Related by Marriage: Sunday Picnic

Suburban Chicago, June 1980. Everyone looks more relaxed in this snapshot.

Related by Marriage: Summer Visitor

Suburban Chicago, June 1980. Mr. Irene's paternal Uncle, Ignas, visits the Chicago branch of the family. He's at the head of the table. Mr. Irene's Mom sits on the far left, and Aunt Danutė takes charge of serving (even though she is not the party's hostess). Anthony sits to Ignas's left.

Related by Marriage: The Godparents

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, January 18, 1959. Mr. Irene's Godparents, Martha and Anthony, admire the new arrival.

Related by Marriage: Bleary

Suburban Chicago, January 2, 1962. Mr. Irene has had a too much "50/50" at his party.

Seated are Mr. Irene's maternal Grandmother Anna, his Grandfather Stanley, and his Godfather Anthony.

Related by Marriage: Guest

Vilnius, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, July 1983. Mr. Irene's Dad visits with an aunt.

Related by Marriage: After Dinner

Suburban Chicago, 1965. Mr. Irene's Dad enjoys a cup of coffee.

UPDATE: Mr. Irene's Dad sits in the kitchen of Mr. Irene's boyhood home. Just behind Dad's right shoulder is a door leading to a small utility area and laundry room. The door was a handmade piece created by Dad's cousin, Anthony. Anthony was a skilled artisan and carpenter, and he crafted many furniture pieces for his own home in the Danish modern style. He made the door as a housewarming gift for Mr. Irene's parents in late 1958. Mr. Irene reports that, even as a child, he understood the door was a work of art.

Related by Marriage: Squeeze In

Suburban Chicago, 1967. Mr. Irene's childhood home was small, and it had no dining room. When Mr. Irene's family entertained, they sometimes set up a table in the living room. Here, Mr. Irene sits between Cousin I and Danutė, the wife of Uncle D. Cousin I's Dad, Anthony, stands next to Mr. Irene's Mom.

Related by Marriage: A Visit from a Cousin

Suburban Chicago, January 2, 1962. Here's Mr. Irene and  his "Cousin I." Cousin I is Anthony's daughter; Anthony was Mr. Irene's Godfather.

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Suburban Chicago, January 2, 1962. Cousin I's Mom sits between Cousin I and Mr. Irene. That's the head of Mr. Irene's maternal Grandmother, Anna, on the left.

Chicagoans: does that box of Heinmann's cookies from Dominick's trigger your salivary glands? The cookies likely were those thin chocolate chip ones that often seemed a bit overly crispy on the edges. We were a "Jewel family," so I didn't visit Dominick's often. My Parents probably thought it was too Italian. My neighbor took me to the River Forest Dominick's on North Avenue once or twice a year: on those occasions, I grabbed a few hot cookies as they emerged into the bakery on a conveyer belt. The store encouraged that conduct.

Related by Marriage: A Christening Toast

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, 1959. Mr. Irene's Godparents—his maternal Aunt Martha and his Dad's Cousin Anthony—celebrate at the home of Mr. Irene's maternal Grandparents, Anna and Stanley, after Mr. Irene's christening.

Martha rarely smiled for photographs, so this snapshot is a keeper.

Related by Marriage: Anthony

Würzburg, Germany, June 22, 1947. This is a cousin of Mr. Irene's Dad. He sat for the photo at the Würzburg Displaced Persons Camp.