirit by wearing Whizzer T-shirts on match day and attending sporting events.

Even as her mother became ill, she kept doing her best. And despite everything else happening in her life, she brought joy and laughter to her friends and family.

In the final moments of the television show, The Wonder Years, the narrator remarks,” Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you’re in diapers, the next day you’re gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place, a town, a house, like a lot of houses. A yard like a lot of other yards. On a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back... with wonder.”

Maureen’s wondrous childhood – with all of its ups and downs – was just the first chapter of her story, and so much more wonder was yet to come. Soon she would leave her house on Edgewood, her yard, and her neighborhood, enroll at Madonna College in Livonia, Michigan, and continue her story. Stay tuned for the next issue of Mommazine.

A yard like a lot of other yards. On a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back...with wonder.

The Wonder Years

1963 the year of

May 1, 1963, The CocaCola Company introduces its first diet drink, Tab cola.

June 21, 1963, Maureen Frances McMahon was born in Dearborn, Michigan.

the Rabbit

Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech on August 28, 1963 while standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., stating "I have a dream."

Pope Paul VI meets with the first Catholic U.S. president, John F. Kennedy, 2 July 1963.

John F. Kennedy, sadly was assassinated on November 22, 1963.

The old Chinese story behind this was that the Jade emperor ordered a race to select the 12 animals to be his personal guards. The animals arrived in the order of the cycle. Rabbits are gentle animals and represent a calm and peaceful disposition and energy. Easygoing and friendly, they are surrounded by lots of friends. Their sense of responsibility and sincerity helps them create consensus—or avoid conflict. They like to keep things simple, enjoying the creature comforts of home.

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