Paternal Grandparents
Name: Liam McGovern
Date of Birth: February 11, 1916
Place of Birth: Doolin, County Claire, Ireland
Death: July 17, 2001. Boise, ID. Cancer.
Physical Description: Five-foot-nine, red hair in his youth, and blue eyes. In good physical health well into his later years from a lifetime of hard work.
Biography: Liam grew up the youngest in a large Catholic family in the country of Ireland. His father owned an expansive farm, operated by the children and several hired hands. Liam's mother died when he was three, leaving the need to hire staff help on top of the farm hands. When Liam was seventeen, he married his sweetheart, Shea Campbell. Six months later, his father was killed in an accident.
The farm was tossed into debt. The children were unable to pay the help, and what little wealth their father had went to the eldest. Wanting to create a better life, Liam took his new bride and made the voyage to the United States in 1934. They travelled across the country, looking for a place to settle. They came to Boise, Idaho in the fall of 1938, and three years later had twin boys, Frank and Andrew.
Liam worked as a guard at the Idaho State Penitentiary from 1939 until it closed its doors in 1973. He retired then, after thirty-four years of service.
He died in 2002 after a short battle with stomach cancer.
Personality: Devout Catholic in almost every way. He decided early on that having children before they were financially ready was the recipe for disaster, so they waited. He was a very tough man, having seen countless convicts pass under his gaze. He expected a lot from his sons, and later his grandchildren. Andrew followed his father in his Catholic ways and career choice, while Frank chose much softer ways of life. Needless to say, Andrew may not have clearly been the favorite, but the signs were there. He was very serious about everything, and often didn't listen when the younger generations complained of hardship.
Relationship with Marcus: Marcus respected his grandfather greatly, but was always a little afraid of him. The man was not opposed to lecturing his grandchildren on being important members of society.
Name: Shea Campbell McGovern
Date of Birth: April 30, 1918
Place of Birth: Doolin, County Claire, Ireland
Death: January 24, 2003. Hillcrest Retirement Center, Boise, Idaho. Natural causes.
Physical Description: Five-foot-three, light brown hair in her youth, blue eyes. Slender.
Biography: Before coming to the states, Shea had little aspirations beyond being a housewife. Coming to North America, however, provided her with challenges in bringing food home for herself and her husband. With no children to care for in those first few years, she worked in a hospital in admissions. After the birth of the twins, she quit working and spent her time as a traditional housewife.
She grew weaker in her later years, and when Liam grew ill and died, she was no longer able to care for herself, so her sons set her up in a retirement home, visiting three times a week. She died in her sleep some shortly after.
Personality: She was the perfect 1940's wife in her day, and that led to a continued sense of innocence throughout her later life. She was sensitive to 'inappropriate' things, and had many old-time sensibilities about things. She had a heart of gold, but an Irish temper when things in her world did not go as planned.
Relationship with Marcus: Perhaps the favorite of Marcus's grandparents. She never judged him, even when he strayed from the family's established religious choices. She considered him wayward rather than a heathen, knowing he'd make the right choice in the end. While not the family member he'd go to first with a problem, she was always the one with the best advice.
Date of Birth: February 11, 1916
Place of Birth: Doolin, County Claire, Ireland
Death: July 17, 2001. Boise, ID. Cancer.
Physical Description: Five-foot-nine, red hair in his youth, and blue eyes. In good physical health well into his later years from a lifetime of hard work.
Biography: Liam grew up the youngest in a large Catholic family in the country of Ireland. His father owned an expansive farm, operated by the children and several hired hands. Liam's mother died when he was three, leaving the need to hire staff help on top of the farm hands. When Liam was seventeen, he married his sweetheart, Shea Campbell. Six months later, his father was killed in an accident.
The farm was tossed into debt. The children were unable to pay the help, and what little wealth their father had went to the eldest. Wanting to create a better life, Liam took his new bride and made the voyage to the United States in 1934. They travelled across the country, looking for a place to settle. They came to Boise, Idaho in the fall of 1938, and three years later had twin boys, Frank and Andrew.
Liam worked as a guard at the Idaho State Penitentiary from 1939 until it closed its doors in 1973. He retired then, after thirty-four years of service.
He died in 2002 after a short battle with stomach cancer.
Personality: Devout Catholic in almost every way. He decided early on that having children before they were financially ready was the recipe for disaster, so they waited. He was a very tough man, having seen countless convicts pass under his gaze. He expected a lot from his sons, and later his grandchildren. Andrew followed his father in his Catholic ways and career choice, while Frank chose much softer ways of life. Needless to say, Andrew may not have clearly been the favorite, but the signs were there. He was very serious about everything, and often didn't listen when the younger generations complained of hardship.
Relationship with Marcus: Marcus respected his grandfather greatly, but was always a little afraid of him. The man was not opposed to lecturing his grandchildren on being important members of society.
Name: Shea Campbell McGovern
Date of Birth: April 30, 1918
Place of Birth: Doolin, County Claire, Ireland
Death: January 24, 2003. Hillcrest Retirement Center, Boise, Idaho. Natural causes.
Physical Description: Five-foot-three, light brown hair in her youth, blue eyes. Slender.
Biography: Before coming to the states, Shea had little aspirations beyond being a housewife. Coming to North America, however, provided her with challenges in bringing food home for herself and her husband. With no children to care for in those first few years, she worked in a hospital in admissions. After the birth of the twins, she quit working and spent her time as a traditional housewife.
She grew weaker in her later years, and when Liam grew ill and died, she was no longer able to care for herself, so her sons set her up in a retirement home, visiting three times a week. She died in her sleep some shortly after.
Personality: She was the perfect 1940's wife in her day, and that led to a continued sense of innocence throughout her later life. She was sensitive to 'inappropriate' things, and had many old-time sensibilities about things. She had a heart of gold, but an Irish temper when things in her world did not go as planned.
Relationship with Marcus: Perhaps the favorite of Marcus's grandparents. She never judged him, even when he strayed from the family's established religious choices. She considered him wayward rather than a heathen, knowing he'd make the right choice in the end. While not the family member he'd go to first with a problem, she was always the one with the best advice.