April 16, 1943. Anna writes to Dad. She begins her letter, “I don’t know whether you will receive this letter before you are transferred but I am keeping my promise to write as often as I can and you will receive our mail wherever you are.” Anna has also received word that Stanley is being transferred to Montana. She comments “It is one state nearer, or should I say one state less further away.”
Like any mother, as much as she loves her baby at times the demands of motherhood wear on her. “Right now as I am writing this letter to you Theresa Marie is laying in her crib complaining so hard. I had rocked her for a half hour and she didn’t seem to be falling asleep…so I just layed her in her bed and she wants to be picked up. Poor baby. She always gets the best attention when daddy is home. He thinks that she is most important around the house. If mama and I just catered to her every demand we would never get a thing done all day and dust and dirt would accumulate up to the ceiling. We play with her at times and now she understands.”
She also relays the news of a death in the family. “Today Eddie and I went to Uncle Green’s funeral. He died last Tuesday.” She goes into some detail, “He hadn’t been feeling too well. His heart was weak and gas always bothered him. It just didn’t go down…the last year or two he couldn’t even sleep nights but just dozed off sitting up in bed.”
There is even more detail as last Tuesday Aunt Green “went to the store to get some medicine and when she came home he sat in his arm chair clutching the arms of the chair and his eyes were fixed in a dazed stupor.“ Aunt Green got the attention of a man who was walking down the street. The two of them lifted Uncle Green off the chair and got him onto the couch. “He just gasped once and was gone – suddenly. The doctor and priest came but it was too late.” Anna says that Eddie took his uncle’s passing hard “He actually bawled” and that Eddie has spent every night until the funeral at his uncle’s house.
Albany is still in the grips of winter weather. “At the cemetery today it was cold and the wind was blowing hard. Father Gierlacki from Cohoes came to Mechanicsville to say the Mass at the funeral. He was a good friend of Uncle Green’s. He also went to the cemetery.” She offers a few more details. “Uncle Green is buried beside his first wife and Ciocia (Polish for Aunt) Green will be buried on the other side of him when she dies. His son who was born to Ciocia Green is also buried there.” Anna also comments that instead of sending flowers the family is having a Mass said for Uncle Green by Father Gierlacki.