The Yonkers Christmastime Party, 2018 Edition

The Yonkers branch of the family held its annual holiday gathering Dec. 29. Kathy hosted this year's party at her home. Above, everyone posed for a group portrait, another long-standing tradition.

The crowd included the newest family member, Charlie, the almost-four-month-old son of Vivien and CJ, seen sitting with mom as dad stands behind them. To their left, Beatrice also sits with her mom, Genevieve, with her dad, John, standing behind.

The rest of the roll call: Left to right in the front, Andy and Shannon, Kathy and Robert; seated, Rick and Shanna; standing, Dan, Kevin and Kathy, Christine and Jamie, Kevin, Brien, Roger and Mary, Julie. Absent this year was Kathy's son Patrick, who was on a trip to Ireland with his girlfriend, Kelsey.

Here's just a handful of more-candid photos taken by Dan (click on them for larger views).

A Roundup of Holiday Pictures

We hope everyone in our extended family is having a wonderful holiday season.

In this post we're rounding up photos from social media and any others that come our way.

Please send along any pictures, clips or stories you'd like to share!

At Birch Street Headquarters in New Jersey, Christine & Jamie visited for a few days with Dan & Julie and Andy & Shannon.

Gifts were exchanged with A&S on Christmas Eve before they went to Long Island to spend Christmas morning and afternoon with Shannon's family.

D&J and C&J exchanged more gifts on Christmas morning, and everyone was back together by evening.

Genevieve, John and Beatrice spent the holiday with John's family in Delaware. Here's Bea posing with two of her cousins.

Back in New Jersey, Vivien and CJ celebrated their first Christmas with Charlie, who turned three months old earlier in December.

It was also "baby's first Christmas" on Cape Cod, where Gerrit, Angela and big brother Nolan celebrated with five-month-old Josie.

Also on Cape Cod, on the weekend before Christmas Day, Christine and Jamie joined a gathering of relatives at Jamie's mom's home.

Backing up to Thanksgiving weekend - Doug and Lisa returned from their temporary residence in Denver to host their annual "black Friday" gathering at their house in Maryland.

Dan, Julie, Christine and Jamie joined that get-together after celebrating Thanksgiving Day with Andy and Shannon in New Jersey. As Dan and Julie were temporarily without a dining room table amid redecorating, they dined out for a change, enjoying a fine buffet at a local restaurant.

Also at Thanksgiving time, Kathy had the chance to take a couple of photos of both of her grandchildren, Bea and Charlie...

...as well as Leo, who joined them for this Christmas-PJs pose.

Merry Christmas to all!

In memory of Patricia

The family is saddened by the passing of Patricia, beloved mother of Mary, grandmother of Brienna, Brennan and Shannon and great-grandmother of Cash, Brooklyn Rae and Brennan.

Patricia died peacefully Wednesday, Nov. 21, at Glens Falls Hospital, with her family by her side. She was 84.

The sister of Lorraine, she was loved as Aunt Pat by Dan, Kathy, Brien and Kevin, and by her grand-nieces and nephews.

Born in Yonkers on March 4, 1934, Patricia married John in 1960 and moved with him to Glens Falls and then Saratoga Springs, where they raised their daughter, Mary. After John passed away in December 1982, Patricia and her daughter remained in the greater Saratoga area, and Mary raised her son and daughters there.

Most recently, Patricia moved this fall to an apartment at Brookdale at Queensbury, a senior-living community about 20 miles north of Saratoga Springs, where she quickly made friends and enjoyed the community’s social activities.

Family and friends are invited to call Monday, Nov. 26 from 5-7 p.m. at the Burke funeral home, 628 North Broadway in Saratoga Springs. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 10 a.m. at St. Peter's Church, 241 Broadway in Saratoga Springs, with burial to follow in St. Peter's Cemetery on West Avenue.

Read published obituary here

Towson U Marching Band in NYC Vet's Day Parade

--- Updated 11/13 with more photos ---

Stephanie took part in the New York City Veterans Day Parade on Sunday 11/11, marching and performing with the Towson University Marching Band.



Proud mom Cathy, along with Aunt Julie and Uncle Dan, were on hand to see the band parade up Fifth Avenue. In the video above, taken on Dan's phone, you'll see Stephanie 2nd from the right just behind the tubas and saxophones.

Here are a couple of photos taken by Cathy as Stephanie marched by:

And a couple more, taken by another band parent at a different point on the route:

There's also a brief glimpse of Stephanie in a clip from the WPIX-TV live telecast of the parade that's now posted on the TUMB Facebook page.

The previous day, the band performed twice in exhibition during a high school band competition at Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. Cathy was in the stands for the daytime show. "It was cold and VERY windy," Cathy said. "TUMB was still great!" (Cathy flew from Ohio to New Jersey and stayed with Julie & Dan for the weekend to be able to get to both of the weekend's events.)

Courtney & Chad wed - and dance the night away

Courtney and Chad were married before a crowd of relatives and friends at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Fla., on Oct. 20

Courtney's mom, Nanette, walked her down the aisle and later shared a dance with her daughter at the reception.

The joyous reception featured hours of dancing to a DJ/band combo. At one point, the DJ/bandleader serenaded the couple on an electric violin - then set off sparklers on the instrument! That moment is captured in this video that one of Courtney's friends posted on Facebook (login required).

Among the guests on the bride's side were Nanette's brother Larry, brother Emory and Robin, cousin Austin, cousin Owen and Ellen, cousin Dan and Julie, cousin Kathy and Robert. The gathering included scores of other friends and relatives of the bride, groom and their parents.

Click here for an album of photos of the happy event, most of them posted by Courtney's friends, along with a few taken by Dan on his phone.

Here are some snatches of video of the dance party that Dan took on his phone.

Family portraits: Vivien, CJ and Charlie

Charlie is already a month old, but way back when he was 3 weeks old he posed for these photos with his parents.

Congratulations to the beautiful family!

Stepanie performing with Towson U Marching Band

Towson University freshman Stephanie is in the midst of marching band season. On Sept. 30, the TUMB performed at the annual Allentown Collegiate Marching Band Festival in Pennsylvania.


Stephanie's mom, Cathy, was in the stands and took these great photos.

Aunt Julie and Uncle Dan also drove out to Allentown for the show - a nostalgic trip, since they'd been there several times before to watch Christine and Andy perform in high school band competitions.

Here's a video of the band's show, titled "Bold."


Earlier that weekend, the band performed and played stand cheers at the Towson football team's home opener. Stephanie's brother, Christopher, came to watch.

Next month, the Towson band will march in the Veterans Day Parade in New York City! More info here.

Aunt Pat enjoying a new home

File photo - Christmas 2017

Aunt Pat has a new home: an apartment at Brookdale at Queensbury, a senior-living community about 20 miles north of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

She's enjoying her new surroundings, the "excellent" food and the many activities the community offers its residents, according to her daughter, Mary.

The complex is close to Interstate 87 between Glens Falls and Lake George. It's about a half-hour from Mary in Malta and within an hour of Pat's grandson Brennan, granddaughter-in-law Shauna-Rae and great-grandchildren Brooklyn Rae and Brennan Alexander.

(Incidentally, Brookdale Senior Living is the company where both Vivien and CJ were working when they met.)

Vivien, CJ have a baby boy!

Charlie leaving the hospital

Vivien and CJ have welcomed their son, Charlie, to the family.

Charlie was born Thursday, Sept. 6, at 8:10 a.m.

"He is now home with mommy and daddy," Vivien's mother, Kathy, reported on Sunday. "Everyone is doing great!"

CJ and Vivien moved last winter to their home in Verona, New Jersey.

Late summer vacationing on Long Island

Late August provided a chance for Christine, Andy and Shannon all to join Dan and Julie for a few days on Eastern Long Island, where they hit their favorite spots in Sag Harbor, at the ocean in Bridgehampton and in the nature preserve at Jessup's Neck. Pictured is the traditional Feeding of the Chickadees along the nature trail.

Dan and Julie had picked up Christine at her suburban Boston apartment and, after a brief stop on Cape Cod, ferried over from New London. Andy and Shannon drove out from New Jersey the next day.

A couple of days later, Christine ferried back across the Sound to rejoin her fiancee, James. Meanwhile, Andy and Shannon stayed for another day on the Island.

Shannon's parents, Rich and Liz, came out from their home "up the island" and joined A + S + D + J for a pleasant afternoon checking out some Sag Harbor sights and some ocean waves.

Once the "kids" were gone, D + J had a few days to relax by themselves. They caught a band at the Stephen Talkhouse ... paid a visit to the Hampton Classic horse show ...


... took a driving tour on the North Fork, with a stop at Hortons Point Light ...

... and drove out the South Fork to Montauk.

Labor Day Weekend brought more family members out East, with Kathy, Genevieve, John, Bea and Patrick arriving at various times. Although the weather forecast called for a lot of clouds and some showers, the weekend turned out great - mostly sunny and warm-but-not-hot.

Saturday afternoon found Kathy, Genevieve, Bea, Dan and Julie at Long Beach, along with friends Jim and Rosemary and their daughter Megan.

Here, Genevieve and Bea dig a tidal pool at Long Beach.