Bill Hennessey.... That name represents my living brother and father, along with my grandfather who recently passed this June. They are all William James Hennessey's and all different roles in my life and that of others. My "Grampa" was WJH, Jr., and it didn't take long for my slurred pronunciation of Grandpa, to forever become Grampa. Yesterday, however, he was referred to as Major William James Hennessey, Jr., a respected military man with many accomplishments, most of which involved being a superb helicopter pilot. Well into retirement people would still seek him out to fly and the very worn helmet on display proved just that. Lots of miles on those headphones, too.
In June of this year, my grandmother who I simply call "Suzanne" started the planning of what became a beautiful day to celebrate him, despite the heavy rain. Allow me to digress for a moment. By blood, Suzanne is not my grandmother, but has been with my grandfather for over 30 years. My dad's mother, Ilse, sadly passed away in the 70's. Apparently Bill Hennessey, Jr. had a thing for beautiful women because Ilse was a looker, just like Suzanne. Over the past several months (and years) I have admired Suzanne for several reasons. She is always fun, she is always interested in what's happening with her grandchildren, and she is one of the strongest people I know.
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| Ilse |
In my grandfathers later years he struggled with dementia. His ability to tell military stories became a little more...interesting... as it started effecting his every day life. As you can imagine it also effected Suzanne's. When speaking with her, she always was able to share her days with laughter and in turn, kept a positive outlook on her relationship with my grandfather. She is truly amazing. Yesterday at Arlington National Cemetery was no different.
Having a few months to grieve over the loss of my Grampa - a man that always had such a distinct scent of aftershave, a story about going hunting or fishing, and a laugh you would never forget - I thought the day would be somewhat easier with that extra time.
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| Me and Suzanne |
First of all, the Hennessey side of my family includes quite the bunch. Get us together and we are loud, slightly inappropriate, have stories for days, and are incredibly funny. Yes, we think we are really funny. All of us. As a spectator you would find us amusing or obnoxious. Throw in Bill Hennessey, Jr.'s drink of choice - the martini - and you've got yourself a circus. I hadn't seen many of this side of the family in a while, so I didn't know what to expect, and honestly the ceremony hit me hard. It was quite the day. Arlington was both peacefully beautiful and ruggedly eye opening. I miss him. I miss his stories. I am incredibly saddened by the ones I do not know. The military salute to his career was amazing. It was outstanding really - the level of precision along with the respect that was given to his name is really something. My mother had asked Suzanne if we were able to take pictures. Receiving such an honor, she decided to hire a photographer. As you know, I love pictures as memories. This time would be no different. Though quickly I realized I wanted to capture a few moments in a different way. I am so happy to have this.
Upon completion of the folding of the flag, Suzanne was presented it on behalf of the President of the United States. The words said to her in addition seemed standard and official, yet were so direct in thanks to his service, it gave me chills. I was so very thankful to be part of the service and so grateful for the armed military men who gave their day to honoring my grandfather. While traveling to the grave site, one of them even lost a shoe and continued traveling with the group in the pouring down rain. I understand that is expected, but again the amount of precision and excellence that was paid tribute was really cool to see.
We continued to celebrate his life at Bridges on the Kent Narrows, an area that I grew up in for 15+ years. I quickly found plenty of crab cakes, a glass of wine, and relatives with great stories to share. Hanging out with Carol, my mother, was icing on the cake. With my brother Billy, WJH the fourth, looking exactly like my grandfather, we found the time for several photo opps. He is such a ham.
Same with my sisters and the rest of the crowd. We are all so spread out over the east coast, the camera flashes were flying. It was a fast 24 hours in Maryland and Virginia, but truly a special day for everyone. Thank you for all the kind words and interest in my Grampa. He was a beast!
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| My siblings and Mom - Whitney, Billy, Carol, me, and Lindsay |
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