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Letter from Brent Gilliland to the Culligan Family on 06/10/03...
The relation of my family to yours stems from my mom's dad, Joe McGovern. Joe was a brother to Margaret, who, as you know, was married to Jack Culligan, Sr. (your dad's dad). So that is how Laura and I and my mom got mixed up with you guys in the first place! What I have here is a brief synopsis of my grandmother (Bernie), my grandfather (Joe) and my mom (fancy-pantsy Nancy as she has always been referred to by Jack Culligan) and their remembrances of Joe. I hope this stuff can help with the McGovern portion of your site. It was an interesting experience to sit with my grandmother and talk with her about her past, her marriage to Joe and her experiences with your family. I thought it was important to do this now as she is now getting on into her nineties. She is excited to be part of your genealogy interests and passes on her hellos to you.
Bernadine Sophie McGovern (maiden name Fendrich)
First and only wife to Joe McGovern
Mother to Nancy Jo McGovern
Grandmother to Laura and Brent Gilliland
Born February 25, 1912
Birthplace: Salem, South Dakota
Had two brothers and two sisters. Bernadine was the youngest.
Parents to Bernadine were Sophie Kuhly and Henry Fendrich, both born in Essen, Germany.
Bernie arrived in Rochester, MN from Salem in 1931 to attend nursing school at Mayo with St. Mary's Hospital. The hospital was privately owned and staffed by Mayo Clinic doctors but was not itself part of the Mayo Clinic at the time. The merger of the hospital and the clinic occurred in the late nineties.
Bernie graduated from nursing school in Rochester in 1934, began work as a private nurse and entered into training as a nurse anesthetist in 1936. She trained under Dr. John Lundy and worked in many famous pioneering surgical operations performed at the Mayo Clinic. Bernie recalls operating room procedures involving brain tumor surgery under Dr. Adson as particularly momentous. Bernie was skilled in the administration of ether in early years at the Clinic. In 1940, Pentothal was introduced as a standard and safer alternative to ether. Bernie was one of the first nurse anesthetist to use this new method. Bernie recalls surgical procedures involving the famous and infamous, including Helen Keller and Al Capone.
Bernie Met Joe McGovern in 1932. She recalls how the student nurses used to meet for a cigarette and sandwich break at the long-gone Nichols' drugstore across the street from St. Mary's Hospital. Local young men were well aware of this fact and used to frequent the same corner in the hopes of meeting the young women.
Joe McGovern was one such local young man who was then employed as a car salesman with Adamson Chevrolet. Joe McGovern made a request to Mr. Nichols, the druggist, for an introduction to Bernie Joe had admired Bernie for some time. Mr. Nichols, according to Bernie, doubled as the town matchmaker and chaperone from time to time. Mr. Nichols obliged Joe's request and arranged to take Joe and Bernie for a drive around Silver Lake on a Sunday afternoon. Bernie thus recalled that she liked Joe right off, thought he was very handsome and kind and thereafter their courtship began.
Joe McGovern
Born March 22, 1910
Birthplace: Rochester, MN
Brothers were Norbert, John, Cyril and Francis. Sisters were Margaret, Catherine and Mary. Joe was the youngest.
Parents were Josephine Norton and John McGovern, both also born in Rochester, MN.
Joe was is remembered by his wife, Bernie as "the kindest man on earth. He loved people and was especially fond of and caring towards the elderly".
Joe enjoyed relaxing at home and visiting with family. Joe was an outdoorsman who preferred to hunt ducks and geese. Joe was also fond of motorcycles.
Joe began his career as a car salesman with Adamson Chevrolet and later moved into a career in residential and commercial real estate sales. This became his real passion and he excelled as a respected local real estate broker in the Rochester area.
Joe is remembered as being very close to the Culligan family through his relation with his sister, Margaret. Margaret and Joe were regarded as being especially close throughout their lives.
During Joe's courtship with Bernie, there was and episode in the summer of 1933 when Bernie accepted an offer to go to a picnic/BBQ with a young Mayo doctor. At this event, Bernie had too much beer and asked to be taken home since she did not feel well. Later that day, Joe came by to see how she was doing. Bernie recalls she stated "she disliked dating, preferred being with Joe. Shortly thereafter, Joe proposed to Bernie. Bernie accepted Joe's proposal on the spot!"
Joe and Bernie were married on a winter's day at St. Paul's Cathedral in St. Paul, MN, October 31, 1936. The time was 6 O'clock in the morning because it was the only time the priest was available! In attendance were Norbert and Jeanette McGovern, Christine Strickland, Josephine McGovern, Catherine McGovern, Francis and Annabel McGovern and, of course, Jack and Margaret Culligan. Jack and Margaret arranged for a post-ceremony breakfast at the Town and Country Club in St. Paul. The enclosed photo of Joe and Bernie was taken three weeks after their wedding.
Joe was particularly proud of his Irish heritage and was active in Rochester civic affairs, primarily those dealing with the local Irish community. Joe retired shortly before his death on April 25, 1967. He was remembered as a very kind and gentle person, a loving father to his daughter Nancy and a person who valued family closeness. This was exemplified in the great pleasure he took in being with members of the McGovern and Culligan clans. He is remembered as being especially close to Jack and Margaret Culligan and was grateful for their kindness throughout the years.
Francis was regarded as the most prominent of the McGovern brothers and acted as the family spokesman. Francis took over their father's (John McGovern) insurance business and ran the business until retirement.
Nancy Jo Gilliland
Daughter to Joe and Bernie McGovern
Born April 1, 1939
Birthplace: Rochester, MN
Entirely raised in Rochester, MN
Following graduation from Lourdes High School and being honored as homecoming queen in 1956, Nancy entered the College of St. Theresa in Winona, MN as a nursing student. Nancy graduated in the spring of 1961 with a BA of Science in Nursing (enclosed is a picture of Nancy on graduation day). Nancy's first assignment as an operating room nurse was at Clark County Hospital in Las Vegas, NV. Years later, she worked as an ER nurse.
Nancy was married to Robert Gilliland on January 6, 1962 in Las Vegas. Nancy has two children by this marriage:
Brent Robert Gilliland. Born October 25, 1962
Laura Marie Gilliland. Born January 12, 1965
Nancy's memories of her father, Joe, are that he was very kind, a gentle and compassionate husband and father and a true lover of family and the home. Nancy remembers, in particular, the great times her family enjoyed every Thanksgiving at the Culligan home on Summit Avenue with Jack, Margaret and the Culligan "kids". Nancy recalls how, at the Culligan Thanksgivings, that Jack basted the turkey via a syringe. Nancy also recalls her great enjoyment of spending time with the Culligan family and of her especially close relationship with her cousin David.
I thought that, if your are interested in getting more information of the McGovern side, that you might want to try the following contacts:
Patty Griffin (Nancy's first cousin, Francis McGovern's daughter)
Rochester, MN
Mary Jo Vermullen Lindeberg (Nancy's first cousin, Mary McGovern's daughter)
Minnetonka, MN
And, of course, Bob Culligan! Bob was very fond of my grandfather, Joe. I am sorry that Laura and I are really not able to contribute to providing our own remembrances of Joe McGovern. Unfortunately, Joe passed away while Laura and I were very young. I personally only have vague memories of a quiet man with white hair. I wish we had known him and enjoyed him as so many others have. But, as you know, my sister, my mother and I all greatly prize our relationship with your family and include this as a very special part of our lives!
Brent Gilliland
pilotplace@rogers.com
