A Christmas Thank You !!

Admiral Robert W. Dornisch

The Blog Master would like to recognize the members ot this family who have served in the Armed Forces. We want to thank them for defending our freedom and protecting all of the members of this family.

General John W. Dornisch

Uncle Bob (Grandpop to some) served in the U.S. Navy during the mid to late 50's. He spent time in Newfoundland. There is no truth to the rumor that he located the first plane from the lost squadron of  W.W. II. He Received a citation for exposing his little brother Paul to physical harm while he "waded" into a squad of Army Cadets, on the subway, after an Army-Navy Football game. More on this at Myrtle Beach in July.
And the guy to the right is the one they call Jack, or Jake, to his friends. When Uncle Jack, (He's a Grand Pop also), was going in for his final physical. Aunt Joan decided he would need a little encouragement. Unsolicited and without warning, she smashed him on his "Bad Knee" with a suitcase. She noted: "There, you will never pass that physical now." When being cross examined she admitted that she kept this deadly and lethal weapon under the bed for just such an opportunity. Uncle Jack was in Germany during the mid 50's and risked his life everyday handing out basketballs to the men on the base.

Ensign William C. Dornisch III

And this is William C. Dornisch III. He never made it above Ensign due to the fact he insisted on wearing "Black Wingtips" with his Dress Whites. Of course, he has been to multiple locations in the world. Currently he is working for "a civilian contractor" in Afghanistan somewhere near Kabul.
He will be in Myrtle Beach to attempt to win back a little respect. We have been told he was soundly beaten by Uncle Bob in a "Jump in the water and remove your pants in under 8 seconds drill" that is regularly run by the Navy. More on that in Myrtle.

Rear Admiral Russell Dornisch Sr.

Vice Admiral Corliss (Corky) Dornisch

And then we have RussDornisch on the left. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the late 80's and tracked down many "perps" attempting to bring drugs into this country illegally. We have been told that the campus police at Gettysburg College have been looking for him since he visited with his cousins there during a trip thru Pa.
Of, of course, next to him is his Mother. Aunt Corky met Uncle Bob while they were both in the Navy and they decided to marry. To my knowledge Corky is the only female member of the family to have served in the Armed Forces. I have been told that many other females should have received combat pay for "Putting up with the guys they married". They returned to the States in time for Robert W. Dornisch Jr to be born.  More on the marriage of Bob and Corky in the next edition of the Blog.

Lt. William C. Dornisch Jr.

And the gentleman on the right is none other than Lt. William C. Dornisch Jr. A member of the CSA cavalry who rode with J.E.B. Stewart during the Civil War. Legend has it that he was the leader of many raids into Pennsylvania during the early 1860's. Of course, Bill also served in the U.S. Air Force during the late 1940's/ early 50's. After an honorable discharge from the Air Force, he enlisted in God's army and entered the Seminary.More on that at Myrtle.

I hope I did not miss anyone, but if I did let me know and I will give you your very own post. I have to mention that the Blog Master (that's me) served 18 months in the Army ROTC at LaSalle College and was awarded recognition after being injured while marching on the football field during maneuvers.

To All, Have a very Merry Christmas. Not Happy Holidays.
Jesus is the reason for all this craziness. Again Merry Christmas and a peaceful new Year.

Philadelphia Tradition: Jack & Joan: Family First

Here comes the bride!!

And Her Father.

St. Columba Church, Phila. Pa.

Where were you on 9/13/1952??? I was sweating "bullets".  The temperature in the wedding hall must have been 110 degrees. It was 98 outside. But it was a great day. 2 of the CRAZIEST families in Phila were forever joined together. Yep, John W. Dorrnisch married the cute little girl from the next block Joan Agnes Sheahan. When these 2 families got together it was always crazy. I would sit back and quietly observe the hilarious behavior on both sides. Jack & Joan were married for 48 wonderful years. Throughout that time, they still maintained close contact with many of their childhood friends. Jack & Joan had 4 children. Diane, John W. Dornisch, Jr. (remember William was the middle name of all males to that point in honor of GrandPop Dornisch) Then came Joan and of course, the prized baby Mark. A great family, that prided itself on FAMILY FIRST!! What great times they had together. Hopefully you will meet them all in Myrtle Beach. Now only 8 1/2 months away. SEE YOU THERE!!



Who will be coming?? All of the Mechanicsburg Group. Paul & Alyce, Children Christine, Patty, Susan,  P. Michael (did you know Mike's first name is Paul) and Mary Catherine (named after both Grandmom's) and their respective spouse's. PLUS 13 Grand Kids. Uncle Bob & Aunt Corky, PLUS Andrea. Still unsure of Russell Jr. and his new bride along with his and Andrea's mom Nery. No word from Russ Sr or Robert W. Dornisch, Jr. The entire Florida group is in: Aunt Joann & Uncle Bill, Regina and her date, Beth and Katie (dates are optional) Bill, Jr. and his lady of the month. Of course, California is in with John W. Dornisch and his Bride Sheila (is that spelling correct?) 3 sons Jonathon, Jeremiah and Jordan (not necessarily in that order or spelling) We have some uncertainty with the Phila contingent. Diane, and daughters Diane (now married to Tom Gallagher) and Laura Heim. Joan and Kevin Ryan (He loves drinking shots) and their daughter Victoria. Mark might not be able to pull himself away from his assigned duties. We LOVE all of you and are praying all can make this event. WHEW!! that's a lotta people.

Hold the Phone!!! Is this where the idea for the song "Forever Young" came??

This is a great picture. Is it from the Wilson Line in Phila? Ask me about the double date Jack & Bill had on that cruise ship during the 50's. You gotta show up in Myrtle Beach to hear the story.           

ALERT!!  ALERT!!  ALERT!!

WE HAVE JUST CONFIRMED RESERVATIONS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED...

WE WILL BE STAYING AT THE CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS A & B IN NORTH MYRTLE BEACH THIS L-SHAPED RESIDENCE IS ACTUALLY 2 UNITS THAT WILL ACCOMODATE 50 (DID YOU HEAR THAT) 50 PEOPLE. YES WE CAN TAKE YOU AND YOU WILL STILL HAVE YOUR OWN BED AT THIS LATE DATE. AUNT JOANN IS HANDLING FLORIDA, COLORADO, ALABAMA, CALIFORNIA & PHILA. UNCLE PAUL HAS MECHANICSBURG

Cass and Bill Dornisch, Jr.

Kathleen and Beth, Grandmom and Grandpop relaxing.

Wow!! I was there. What a great day!! Bill Dornisch, Jr and his beautiful bride were married on 11/22/1952. Of course, the date of 11/22 was also Bill's birthday. The year of his birth was 1929. Cass was born on April 15. Can you believe they would be celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary this November. Cass and Bill had 3 great kids; William III, 12/14/54, Kathleen, 5/20/58 and Beth 12/12/62. Of course, we all know that Kathleen went to be with her mom and dad on 9/1/11.

This is a great picture. They look like something out of "Entertainment Tonight". The young lady was from West Phila. and the young man from North Phila. How they met we will leave up to their kids to enlighten us. Oh wait a minute, did they meet while both worked for the Phila. Gas company?  Of course, Bill had enlisted in the USAF and then came out to enter the seminary in Phila. Shortly after the seminary came the wedding. After Billy was born the family went to Fla. Both Kathleen and Beth were born in Fla. Shortly thereafter the Senior Bill & Cass moved to Fla. also. Rumor had it they were trying to get away from Uncles Jack and Paul since they took Aunt Joann with them. After some years in Fla. the family moved to Arizona. More later. Thanks to Beth, Uncle Bill Bannon and Uncle Bob for the pictures. We are now less than 10 months from our arrival in Myrtle Beach. My family has a separate savings account and we all send money periodically to the account in preparation What are your plans? Don't let it sneak up on you. Please leave a comment. That's how we'll all get to know something about each of you.

The shoes are back in style

Two Tough Hombres

Da Girls in front of 2726 N. Garnet

WE REMEMBER KATHLEEN

It is with much sadness we learned of the death of Kathleen Dornisch on 9/1/11. Her death was sudden and, although not totally unexpected, shocking. You don't expect anyone to pass away at the age of 53. That is far too young. Kathy was the daughter of Cass & Bill Dornisch, Jr. She was born on 5/20/1958 and was a perfect Month of May baby. Her home was in St. Petersburg, Fl for most of her life. Kathy is the sister of Bill Dornisch, Jr and Beth Dornisch McNees and they loved her. She was our Niece and Uncles Bob, Paul and Aunt Joann loved her. She was cousin to many of our children and they loved her. And she now has many more 2nd cousins who loved her also. Was she perfect? Not by a long shot. But let me ask: Are we perfect? She made her mistakes as we all have. It is a strength of this family that we have "stuck" together thru good times and bad, thru happy times and sad. This is a very sad time for us but we will come thru it stronger. If you were considering NOT coming to the reunion, please reconsider. We want to see each and everyone of you there. We have lost Grandmom and Grandpop; Uncle Bill and Aunt Cass, and now their daughter Kathleen; Uncle Jack left us 11 years ago next month. Kathleen will be welcomed by all of them. "MAY THE SOULS OF THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED, THROUGH THE MERCY OF GOD REST IN PEACE. AMEN!"

AND NOW THE 2ND GENERATION, #1 IN OUR HEARTS

Please allow me to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. William C. Dornisch !!!

To some of you they were Mom and Dad; to others Grandmom and Grandpop; and to other descendents Great Grandmom and Grandpop; To friends Bill and Cass. Notice how they were never mentioned alone. They were and still are Bill and Cass.

How did Bill and Cass happen? Well, They were married on 5/5/1928. Yes, Cass was a mere baby and not yet 17. Cass was born 10/14/1911 and would have been 100 years old this October 2011. She left us way too soon on 3/10/1982. Bill was born 11/3/1908 and left us on 11/8/1987. Word was he could not hang on without Cass. How True. This marriage was blessed (are you kidding me??) with five children: William C. Dornisch Jr. born 11/22/1929 and named after his father, John W. Dornisch born 2/21/1932, Robert W. Dornisch born 6/24/1935, Paul W. Dornisch born 4/9/1941 and Joanna J. (Dornisch) Bannon born 5/31/1946 (but still older than Uncle Paul). Please note Bill Jr was named in honor of his dad while the other 3 boys took William as their confirmation name to honor their father also. Cass would not allow Joann to take William for confirmation since she was concerned her brothers would call her "The Little Gestapo". These 5 individuals proceeded to make the life of Bill and Cass an adventure for the next 50 years. Enough of the words for now. I am posting several pictures to revive your memory. A test will be held at Myrtle Beach in July 2012 on the people in these photos. Can you believe it... less than 1 year and we will be there. NOTE: Beth (Dornisch) McNees will be contacting all via e-mail with the contact for housing in North Myrtle Beach.

Just a small portion of the attendees at the 50th anniversary.

How many can you get correct?

The Guests of honor and an intruder.

Can you identify the intruder??

These gentlemen arrived with Don Corleone (in the dark suit)

3 generations from where?

These "Floridians" were actually refugees from Philadelphia...note the Phillies hat. (Would his favorite player today be Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, Roy Halladay??)

Note Well: L to R, Bob, Joann, Jack, Bill, Paul (1987)

Can you name these 6 "sweet" angels?

If you get stumped feel free to ask your father, mother, aunt, uncle, Grandpop, Grandmom, or anyone who may know these answers.

The beginning as we know it

Anton and Rosa Dornisch with young William

Anton was born in Basel, Germany. He married Rosa in 1906. The wedding ceremony took place in St. Michael's Church (founded April 1831) 2nd and Jefferson Sts in Phila. The church is located in the "Fishtown" section of Phila. (near 5th and Girard) Their first child was William James Dornisch (he took the name Charles as his confirmation name) Born 11/3/1908. The second child was Rosa, named after her Mother, and born in 1910. The mother Rosa passed away in 1915 when young William was 7 or 8 years old. The younger Rosa passed away in 1926 at the age of 15 or 16. Shortly after the mother died, the father remarried and apparently moved to the Vineland/Millville area of New Jersey. William lost contact with his father at that time and it is uncertain if he ever spoke with him again. Bill was raised by his Grandmother Schubert (Meier) He married Catherine (Cass) Cecelia Healy on 5/5/1928. Grandmom Schubert passed away in 1937. She lived to see the wedding of Bill and Cass Dornisch and also the birth of their first 3 sons, William C. Dornisch, Jr, John William Dornisch and Robert William Dornisch before her death. Bill and Cass were married in Most Precious Blood Church at 28th and Diamond Sts. in Phila. It was a beautiful May wedding and the young family was more than ready to begin their journey.

And thus begins the history of the Dornisch family. We are preparing for the reunion July 21 - 28, 2012 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. This blog will give you bits and pieces of each family unit as we make our way towards next July. We are certain you will have a great time at the reunion and during the time leading up to the weekend you will learn about our family history. We have lost members of the family already who never got to experience what is within our grasp. Let's not miss this opportunity. NEXT UP: The story of Bill and Cass Dornisch and their family.
Reminder: this Blog is brought to you by Robert, Paul and Joann. All info has been contributed by them and is subject to change. We hope you enjoy the next 14 months of preparation. Oh, by the way, we will explain all about housing, food and entertainment in later posts. So get ready. As James Taylor once said, "In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina" See you there.