Geodog

Goodbye, Grandpa, and Thank You

This weekend, the Bishop clan's patriarch passed away, and an era ended for me. There was an official obituary in the local newspaper, and a notice in the newspaper he read and argued with every day, the New York Times. What follows is an edited version of the official obituary, combining the notice in the NYT with his hometown newspaper obituary with a few edits of my own:

James Keough Bishop, a long time resident of New Rochelle died peacefully on April 7, 2006 at home in Rye. He was born in Summerville, MA on June 4, 1913 to Patrick Joseph Bishop and Anne Bishop (nee: Keough), both emigrants from Newfoundland. After graduating from the Bentley School of Accounting, James married his wife Dorothy O'Keefe Bishop in 1937. The couple moved to New Rochelle, NY where they raised three sons [and lost 4 babies]. During WW II, James served as a volunteer firefighter. The Bishops were parishioners of Holy Family Church, where James served on the parish council, as President of the Holy Name Society, and as a lector. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Papal Order of the Knights of Malta. James was the vice president and general sales manager of Plunkett Webster, a wholesale lumber company. In addition to his professional career he had many other business and social achievements. Among these were, College of New Rochelle Trustee, member of the board of directors of the Siwanoy Council, Boy Scouts of America, President of the New Rochelle Lions Club and of New Rochelle Day Nursery, Chairman of the board of Westchester Federal Savings, and of the New Rochelle Community Chest. As chairman of the New Rochelle Board of Education, he led the effort to integrate the school system in the 1960's. He was also a recipient of the BSA prestigious Silver Beaver award. Loving father of James K. Bishop Jr. (Kathleen) of Washington, DC, John F. Bishop, (Patricia) of Verona, NJ and Thomas A. Bishop (Kathrine) of North Stonington, CT. Dear brother of Harold Joseph Bishop, Doris Lebre and Marion Fahey [and gone before him are his brothers Walter and Arnold]. Devoted grandfather of ten grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Dorothy in 1994.

Grandpa was many things I am not -- a strict Roman Catholic and a life-long Republican, but he was also some things that I try hard to be -- a devoted family man who put family first, a citizen who believed and practiced his belief that we have a responsibility to give back to the communities that we come from and live in, and a man of unwavering integrity.

I was very lucky to have known him and my Grandmother Dorothy for so long, and to have them as formative influences throughout my life and, several times, as anchors in times of trouble. My grandmother took care of me and my siblings several times when I was a child, and they continued to welcome me into their house and their life when I became a angry long-haired teenager, and even later when I was a college student and anti-Reagan political activist. Throughout it all they tolerated my differences in point of view, along with some youthful lapses in judgement, and they also sheltered me from family storms. In later years, after I relocated to the West Coast, they even made trips out to visit the little West Coast outpost of the Bishop family. My life was enriched and guided by their example, and will continue to be, even though they are gone, and I miss them terribly sometimes.

One of the wonderful things my grandparents did was to organize annual family reunions, determined as they were that their children, then the cousins (and then cousin's children) would continue to grow up together as a family. And almost everybody in the clan showed up every year. This tradition continued after my grandmother's death, and we had the last one just 3 months ago, which my grandfather, in spite of his frail condition, clearly enjoyed. It is a tradition the cousins, gathered together this weekend in New York for Grandpa's funeral, resolved to continue.

Grandpa and Grandma would approve.