Dear Konsela Cousins!
Happy New Year to all of us, the Konsela Cousins!!!
With this wish and after a few words “The Team” for the
Konsela Cousins Gathering, 8/18/12 will be officially disbanded. We are pleased for the good we did and
must forgive ourselves for our frailties.
Our motivation and plan for August, 2012 was to provide a time and place
for us first cousins to get together and get to know better who we all
are. That has happened; surely each
cousin got to know others better and to that extent, our aim has been
fulfilled.
We worked on the planning of the Gathering off and on
from January to August--mostly on. And
it was almost all pure fun. There were
many areas to consider--location, food, décor, invitations, explanations, the blog,
who would help us, how to notify everyone, etc. etc. Each of these areas and more were literally
multiplied with details and possibilities resulting in many, many decisions to
be made. All of this is now in the
past, a memory.
All is a memory except:
The Blog. The blog was an
unexpected gift to all of us provided by Beverly Thoma Keltner. When she first presented us with the idea of
having “a blog”, we all in 3 different states, took some moments to virtually
look at each other and wonder whether we should go for this or not. We first had to find out what “a blog” was,
then how it worked. Fortunately, we
assented to it and it has not only served us cousins very well for the 8/18
event, but it is not set up as a source of information and ongoing
communication in the future. It will
live on only because Beverly is willing to continue to serve us as “Blog
Master.” The blog is a vehicle for us
Konsela Cousins (others?) to use not only to continue to learn more about our
ancestry through the discovery and recovery of documents and stories but to
communicate current personal news we may want cousins/extended family to
know. We have in common the same
history; we all came from the same place.
The blog is available currently and as of yet is
accessible to first cousins by invitation only.
If you haven’t yet viewed it call any one of us to find out how to get
on it. It is well worth the effort and
the more we use it, the more interesting it will be.
The future of the blog remains to be seen. We have many options concerning what
direction it might take, how it may be used and who might have access. Please consider getting on it and let everyone
know how you would like to see it develop in the future. What would you like on it? How would you like it used? Who would you like to have the ability to
access it? We have many 2nd
and 3rd cousins and others who may be interested in it. Thank you Beverly for setting it up and for
helping us use it.
Before
we leave the topic of the blog, we acknowledge and thank Joe Heath, our nephew and 2nd
cousin for taking the time to show us what is possible by submitting to the
blog some very interesting, historical documents pertaining to our ancestry.
Joe has developed an avocation for the study of our family genealogy--"Joe,
thank you for that and thank you for sharing your information with us."
Note that Joe doesn't see this letter so if you enjoyed any of
what Joe has submitted or you want to see more of what he has gathered, please
let him know through the blog. For
that matter, if you have enjoyed or appreciated anything anyone has submitted--pictures,
postings, comments, writing, documents or videos--please let that person know. It is easy as they say "to
shoot them an email.” Everyone likes to
know their work or submissions are seen and enjoyed so please don't hesitate to let them know if you appreciate something.
We have heard from a couple of cousins who enjoyed the
gathering and asked if there will be another one next year. The opportunity is now available for you to
step up and let your own creativity flow into another Konsela Cousins event in
2013--your style. I heard inklings that
Brian (Augie and Myrna) is looking for co-planners for next year. He wants at least 3 people to help. With telephones, free conference calling
and email you don’t even have to live in the same state to be a vital part of a
planning team. If you want to have fun
and are interested in helping, call Brian.
The following link is one of many web sites that could be helpful in the
planning of a family gathering:
Many thanks to all of you who helped make the Konsela
Cousins Gathering what it was.
To the August and Mryna Konsela family: You came from a distance with nearly the
entire family, a feat admired by many.
For so many to come from such a distance is amazing and shows us that to
you, ‘family is important’. Truly,
miles mean nothing when you want to be connected. Thank you for all the wonderful things you
offered as prizes, the doilies, the sewing, the recipe books and the many other
things you brought for the enjoyment of all.
Thanks to each of you Manitowoc Konsela Cousins for being there and for
your part in the Konsela Cousins Gathering.
We’re sure Julie would be happy to sell all of us some Konsela/Knutson
Recipe Books for our friends and/or descendents as a gift for any occasion. Thank you, Brian for your part in
interviewing your dad and our uncle, August for the blog article. I heard from a few people they enjoyed
it. Thanks also for the many special
and beautiful prizes you brought especially for making the custom built toilet
seat which you made with your wife, Luanne.
Who won that prize? Thanks to all the August and Myrna Konsela Family
for honoring us with your presence.
To the Mary Konsela Thoma family: Beverly, the power behind the Blog, this
could not have happened without your creativity and hard work. Thank you for suggesting the Blog,
creatively setting it up and for the many hours you patiently and lovingly
spent helping both the team and cousins sign on and learn to post and comment. We want all the cousins to know that
maintaining the blog was an enormous amount of work; many of your hours were
invested in it almost daily. Having the
blog also helped enormously to create interest and anticipation for the Konsela
Cousins Gathering. Thank you also for
recommending and getting Joe Heath on board the blog. We can now see there are old documents to be
found and there is much we can learn from them.
Thank you for interviewing Mark Pronchinski and arranging to have him as
our guest speaker. He has a wealth of
information which could make for a gathering in itself. Thanks for taking the time to visit the
Konsela farm and for taking the pictures that made great prizes and postcards
for anyone interested in having one. Beverly, how did you ever have time to crochet
a rag rug for a prize? And make the
“Konsela Cousins Gathering” custom labeled wine to give as a gift to each
family? And how did you have the time
to make the gigantic “Konsela Cousins Gathering” 3 x 20 foot sign? Where did you find the time to gather all
the pictures and artifacts at your table, including your mother, Mary’s real wedding
dress? Thank you for all the work you
put into this event, the memorable gifts and your interesting table. You are an inspiration to all of us even as
you continue to be Blog Master. Thank
you.
Rosemary, you were an invisible force from afar offering
your ongoing support, encouragement, ideas and contributions to the blog. Thank you for the prizes you contributed and
for the pictures given to all who were interested in having one of the Konsela
family home, as well as the large art print you framed for a “Thanks to
Beverly” for her work and the print you made for a team member. Thank you very much for the very beautiful
and professionally done “work in progress” documentary of our family. We hope every cousin saw it and will
continue to contribute pictures for it.
If anyone hasn’t seen it yet, it is available on the blog--look on the
left side of the Home Page and click on “SLIDE SHOW” or click on www.photodex.com/share/jerryrosy. Thank you also for sending it before the
event so the team could see it earlier.
We believe it should win a prize!
Thank you.
, thank you for the ground work you did during the
initial planning stages, especially modeling for us the Family Charts. Thank you for thinking of and acknowledging
Uncle Augie with an award and pinning ceremony for his service in the army
during the Korean War. Thanks to you
and Silver for taking the time to generously set up the electronics at your
table and in the area where people could watch it going through the food line. We needed more hours in the day to see all
you provided. Thank you very much. Thanks to all the Mary Konsela Thoma family
for honoring us, your cousins with your presence.
To the Jennie Konsela Pogreba family: Thank you for coming from far and near and
bringing all the pictures, the artifacts and the very large, impressive and up
to date family tree for your table.
Annie, you jumped on the blog early, modeling for all the Konsela
Cousins the way we could have a personal conversation with someone across the state
without using the telephone. Thank you
also for greeting all the Konsela Cousins with your ever friendly and welcoming
smile as they arrived and for being in charge of pinning on their name
tags. Thank you all for the prizes you
brought to add to the fun of the gathering, including the vase, the pottery and
the tiered cookie tray. And John,
thanks for playing your role as MC, which we promptly usurped. Thanks to all the Jennie Konsela Pogreba
family for honoring us, your cousins with your presence.
To the Joseph Konsela Family, thank you for the ways you
have helped. Albert, you influenced our
choice of location and caterer and we were pleased with both. Thank you for bringing the prizes, the
Diamond Willow canes, the knitting needles and for putting up the highway
signs. Did anyone see them? Thank you, Diane for bringing candles and for
setting and decorating the tables. Bob
and Darlene, thank you for posting pictures and bringing the flowers for the
table and some snacks. Thank you Joseph
Konsela family for honoring us, your cousins with your presence.
To the Leo Konsela Family: Thank you Ruth and Don for making this day
special by helping to prepare the decorations at a pre-party back in June. See pictures on the blog. Thank you for bringing snacks and pictures
for your table. Thanks to all the Leo
Konsela Family for honoring us, your cousins with your presence.
To the Lillian Konsela Konkel Family: Thank you for setting up your table with
family pictures. And Joan, thank you for
making the trip way from Milwaulkee. Thank you Lillian Konsela Konkel family
for honoring us, your cousins with your presence.
To the Rose Konsela Konter Family: Thank you for setting up a table with your
special family pictures which added to the enjoyment of this day. Bernadette, thanks for submitting to the
blog the article about you and Elmer.
It was fun to read and helped us get to know you and your life
better. Ray, thanks for letting us know
you enjoyed the gathering. It was good
to hear you respond. As far as your question
goes about whether we will have a gathering again next year, the answer
is: “We hope so. It won’t be the four of us, but we hope you
and some other cousins will emerge and put together a second gathering of
Konsela Cousins next year.” Thank you
Rose Konsela Konter Family for honoring us, your cousins with your presence.
To the Romeo Konsela Family: Thank you for all you did to make this a very
special day. Ron, thank you for taking
the time to bring the gigantic bunches of beautiful balloons which added big
splashes of color and fun to the day.
Judy, thank you for bringing the beautiful, beautiful family pictures
which made your table look lovely.
Thanks to the Romeo Konsela Family for honoring us, your cousins with
your presence.
To the Valentine Konsela Family: Thank you Shirley Ann for all you did to
make the gathering special. Thank you
for the pictures and artifacts you brought from your family archives. You were very generous to share the story of
your early history which many of us did not know. Your candidness was admirable and added to
the warmth and intimacy of the gathering.
Thank you Valentine Konsela Family for honoring us, your cousins with
your presence.
To the Lisowski Family:
Thank you for all you did to add to the enjoyment of the Konsela Cousins
Gathering. Thank you all for the special
pictures you brought for your table and the artifacts, including the apron
Grandma crocheted for you, Vivian, our informal family archivist. You were generous to share with the team,
your knowledge of dates and other pertinent family historical information even
before the gathering. Hopefully we will
have another chance to look at all the information you have in more depth. Thank you Olga Konsela Lisowski Family for
honoring us, your cousins with your presence.
* * *
Thank you to every cousin and family for bringing
pictures and things for others to see, for bringing prizes to drool over and to
give away, snacks for the afternoon and for everything each of you did to add to
the enjoyment of the gathering. We have
thanked individuals for many things, yet we likely missed many. Cousins contributed so much and we didn’t
see everything. Please know that
everything you did to contribute to the day enhanced it in immeasurable ways,
even if it wasn’t mentioned. Thank you
all. And especially, thank you for
coming.
Some cousins have asked for the documents we compiled for
the gathering. We are now disseminating
them to all the cousins. Please note
that we are attaching three (3) different kinds of documents in our email to
you.
1. The family
charts. There will be one chart of our
grandparents and each of their eleven children, our parents, aunts and
uncles. There will be a separate family
chart for each of their children (except Barbara) which will include every
cousin’s name, current address, telephone number and email if they have
it.
2. A chronological
list of cousins. This will be in birth
order so you will be able to see if you are the 7th, 17th
or 67th cousin.
3. A list of
cousins by month. This will show who
was born in each month of the year.
This will make it easy to know whose birthday is coming up in January,
February, etc. and it will make it easy to slip them an email.
Although
all this information is easily accessible to us and anyone else (the public) on
Google and the genealogy sites, we’ve compiled these lists to make it more
convenient for us. Now that you all have the family charts, you
have every cousin’s email and current address and you can send pictures to all
or whomever you wish. We invite you to put pictures on the blog or
simply send copies of them to all or whichever cousins you want. Some
of us haven't seen any pictures, yet, and there were many taken. By the
way, if you want a copy of a document or picture of anything on the blog,
simply print it out. If anything you
put on the blog is outdated or you want to change something you posted, simply
send your request in an email to Beverly, the blog master.
We will end with a variation of the quotation which heads the
blog: As with the Konsela Cousins
Gathering or any other event, our generous sharing of ourselves is what makes
it enjoyable, fun and memorable for all.
We again thank all of you for your part in the Konsela Cousins Gathering
and we look forward to having many more gatherings.
Barb Pasala
C-1-630-529-0590
barbpasala@gmail.com
Gene Pogreba
H-1-630-932-7432
C-1-630-564-4547
genenpat@att.net
Marge Nicolai
C-1-715-797-6971
mnicolai55@gmail.com
Mary Jane Konsela
H-1-651-771-8768 mkonsela@myexcel.com
That’s all. Now
you may hear something from each of us, individually.
From Marge: It was wonderful seeing all of our cousins
and our guests of honor. Many of you I
haven’t seen in several years. As for me, I am not that detail oriented, so
thank you Mary Jane, Gene, Barb and Beverly for all your hard work. I did not
put as much time in as the other team members. I had just moved and starting
over in a new community with my real estate business was and still is very time
consuming and challenging.
As I already stated, it was great seeing everyone and I
certainly hope that in the future a few of our cousins would be willing to plan
another “cousin gathering”. It could be as simple as a picnic in the park with
everyone bringing a dish to pass. Just getting together is what counts.
The day was wonderful and one of the thoughts I had
during the day was that our parents, looking down at us would be very happy to
see us all together! God bless all of you, stay healthy and enjoy life!
From Mary Jane: Being on this planning team was much fun and
much work. I loved being a part of the
planning team and thinking of the many things we could do and doing most of
them or having them done. I loved that
we could put together the many details and try to make them match. It was also fun because all along I was
getting to know the other team members I really didn’t know before.
During this planning time I learned of Gene’s sensitivity
to how people might respond to a word said or written. He courageously moved out of his comfort
zone and took on his share. I also
noticed he took 3 vacations this year.
I could definitely learn from that!
I learned Barb was a “get things done, now” person, and
practical, something she said she learned from her mother (Jennie). And there is so much more. It was Barb who said the words, “Let’s have
a cousins gathering--just cousins--wouldn’t it be fun?” I can picture where we were all standing
when she said it. Without her fun
loving spirit, her appreciation of family and dedication to her work the
gathering would have never happened.
Even further back than that Barb showed some very strong and admirable
qualities. After the lunch at her
mother’s (Jennie’s) funeral (March, 2011), she was willing to bravely risk
saying something about a handicap she saw and offered to use her expertise to
do something about it. I am amazed to
see how one act can eventually affect so many people, in this case, all of you,
our whole family. Since then I saw many
other times how much she valued her work of providing hearing aids for
people. I understand that now in FL she
is making inroads that will eventually make better hearing possible for more
people there. Thanks for your
dedication and the way you affect the world, Barb.
From Marge I learned to set my priorities and stick to
them. That is a big lesson for me. Thanks Marge for bringing your scanning and
printing technology to the event. Everyone
on the team showed flexibility and willingness to stretch as we made decisions
together and committed to do things that took bravery and courage.
As with the planning of events like this one, the biggest
fear is that no one will come. That was
there, too. So it was a very big relief
each time someone suggested something, committed to help or said they were
planning to come.
I look forward to another gathering in the coming year in
someone else’s style when I will come rested and have the time to talk with
more people. Meantime, Happy 2013!
From Gene: Working on the team was a great experience
and made me realize how many first cousins I actually have. I would bet that all of the cousins were not
aware of this also so I think this was very rewarding for all of us.
I would like to thank Mary Jane for guiding the team and
keeping us on track to make the gathering as great as it was. Mary also volunteered to write all the
letters which were much better than I could have written. Thank You Mary Jane for all of your work.
To all the cousins, it was great to see everyone and I
only wish there was more time to visit with each of you. Everyone had a good time which made the work
of getting this together very rewarding.
I hope someone will plan more reunions for the cousins so we can all
visit and get to know each other better.
It was great getting to know Mary Jane and Marge again. I remember Marge when she came to my mother’s
wake and said do I remember her. I said
give me a little help and she said Marge.
I had to say give me a little more help and she said Konsela. That is why I think we had such great turn
out. Everyone wanted to meet cousins
that many of us lost touch with or may have never met. Thanks to all for making
this possible.
Happy New Year!
From Barb: Being
a part of a four cousin team (well, one was my brother Gene) was the highlight
of 2011- 2012 for me. Like Mary Jane wrote in our first letter it
all came to be because she and I were able to speak briefly for the first
time at my mom's funeral service. This was the first time since we were
kids. And thanks to us persevering we were able to accomplish
the task of getting our First Cousin Reunion rolling and finalized into a very
exciting day for us on August 18, 2012. To our amazement we had a great turnout
with almost all the cousins in the end contributing to this special day in one
way or another. All in all we had a lot of smiling faces talking up a
storm--but time only allowed for so much. My only hope is that someone will
take up this “Cousin Torch” and keep these reunions going. You will see cousins
stepping up to help and contribute as they did in 2012.
