Who is Aunt Irene & why did we settle in Holden Beach, NC

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Who is Aunt Irene?  Aunt Irene was my mother. She and my father, Bernie, passed away in 2016. 

Like many women from her era, making sure everyone was fed and happy was how she found her joy.  Growing up in the coal mining town of Dunbar, PA is where she learned to feed and take care of family and friends.  She knew no strangers. 

After marrying my father Bernie, the catch of the town and her next door neighbor, they moved to Euclid, Ohio to begin their lives together.  Living in Euclid was a wonderful place to start our family, but my father soon moved us to Salem, Ohio for his job at the GM plant in Lordstown.

Although Salem was a much smaller town it gave our growing family many cherished memories of playing with the neighborhood kids, walking to school, and being a part of a community.   

My father felt that a man's worth was measured by owning land so when he read an advertisement in the local paper for the sale of 32 acres he couldn't pass up this great opportunity. We were on the move again to our next home located between the towns of Lisbon and Hanoverton, Ohio.

Raising 6 kids in a 200 year old farm house out in the country was full of many challenges and adventures everyday.  Soon my parent's entrepreneurial spirit awoke and they established Li'l Beaver RV Park on the 32 acres.  Li'l Beaver Park became the Northeastern Ohio destination for outdoor lovers of camping, hiking, swimming, fishing, and all-terrain vehicle riding and motocross racing. We all worked very hard to create a family fun and friendly environment for everyone from all walks of life.

When the summers ended and the holidays rolled around my mother worked hard baking Kolachi , Kiffles, and cookies to give for gifts to family and friends.  By this time, my eldest sister, Deborah, was working for GM.  Deborah would take a tray of my mother's goodies to work to share with her co-workers and they started to place orders for the treats.  My mother's "Old World Pastries and Confections" became so popular that when it was time to sell Li'l Beaver Park  my mother seamlessly moved into baking full time.  My parents created a mini empire in their tiny basement commercial kitchen.  They shipped all over the country every month of the year.

My mother continued baking until 2016 when she was forced to stop because of her poor health.