It was her job to take care of the bookkeeping while taking care of the children.įlynn also lived through WWII and was almost named mascot for the crew of a U.S. “One time I had five businesses,” she said. In North Carolina, the couple owned a skating rink, a gas station, and a small grocery store. It is now a well-known boat and tackle shop and motel. They once owned the Edgewood Motel, just a couple of miles from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The couple was entrepreneurs that tried every type of business. She moved to the Eastern Shore in 1980 in a quest to live halfway between her homeland in New York and her husband’s in North Carolina. She has 17 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and a great-great-grandchild. Flynn also has two sons, 67 and 55 (the tumor), and an adopted daughter. Now Flynn’s daughter, 70, lives 30 feet from Flynn’s house with her husband. Berman lived to be the same age Flynn is now and was cared for by Flynn for many years. Flynn married at 20 and was with her husband for 63 years until he died 10 years ago. Of course, the other kids just referred to him as “the tumor.”īerman, Flynn’s mother, married at 15 and was only 16 years older than her daughter. When she found out she was pregnant she knew the child was a gift from God. She explained that she was postmenopausal with her last child and it was thought at first that she had a tumor. There are things that have happened that I don’t know how they happened except for the will of God.” He is always with you.”Īfter that, “I never felt alone,” Flynn said. The priest told her, “You know you have a father in heaven who will always be there for you. “These words are just so in my head,” she said. A young priest was there and spoke to her and she wound up telling him about the family’s troubles. A devoted Catholic, she stopped at church to pray for her father after one of his episodes. When Flynn was six, she said, an experience marked her life. Her mother, Genevieve “Virginia” Berman, cleaned houses for a living while the kids were in school. It was about the start of the Great Depression when food was scarce. The four of them left home and landed in a three-room apartment. Her life was also uncertain in those early days because she, her mother and her two siblings were often abused by her alcoholic father. She has survived a lot in her decades, and like at her start, she has remained “small.” When Flynn was five, a doctor mistook her for a toddler, and at 14, fellow high school students directed her to kindergarten. Then they realized I was just as happy as a lark. “The first thing you hear is ‘Weeeeeeee!’” she said. Now at almost 93, her life continues to be a constant adventure.įor her 90th birthday, Flynn, of Nelsonia, and her daughter-in-law went hang gliding “on the sneak” so her children wouldn’t try to dissuade the escapade.Īs the plane took off, she didn’t know the operation was recording her response. She was “teenie weenie” and blue and needed the help. We urge Congress to extend this assistance to local chambers of commerce, civic groups, trade associations, and other non-profits so that organizations like ours can continue to provide important, community-minded services.Jessie Flynn, of Nelsonia, now at 92, and pictured at 19 during WWII when her brother submitted her photo as a nomination for her to be mascot of his submarine.īy Linda Cicoira - Her grandmother emptied whiskey bottles and filled them with hot water for a homemade dresser drawer incubator when Jessie Flynn was born in her parents’ bedroom on April 30, 1926. The CARES Act made certain nonprofit organizations eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program. Many more will be forced to do so without relief from Congress. Some non-profits have already permanently closed their doors. Our organizations have suffered major financial losses due to the pandemic of the type the Paycheck Protection Program was intended to alleviate. We employ thousands of people and provide important workforce development and educational tools, economic support, and civic and cultural events. Our groups contribute to the vitality and spirit of our communities. Thousands of nonprofit organizations - including ours - were left out of the Phase 3 CARES Act and are being hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. On behalf of the undersigned chambers of commerce, civic groups, trade associations, and other non-profits, we urge you to extend eligibility for the Paycheck Protection Program to all nonprofit organizations when Congress considers the next COVID-19 emergency assistance legislation. TO THE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |