Mom wrote this poem just days after the last of her uncles passed away.

She greatly appreciated their place in her life growing up in New Haven.

Uncles

We never owned a car
so uncles drove us places
to picnics weddings
sometimes a college
buses and legs were everywhere
for shopping movies doctors
dates and family visits
we never took taxis and rarely trains
we needed uncles to drive a distance
and teach us how to ride a horse
play pinochle or tell a story
take us for ice cream across the river
talk about old cemeteries out of town
cheer our performances on a school stage
call out our names at baseball games

~ joan vayo August 23, 2004

So who were these uncles?

Let’s start on the Regan side:

• William Regan – although Mom never met her oldest Regan uncle (he was just six years old when he passed away in 1896), he belongs on this list
• Joseph M. Regan – named for his father, he was the second generation to head up the family scrap iron business in Fair Haven. He passed away in 1961
• Thomas Regan – Grandma Cassidy’s red-haired brother married The Stamp Lady in 1923. Sadly, he battled tuberculosis and was just 44 when he passed
• John Regan – he and his family lived right next door to Mom’s house. Tragically, a hit-and-run driver took John’s life early one morning as he was on his way to work. He didn’t reach his thirtieth birthday and never met his youngest child
• Bill Regan – we’ve already posted this sweet story about Bill. He was born in 1908 and was just four years shy of reaching 100 years when he left this earth.
• Pip Regan – The youngest of the brothers taught a lot of nieces and nephews to ride horses and drive cars. He loved animals throughout his 91 years.

And here are the Cassidy uncles:

• Jack Cassidy – Mom wrote this poem about her gregarious Uncle Jack
• Christy Cassidy – Dad remembered: Christy caught the 4:30 train each morning to head to work as Boss Electrician at Croton-on-Hudson Yard in New York, where train cars were stored at night. And he smoked fancy cigars.
• Walter Cassidy – “Good natured,” is how Dad remembered Walter Cassidy, who worked as a “pickler” at Hummel Bros., a pork processing plant in the Long Wharf section of town.

I spoke with Mom’s sister, Bunny, by phone this morning and asked her about all those uncles. She remembered that Walter was very generous with providing rides in his car. His sister Ethel lived in West Hartford, so Mom got lots of rides to and from college. Grandma and some of the aunties sometimes came along for a visit, too.

Bunny also talked about their uncle Christy: He was my godfather. I remember he had a wooden doll house made for me as a gift. It was wonderful, but had only two rooms. Maybe they should have had a woman design it!

So many uncles! Mom once admitted to me she felt crowded at times, but as they left this earth one by one, she missed their kindness, their wit, their generosity, their love.

“Uncles” © 2004 Joan Vayo. All rights reserved.

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