Magdalene Ann Wanchisen

I called her Mom. She taught me how to make Stuffed Cabbage & Pirogies. I will forever Love Michael. He is my Soulmate.

What a wonderful trip down memory lane for me. Its so nice to remember all the good times we all had together. I remember that time my cousin Michael spoke about, our day at the beach at Fire Island. Mom called me Betty for weeks after that.
Mom loved when Aunt Jeanne and Frannie would come out to stay for the weekend. She would get so crazy when you all stopped at White Castle ! LOL
I have a memory of one of our family reunions that we had at the house in Garwood. Mom and Dad were...

Yesterday our family was at a chicken barbecue dinner at the Russian Orthodox Church up the street from us (Welles Street, Hanover Section). A woman from the church came over to me and asked if I was an Englot. She said she was very good friends with Magdalene, and that she had just seen in the newspaper here about Aunt Maggie's death. The woman's maiden name was Olga Lipinski. She also is a cousin of Uncle Myron's. Her father and his father, I think, were first cousins. She said to...

Some of my fondest memories of Grandma is when she tried to break me from being tone-deaf! She wanted to teach me in the worst way to sing so I can join her and Poppy on my weekend visits to the house. She would make me stick my fingers in my ear, when that didn't work she would stick HER fingers in my ear. I remember so vividly how hard she would try, and I tried so hard too.
It was fun anyway.

She loved to walk, and she could walk! Miles at a time, and very fast. She walked...

I was saddened to hear that Maggie is no longer with us.
The last time I had seen her was about 10 years ago at our church picnic. Her loving nature and sweet smile came through although it was 50 years since I last saw her. The memory I have of Mag during my childhood is so vivid. The songs that she and Betty sang are instilled in my memory forever.
I was appointed as the messenger to take notes to Myron when they had dissagreements, before they married. We had no phones at that...

I have so many wonderful memories of my sister Mag. My nieces and nephews have really said it all.

One of my favorite memories is the homemade noodles she used to make that went with the big pot of chicken soup that Myron made with 2 or 3 chickens and extra chicken gizzards and hearts. About the chicken hearts..... Once when I stayed overnight, the next morning while having breakfast a chicken heart must have fell on the table. I put it in my ear thinking it was my hearing aid --...

For My Beloved Sister, Mag


... one more time ...


"We are the Englot sisters,
We never comb our hair.
You could always come to see us,
You're always welcome there.

We live up on the hilltop,
That's where we were born.
We grow a lot of cabbage,
and raise a lot of corn.

My name is Mag, I'm Betty,
We're not so much to see.
But you can always come for
lessons,
We never charge a...

A very early childhood memory of mine is when the Wanchisen and Bilello families spent a day on the beach at Fire Island near our home in Shirley. I remember Aunt Mag watching over the kids, always making sure we were safe and well fed.

More recently, soon after I had moved to Maryland, I recall Aunt Mag and Uncle Myron phoning me out of the blue, and opening up with a song in harmony, as only they could do. Aunt Mag talked about really wanting to drive down and visit me, and...

So many adjectives could be used to describe my sister-in-law....fun-loving, happy, kind, generous, beautiful, God-loving....I could go on and on but I think "loving" covers it all.

There wasn't a person to whom she didn't show love. I never heard her say a bad word about anyone. I was treated like one of her sisters.

I enjoyed all the happy times spent with her - especially when I slept over for a few days. She and Myron made me feel right at home. I can still taste...