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.”

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.