Welcome to this family website!

Sr. Betty commented weeks after "The Leo and Frances Gathering" in 2008 that she still felt "the glow" from the event.  We hope to maybe keep that glow going by providing a way, through this website, to stay in touch and "stoke those embers", in a way that only family connections can do!

Regarding the August 2023 Gathering:

Hello family members -

Hopefully you have been contacted earlier regarding the family gathering which is in the works for August 27 at Chapman Park, and hopefully you have “saved the date” so that you can attend!  We’re hoping you have also shared the “save the date” message to others in your family.

Part of the new Community Center at Chapman Park has been reserved for this event  - and it is available to us for the whole day!  The flyer that was sent out provides more detail, but we expect to occupy it from about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  The noon time meal is the only scheduled event, so far anyway, and we hope to have everyone there for that!

If anyone has any suggestions/equipment for activities (such as a “Cornhole Board” for a bean bag toss game) please bring them along.  Otherwise there is nothing you need to bring, as the meal will be provided by Boyd’s catering.  There is a note on the flyer suggesting other items attendees may wish to bring for yourselves, families and your comfort.

We are, however, asking you to share this information – and the flyer - to let your family (kids, grandkids, etc.) learn more details of this event, and how much we would be delighted to have them join this family event.  It will be a way to “keep the embers glowing”, as Sr. Betty phrased it after the large 2008 gathering.

Please let us know by August 5 how many in your family  will be attending, as indicated on the flyer. We are looking forward to seeing you all on Aug. 27.  And please let one of the “committee members” know if you have any questions. (We hope to include here soon - in the private "Photo" section - the flyer we sent you for the event.)

See you in August!

The Family Gathering Committee:

Carl & Barb, Tom & Sharon, Tony & Diane 

UPDATES:

August 2019 Gatherings:  Pictures from the family gatherings in Chapman Park on August 23 and at Sr. Betty's Birthday Celebration in the "Villa" in La Crosse on August 26 have now been posted.  If anyone else has some pictures from those events and would like to share them, please send them to reunion@leoandfrances.org.  To view the album:

1.  Click on the word "Photos" in the upper right corner of this page.  This will take you to a log-in page.  If you still have your same email address and know your password from before - you should not have trouble logging in.  If you have you have forgotten your password, there is now a password reset button to fix that.  (thankyou, Ben!)  If you have not logged in before,  you will need to set up your account (register) by providing your name, email address and a password (of your choice) on the form which you will see on the log-in page  If you have a different email address than you did in 2008, or if you have any questions, please contact us at reunion@leoandfrances.org.]  (See notes near the bottom of this page at the *** for more info.)

2.  Once you log in on the "Photos" log-in page, you will see the "Leo and Frances Gallery" page.  There are two pages of photo album titles (each with a relevant picture) in the gallery. There are nine titles on the first page. 

3.  The "August 2019 Gatherings" photo album is the first one listed on this page.  Click on that title or the picture next to it.  

4.  That will open up the album.  You will see "thumbnail" previews of 9 of the first pictures.  Click on that first (or any) picture in the album preview. 

5.  That will open up all of the individual pictures of the album, one at a time.  You may need to scroll down a little on the page to see if there is commentary under any picture. (You can add comments or information in the text box under that if you'd like.) You may also need to scroll down a little to see the arrow to go to the next picture.  Click on "next" to proceed, or "previous" to go back, as you go through the album.

6.  To exit the album, click on "Leo and Frances Gallery" at the top of the page.  If you would like to look at the other albums in the Gallery, click on the title or thumbnail photo of the album you would like to view.  If you scroll down and click on the word "next", it will take you to the next page of the gallery. You will see the second set of album titles.  There are four of them on this page.   Again - to see the album, click on the title or thumbnail photo of the album, then click on any of the thumbnail pictures you see.  That will open up the individual pictures of the album, and you can scroll through them by clicking on the arrow on the lower end of the page.

7.  To exit the Gallery (and the secure area) click on "Home" at the top of the page.   

January 2019:  A Trip to South Bohemia

A little background: Tony and I had the pleasure of going on a trip to Europe in October 2018 with some friends.  The main trip was a Viking Cruise on the Danube River, starting out in Budapest, Hungary and ending up in Nuremberg, Germany.  From there we took an extension trip (by bus) to Prague, in the Czech Republic.

We explored Prague for one day, and for the second day we had arranged a trip to the south western part of the country, an area called South Bohemia.  This is an area where a number of the family ancestors had lived for generations, and where Leo's father was born.  We were guided by Jakub, a businessman who lives outside of Prague and likes to help people "find their roots". Bill put us in touch with him, and he put together much of the information that is used on this project.  Jakub picked us up at our hotel and brought us back about 12 hours later. 

We'd like to share some of what we saw and learned on the South Bohemia part of our trip.   Though it started out foggy, it turned out to be a beautiful fall day, as you will see in the pictures. We hope you enjoy the "tour" through the maps and  pictures of the area where family ancestors lived for hundreds of years - and be sure to check out the commentary underneath the pictures to help explain what you are seeing.

To see "Our Trip to South Bohemia " photo album:

1.  Click on the word "Photos" in the upper right corner of this page.  This will take you to a log-in page.  If you still have your same email address and know your password from before - you should not have trouble logging in.  If you have you have forgotten your password, there is now a password reset button to fix that.  (thankyou, Ben!)  If you have not logged in before,  you will need to set up your account (register) by providing your name, email address and a password (of your choice) on the form which you will see on the log-in page  If you have a different email address than you did in 2008, or if you have any questions, please contact us at reunion@leoandfrances.org.]  (See notes near the bottom of this page at the *** for more info.)

2.  Once you log in on the "Photos" log-in page, you will see the "Leo and Frances Gallery" page.  There are two pages of photo album titles (each with a relevant picture) in the gallery. There are nine titles on the first page. 

3.  The "Our Trip to South Bohemia" photo album is the first one listed on this page.  Click on that title or the picture next to it.  

4.  That will open up the album.  You will see "thumbnail" previews of 9 of the first pictures, the first one being a map of the Czech Republic.  Click on that first (or any) picture in the album preview. 

5.  That will open up all of the individual pictures of the album, one at a time.  (There are 187 pictures!) You may need to scroll down a little on the page to see the commentary under each picture. (You can add comments or information in the text box under that if you'd like.) You may also need to scroll down a little to see the arrow to go to the next picture.  Click on "next" to proceed, or "previous" to go back, as you go through the album.

6.  To exit the album, click on "Leo and Frances Gallery" at the top of the page.  If you would like to look at the other albums in the Gallery, click on the title or thumbnail photo of the album you would like to view.  If you scroll down and click on the word "next", it will take you to the next page of the gallery. You will see the second set of album titles.  There are four of them on this page.   Again - to see the album, click on the title or thumbnail photo of the album, then click on any of the thumbnail pictures you see.  That will open up the individual pictures of the album, and you can scroll through them by clicking on the arrow on the lower end of the page.

7.  To exit the Gallery (and the secure area) click on "Home" at the top of the page.   

Hope you enjoy the tour of part of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic.

If you have any questions, please contact us at reunion@leoandfrances.org.

Diane

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June 2017: Photos from the June 25, 2017 gathering at Chapman Park in Stanley have now been posted in the photo album.  Between the sun and rain showers - it turned out to be a really nice day! Plenty of great food was prepared by a number of people, and a lot of visiting was enjoyed by all. We all were greatful that Bill and Lucy were able to make the trip up to join the rest of us.  In the evening, a lot of the family gathered around the campfire at Carl and Barb's campsite set up on the other side of the lake. The fire was especially enjoyed by everyone because of the chilly weather, and Tom kept it toasty hot with all the wood he brought.

Fall 2016: A few updates were made on the Family Tree with information garnered at the family gathering in Boyd, WI on August 28. Please let us know of any updates that were missed (or inaccurate!). A few of the siblings couldn't make it, but it was great to see all the family members that could.  An album for that event has been started in the Photos section - with more pics to be added after the holidays (as time permits). 

Also, a gathering of Lawrence's family was held in June, and an album has been started for pictures from that event, too, with more to come after the holidays.  Here too, it would be great if updates for the Family Tree would be sent to reunion@leoandfrances.org.

June 2015:  Added some pictures from the "West Coast" celebration of Jim and Brenda's 50th Anniversary.  The event took place in Pacific Grove, CA on May 9th.  Jim and Brenda were planning a big celebration in Wisconsin in June, but this event was a surprise put on by their sons in California for those who would not be able to make it to the Wisconsin event.  If anyone has pictures from that Wisconsin celebration in June and would like to share, please send them, with descriptions and names, if you can, to reunion@leoandfrances.org.

If there have been any other family events that you would like to share - pictures and/or description - please send them, too.  We would all love to hear about them (and see the pictures if you have any)!

April 2015: Glenn recently sent some pictures which have been added at the end of "The Early Years" part of the photo album.

Before that we added some pictures from the latest gathering of the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Leo and Frances, in September 2014, to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Sister Betty's vows to enter into a life of service with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.  Please take a look, and if you have comments or would like to add notes or more pictures of this event, please let us know.

We plan to add more pictures from other get-togethers since 2008, and would love to add any you may have taken at events amongst the extended families. We also plan to add other family related pictures that have been sent to us over the recent years, and we'd be happy to add any you may have come across and would like to share.

Since it may have been a while since you have visited this site, you may wish to review the information below as to how to proceed to view the Photo Gallery and Family Tree.

Please send pictures, updates, questions or corrections to reunion@leoandfrances.org.

We know there have been additions and loses to our families in the years since the 2008 Gathering, so we urge everyone to review the information in the Family Tree to be sure it is accurate for your immediate and extended families.  Let us know if any changes need to be made.

There may also have been changes in email addresses over the years, either yours or of someone you know. Please let us know!

Did you forget your password? There is now a reset button to fix that problem!  

***

Family members far and wide can share photos and stories, offer comments and news, and generally, keep in touch with other family members who are interested.

To that end, we have created a "Photo Gallery" and have posted the Family Tree. These can be accessed only by logging in, as you will see when you click on the links in the box above on the right. Before you can log in the first time, you will need to set up your account (register) by providing your name, email address and a password (of your choice) on the form which you will see on the log-in page when you click on the "Photos" or "Family Tree" link.  Please read the following information before proceeding to the links.

Registration:

• Only those who have a current email address on our contact list will be automatically approved, upon registration (or shortly thereafter), to gain access to these pages. 
• If you are not currently on our contact list, or if we have an outdated email address for you, your registration may take a day or so to get the approval, as we must personally verify that you are a family member.  If you try to register and get no response, email us directly at reunion@leoandfrances.org  with your name and email address, and brief description of your family relationship. We will get back to you to let you know how to proceed.
• Also, if you know if a family member's email address has changed since Aug. 2008, please let us know so we can update our contact list.

In the Photo Gallery: Please read the information on the bottom of the first page in the Gallery (you will probably need to scroll down on the page). This includes instructions on how to "open" the albums and view the photos.

• You can peruse the photo album from "the Leo and Frances Gathering".  If you were there and have pictures that you would like to share, please do - by emailing them to us or sending hard copies of the pictures (we can scan them and send them back, if you wish).  Contact us for mailing directions.  (There are a few folks we missed getting the "official" photo of at the "check-in" station, so we are hoping some of you may have some photos from the event that could help us fill in the gaps.  In particular, we would like better photos of Joe and Noreen S.; Bernie and Joyce S. with Ben, CJ and Cody; Adele S.; Janice E; and Tom and Sharon S. )
• Some of the dates and captions or titles on the photos in the albums were "best guesses" by the editor, and we would welcome any corrections or clarifications.  You will see a "comment" box under each picture that will allow you to do that directly.  You are encouraged to add information (like names, places, dates, etc.) that would correct or clarify what the photo is about.  If you would prefer, you can send your comments to us at reunion@leoandfrances.org , and we can make the corrections or post the comments.
• If you would like to add photos, or even a whole 'album' with photos of your own family, or family event, that you would like to share, please contact us to discuss the best way to send them.  (If they are digital and are only a few, you can just email them to us directly at reunion@leoandfrances.org .)  We can't promise to post all of your pictures, but will do our best to post a good selection of them - as we did with a large number of photos from Lawrence's family.

The Family Tree was originally created by Sr. Betty and Joe, but editing and updating are an ongoing endeavor, so please check it and help us "fill in the blanks" or make corrections or updates for your family by contacting us at reunion@leoandfrances.org.

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We will try to notify everyone on our contact list about these resources.  Please let us know if you know if someone's email address is missing or has changed since August 2008, or if you know of other family members who would like to be on our contact list.

Any comments you would like to post can be emailed to us and we can post them on the "Comments" page that is currently on this website.

We may to add a "Forum" page in our "password protected" section for anyone to directly post thoughts, comments, memories, stories, etc. that they would like to share - or this input can be sent to reunion@leoandfrances.org to be posted.  We will let you know if/when the Forum page is ready.  

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 In order to address concerns about privacy, we are avoiding the use of last names on the internet pages that are open to the public.

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Keep an eye on this site for updates and other information. Be sure to contact us at reunion@leoandfrances.org with any comments, questions, concerns, or if you  have info or pictures that you would like to share.

Thank you Diane (reunion@leoandfrances.org);  webmaster - Ben  (ben@sixg.com)

What's this all about?

Frances and Leo, 1998

Once a parental generation has passed on, a little extra effort is sometimes needed on the part of the offspring to keep in touch with each other and to reach beyond the immediate family members to include and find connections with all the generations of the extended family.

The Gathering on the weekend of Aug 22-24, 2008 offered a great opportunity to connect or reconnect with family members from far and wide.  We are reaching out to all who might find value in keeping these connections alive. Our hope, as described above, is to provide a forum on this website where folks can chat, information and memories can be shared, and connections can be established or renewed.

Note: As many of you may know, Lawrence, the oldest son of Leo and Frances passed away in July, 2007. Lawrence and his wife Joyce, who predeceased him in 2001, had six children, most of whom few of the rest of the family have met. Therefore, we wish to reiterate a sense of welcome to Lawrence’s children, as well as to all of the extended family members, who wish to view and possibly participate in this effort to keep the connection alive.

                                                                                                                                        A Gathering at RR3 farm, 1981