Ma Famille

"You have to love your family; you don't have to like them."--Angela Christina Scavello Since in the peopletrace.html file I deal with my friends and acquaintances, I think it is only fair that I give some space to my family--the 24 people whom I consider to be my relatives. They're all nice people (well, most of them anyway), but a few of them...well, let's just say I'm glad I don't have to live with them. (in chronological order by date of birth)

Generation: -3 -2 -1 Tier One Tier Two

Daisy Jeffery
Grandma Jeff to me and the other Tier Ones, Daisy to the rest of her great-grandchildren. Her maiden name is Pickett, and it is through her (four more generations up) that I can trace my ancestry to the CSA General. She is an ACBL Lifemaster, and has 20/40 vision (with eyeglasses) in her prosthetic eye, according to Driver Services.

Joe Benda
Papa Joe. Yes, he's my grandfather, but to the Tier Ones, he's Papa Joe. He used to weigh 345 pounds. He's lighter now, and more active, at least until he had knee replacement surgery on 27Dec95. He recovered well from that, and again became more active, until he had a triple bypass on 11Oct96. He is recovering well from that.

Ruby Nygren
Grandma. My mother's mother.

Mary Benda
Grandma JJ.

Donna Stewart
My Aunt Donna--the only one of my aunts or uncles which I refer to with such a title.

Linda Benda
My mother, and Aunt Donna's younger sister.

Gary Benda
My father, the oldest of six children. He was a police officer in Lisle from 1973 until 1982. Since then, he has sold cars, worked security in a grocery store and several hotels, and been the Director of both Health and Safety and Maintenance at a psychiatric hospital. Then he was the Director of Public Safety at South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest. He left there in May of 1996 to take on the new challenge of Director of Campus Security at Lewis University in Romeoville, as well as still being an Auxiliary Police Officer in Lemont.

John Benda
Gary's oldest brother. He's the Superintendent of Maintenance for the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

Bill Benda
Gary's second-oldest brother. He is the owner-operator of a McDonald's in Perryton, Texas.

Marietta Benda
Bill's wife. Like my grandfather and his six children, Marietta is a native Lemonter, which is important only to those people who live in Lemont. Since she lives in Texas, it doesn't much matter.

Jim Benda
Gary's second-youngest brother.