McNamara still caring for family at age 97

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By ELIZABETH HOCHSTEDLER
elizabeth.hochstedler@lee.net
Monday, December 15, 2008 3:05 PM CST

Dorothy McNamara has seen a lot. She has lived through life without a family car, days on the farm and raising a family through the Great Depression.

Through her 97 years, though, she has remained committed to her family.

“I can’t imagine what life would be like without a family,” she said.

McNamara, of Chippewa Falls, has always taken care of her family, from helping keep an eye on her siblings when her parents passed away to raising her own children and baby-sitting her grandchildren, great grandchildren and now great-great grandchildren.

“I can’t begin to tell you what I would do without her, or what any one of us would do without her,” granddaughter Violet Gregorson said.

She said as head of the family, her grandmother has been a strong role model for everyone.

“Because there’s so many of us in the family, we all trust in her, and we all look up to her,” she said.

Of McNamara’s seven children, two are still living. She also has 35 grandchildren, more than 60 great grandchildren and more than 30 great-great grandchildren.

McNamara has supported her family through numerous jobs throughout her life. She worked on her parents’ farm when she was young and on her own farm after she was married. She was also employed at the colony at the Northern Center, Mason Shoe, Chippewa Glove Company and Presto.

“She was always able to take care of her kids,” Gregorson said. “She just always worked for her kids.”

Although McNamara’s husband died in 1952, she has rarely lived alone because she has taken in relatives who needed a place to stay. Currently her great granddaughter is living with McNamara while she attends school in the area.

“I haven’t really (had) too many years when I didn’t have someone here,” McNamara said. “I’ve had a lot of them get down on their luck and come in for a month or so.”

“As long as she had a bedroom, you were welcome to it,” Gregorson said.

McNamara also welcomes her family into her home on Christmas Eve. With the family expanding, the celebration runs all day with family members moving in and out from the morning into the night.

“Christmas Eve, everyone is invited in,” she said.

McNamara prepares the entire Christmas meal from the ham to the fruitcake.

“Grandma can cook like you can’t believe,” Gregorson said. “Her date-filled cookies are my favorite.”

The family has also started an annual reunion in the summer to assure that they all get together outside of the holidays.

“There were so many of the cousins who just didn’t know each other, so we thought that was a way to do that,” McNamara said.

Gregorson said it has always been important to her grandmother than the family stays connected.

“She would like all of us to get to know each other,” she said.

Although McNamara has a soft heart for her family, Gregorson said her grandmother’s strength has been the most inspiring.

“She’s about 5-foot tall, maybe 100 pounds, but she’s just tougher than nails,” Gregorson said.

McNamara has dealt with the deaths of her parents, five of her children and her husband, but she continues on.

“I think that’s why a lot of people admire gram, for her strength,” Gregorson said.

“It seems all the ups and downs, I’ve been able to live with it,” McNamara said. “That amazes Violet.

“There’s a lot of ups and downs, but there’s a lot of good things to make up for it.”

Despite her age, McNamara still is able to live on her own. She was in the hospital in August for a kidney infection and stayed with her daughter in Jim Falls for a few months, but she has since returned home, and she’s looking forward to getting back into her normal routine.

“I’m sure I’ll drive again because I renewed my license last year,” she said.

Gregorson knows she and the rest of her family are lucky that her grandmother has stayed in good health and has lived 97 years.

“If anyone wonders what a blessing is, she’s a blessing. She’s a blessing to our family,” Gregorson said. “I’m sure there are a lot of people that aren’t related to her that feel that way.”

(Ed. note: This story is another of the Herald’s Who Makes Your Day features. If you know someone who works and/or lives in Chippewa County who brightens your day, let us know about it. Contact reporter Elizabeth Hochstedler at elizabeth.hochstedler@lee.net, or by phone at (715) 738-1608. Tell us about the person and why they are special.)