Condolence From: Steven Doona
Condolence: For my Father-in-Law:
James Joseph Tierney, an electrician, and his wife, Mary, had two daughters: Ruth and Phyllis. Then, in the middle of 1929, when Ruth was twelve and Phyllis was seven, James and Mary increased the size of their family by adding a son.
James Joseph Tierney, Jr. was born July 22nd, 1929 and named for his father.
The younger of his two sisters, Phyllis, called him “Brudder,” a nickname which was later shortened to “Brud.”
When Brud was 17, Mary Tierney and the three Tierney children lost the patriarch of the Tierney home. After his father's death, Brud had the privilege of giving his sister Ruth away at her wedding to Joseph Burke--a man with a wonderful sense of humor. One can only imagine the frustration Ruth felt when she scolded her little brother for chewing gum while walking her down the aisle at her wedding.
Together, Mr. and Mrs. Burke, Phyllis, Brud and mother Mary moved into an Alton Street home which overlooked the Saint Agnes school yard.
Backed up to their home was the Franklin Street house of the Kelley family. Eddie and Flora Kelley were proud parents with three children too: Billy, Eileen and Helen. With hearts in her 14 year old eyes, Helen refers to this as the time in her life as when she "learned to climb a fence."
At 18, Brud, a senior in High School, started dating the then fifteen-year-old Helen Kelley.
In 1948, Brud became the proud owner of a brand new Buick: a car he won at a local carnival. A new car was an opulent luxury, and it was in that car that Brud took Helen Kelley to his Senior Prom.
For Brud, school ended at graduation in 1948, and on his 19th birthday, he joined the Navy, leaving his girlfriend, his family, and his brand new car behind. In the Navy, Brud, like his father, worked as an electrician. He became friendly with an extremely amiable guy, Joe White, a kid he had known from the Arlington Heights neighborhood where they grew up. Together, Brud and Joe would come to Arlington when on leave, and would always stop into the Alton Street home to visit Brud’s family.
Having already given away his sister Ruth at her wedding, Brud now got to give Phyllis away at hers, when she married his good looking Navy buddy, Joe White.
Deciding to not follow his father's footsteps, Brud gave up his career as an electrician’s assistant and joined the Arlington Police Department, a much more stable job. Helen, who could type faster than the wind, worked as a secretary for two local attorneys.
In February, 1951, Brud and Helen became engaged. The engagement lasted 15 months, and Helen--now 19--and Brud were married on what Helen can only describe now as, "A beautiful day." With about 100 guests, Helen and Brud "became one" on May 17, 1952 at Saint Agnes church in Arlington, followed by a reception at the beautiful Lincolnshire hotel in Boston. The official photographer was Paul McQuirk, but some of the wedding photos were actually taken by an Arlington Police photographer.
A honeymoon week at Virginia Beach was followed by several more days in Washington D.C. One morning, when leaving their room at the Congressional Hotel in DC, they met a tiny little taxi driver. He offered the young couple a tour of the nation's capitol for $50.00, and they agreed. The tour took the entire day, as they toured all of Capitol Hill.
Their trip also included a ride out to Arlington National Cemetery, where they were setting up a stage for the forthcoming visit of the President of The United States' annual Memorial Day speech. Brave Helen got up on stage and had her picture taken in what was to be the President's chair.
On the way back to the hotel, the little cab driver stopped on Pennsylvania Avenue, got out of his cab, stopped all traffic going both ways, and had the young couple pose for a picture, the Capitol building in the background. Helen still talks of the trip as if it was yesterday.
Back in Arlington, Helen and Brud moved to a second floor apartment on Bacon Street, right around the corner from the Arlington police station. Their rent was a whopping 48 dollars a month.
Plans for a vacation to Lake George in 1958 were put on hold when Brud became aware of a baby girl looking for a permanent home.
Brud came home, told Helen about the baby, and that night they went to meet a delightful curly-haired young girl. Within just a few days, Helen and Brud collected a crib, a playpen and enough baby furniture to prepare a nursery for the new addition, and a family of two became a family of three with the addition of this young girl. They decided Kathryn Ann would be her name.
The family of three grew into a family of four with the addition of a new baby sister for Kathi, Carolyn Ann, in September, 1959.
Another year and a half, and another baby was welcomed. This time, a fat, round infant boy joined the clan. He was named for his father and grandfather before him, and James Joseph Tierney was a great summer addition to the growing Tierney family.
Kathi, Carolyn and Jimmy all got nicknames from their dad: “Louie,” “Sammy” and “Shamus.”
Brud worked many extra shifts and Christmastime at the Tierney household was like a toy store. And Brud never came home without something in his police uniform pockets for his children all year round. Toys, chocolates, and an occasional puppy could be found in one of his many pockets.
The Tierney family was rarely without a pet. A cat, hamster, gerbil, turtle or fish was common, but more than all, they almost always had a dog.
Brud loved all of his dogs, and would spend hours on end combing their fur.
Carolyn recalls being teased by her father, telling her things like, ”Don’t ever waste baby oil. Do you know how many babies they have to squeeze to make even a small bottle?”
The Tierney family was not without troubles, as in 1970 when their oldest child, Kathi, was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. A dreadful thing which drew this close family even closer.
A right arm injury while on duty, and Brud gave up the position of Sergeant in the Arlington Police Department. A security job at Mass General led to a Director of Safety and Security position at Saint Elizabeth’s, where his daughter, Kathi, later received her nursing degree.
In May of 1985, Helen and Brud retired to Cape Coral, Florida. By December of the same year, they left Florida and UN-retired to Salem, Massachusetts, where Brud took over the Safety & Security Department at Salem Hospital, and Helen worked in their Maintenance department. A few years of that, and the Tierney’s then took over the Safety & Security Department at the Harbor Point complex in Dorchester, and maintained a separate residence in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
On Thanksgiving Day in 1988, Kathi brought her new boyfriend to meet her parents. I thought her parents were very nice, but they sure talked a lot about guns. Both her parents and mine were "Helen and James," but my father's nickname was "Bud." In March of 1990, Kathi and I were married, and Kathi was led to the alter by both her parents.
Brud and Helen each came from a family of three, and then had three children together. It seemed only right that their son, Jimmy, would then bring home three children of his own. Two wonderful daughters named Cecilia Kelly and Bailee Ann have both grown into remarkable and beautiful young ladies, and James Joseph, the spitting image of his father, is a very sweet, kind-hearted young man. How could he not be, as he was named for his father, his grandfather, and many more before them?
When Brud and his bride moved to Camp Street in Yarmouth, semi-retirement was now the plan, as they opened Macushla’s Bed & Breakfast, naming the house after Brud’s current dog. Macushla was a beautiful pure bred collie with a beautiful coat that was cared for daily by his master.
Back and forth to Florida, and in and out of retirement, Helen & Brud finally settled down in Saint Augustine, looking forward to a final retirement.
February 17, 2011 came too soon, when Brud passed away, at home, with his wife of almost 60 years, all three of his children, and another beautiful collie, Macushla-the-second, all at his side.
You will be greatly missed by all who knew you and loved you.
Your Son-in-Law,
Steven
Tuesday February 22, 2011
