A Summer’s Evening with the Lanigans. Stories from Al Lanigan……

This is the first of multiple stories I want to get out in the world that tells some of the Lanigan stories.

A few weeks ago I was visiting my brother (Al) and sister-in-law (CeCe) and decided to do an informal interview with my brother. We are the two remaining siblings out of four and I thought it would be nice to talk about our history.

I drive (or fly) to Florida three or four times a year to visit them. It gives me quality time to visit and also allows me to unplug and unwind. We always end up in the “remember when” conversations so I thought it would be good for all the sons and daughters and nieces and nephews to know some of this. The last time I was visiting, Jim (my husband) and David (my son) were here with me.

Jim (being the good husband) has witnessed many of these conversations and has always kind enough to ask a question or make a comment showing his interest. He is quite patient and is very good about letting us reminisce.

David, on the other hand, has not been subjected to these conversations. He found the stories of his family history quite interesting. Which is how the idea of interviewing my brother came to be. I was sure all of the many cousins he has would also be interested. So I crafted the plan. My brother and I have no older generations living so it’s up to us to provide the stories.

So hold on to your hats our beautiful sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, great nieces/nephews, and especially our grandchildren. We hope you enjoy!

This conversation took place between Al Lanigan (Paul Allen Lanigan) and Ruthie Lanigan (Ruth Darlene Lanigan) on July 9, 2020. Our older brother (William Gary Ehmke) and middle sister (Karen Frances Lanigan) are both deceased. They both hold a special place in our hearts and I wish they were here to tell their stories also.

This conversation took place while Al, CeCe and I are sitting in the breezeway at their home. They live in a small town in Florida (Greenwood) about 50 minutes West of Tallahassee. It was hot on this particular night but on the breezeway the was temperature was perfect. They have 10 acres of land and two beautiful dogs that love to hang out with us. Maggie and Muenster. The best dogs ever!

To follow are the questions I asked and the answers he provided. There are many more stories that I hope to get out of him but for now, I want to get these out into the world. Here we go!

Ruthie: So Al, let’s start with telling everyone when and where you were born.

Al: I was born on January 3, 1953 in St. Louis, MO. I’ve been told there was a really bad storm that came through that evening. At this point, CeCe chimes in and says, “That should have been a sign for everyone!”. I agree 🙂

Ruthie: So how old were our parents and were you the first born?

Al: Our dad was 51 when I was born and I was his first biological child. Our mom was 39. Gary, our older brother, was 7 when I was born. His father passed away when Gary was very young from Tuberculosis. He always knew our dad as his father.

Ruthie: So what are some of your earliest memories? What was it like back then?

Al: I actually have quite a few memories from when I was under 5 years old.

Our dad was a truck driver at the time and I remember him pulling up in front of the house and me running out to the truck. He gave me a ride in the truck. He used to drive cross-country but when he married our mom he switched to local driving only.

I remember Aunt Ruth’s farm. This was dad’s sister and they were very close. Just like you and I. I remember her dog’s eating corn on the cob. She lived on a small farm. She was also younger than dad. Just like you and I. I believe her last name (married) name was Priest.

I remember Aunt Lucy and Uncle Art. Unfortunately I don’t remember their last name. Aunt Lucy was actually Dad’s aunt. Uncle Art was blind. I remember one time Uncle Art had to go to the bathroom really bad. They only had an outhouse. I remember him running to the outhouse. After he came out, I asked him how he could run without seeing. He told me that disabilities don’t necessarily disable you. He explained how many of your other senses become sharper. I’ll never forget that.

I remember I loved to play in the dirt. We had a stone driveway. I would build little “Flinstone” villages. I’m certain this is what fueled my passion to build things. I have done so much side work building things and installing wood floors.

I also loved anything that felt like I was flying. I loved being on the swing set and swinging….. so I could go as high as I could and jump off! I remember taking my bicycle to the park by our house that had a big hill. I built a ramp there so I could take my bicycle flying. I also loved to climb trees…. and jump out! I would do anything I could to get airborne. Even at this young age, I knew I wanted to fly.

Ruthie: Tell me about the friends you had when you were younger.

Al: I only had a few friends when I was little. Our neighborhood didn’t have many kids my age. I did hang out with a couple boys as I got older. Bobby Amen. Dennis Deppe. I also joined Cub Scouts and continued through Boy Scouts. I did a lot with those friends.

Ruthie: What else can you tell me about when you were younger.

Al: I was about 5 or 6 when Dad had his first stroke. He had to stop driving trucks. He got a job at our neighborhood gas station (Phillips 66) as an attendant. Back then, the people at the gas station (which were called “filling stations” at the time) would come out to fill you tank with gas, check your oil and check your windshield wiper fluid. Dad’s personality made him a great fit for this type of job. He was very personable and loved to talk to people. Our mom started ironing clothes for people to bring in a little extra money. People would drop off baskets of wrinkled clothes and she would set up a place in our kitchen to iron them.

Ruthie: Tell me about our neighborhood when you were little.

Al: When I was born we lived in Jennings, MO which is a small community on the North side of St. Louis. The neighborhood was named Country Club Hills. Mr. Frances was one of our neighbors and I worked for him every summer. He had a 7 acre farm and we sold fruit out of the back of his station wagon. I know this is what led to my love of farms. He sold tomatoes, squash, okra and a lot of other veggies. We would get the station wagon loaded up and I would go to peoples’ houses and ring their doorbells to let them know that Mr. Frances was there and ready to sell.

I also helped out Dad in his garden. There was a friendly competition going on between the two of them. Whoever had the first ripe tomato before the 4th of July would win the competition. They were actually good friends.

Ruthie: Tell me what it was like for our family when our mom found out she was pregnant with me? And be honest….

Al: Well our mom was not real happy. She was afraid she would miscarry. She was 39 and felt she was too old. She didn’t want to disrupt the family either. She felt a baby would not be the best thing. Dad was over the moon! He was so excited (maybe because he was 61 at the time you were born!). Gary was excited but he was 17 when you were born and getting ready to head into the military. I was almost as excited as Dad. I didn’t know if I would have a little brother or another little sister but it didn’t matter. I was just excited. Karen was excited but you could tell she was a little jealous that she would be having to share her time. Understandably, because she was the only girl and she had been the baby until now.

Ruthie: So I have to ask, how did you end up in the military?

Al: Well I guess it started because I wanted to be a pilot. I took classes and received my pilot’s license. When I was 18 years old I went to the Army Recruiter’s office to enter the military and go to flight training school. I wanted to be a pilot in the military! I did great and at the end they chose five of us out of several hundred to move forward and become pilot’s in the military. They had us in a room congratulating us and a Colonel came in and said to the Major, “Get rid of two of these assholes”. The Major grabbed a book with sight tests (for color blindness) turned to a page and went up to one of the five and asked what he saw. The guy got it wrong. Then the Major showed it to me and I got it wrong. It was a “made to fail” test and the two people he picked were totally random. But I didn’t get in.

After that, I knew Gary was in the Air Force so I went there. I looked up to my big brother so it seemed like the right thing to do. I thought I would end up on the flight line. Instead, after being put through many tests, it was determined I would be best suited for Air Force Intelligence working at the NSA.

I graduated during the Vietnam War at the top of my class. Because of this, when I was given my assignment, I was allowed to trade with someone if I wanted to. The assignment I was given was in Italy. However, because Dad was so sick I ended up trading with someone that would be stationed in the US. I headed to Texas for training on deciphering intel. After training I headed to Maryland for my assignment.

Gary’s wife (Vicky) and her family lived there so I became very close to them. Gary’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Allen would invite me to dinner ofter. And Vicky’s brother Doug and I became good friends.

Ruthie: What has happened since you left the Air Force?

Al: Once my 4 years was up, I had already married. My first wife was ready to move back to Missouri. We found out we were expecting a child and thought it would be best to take an early out and become a civilian instead of re-enlisting.

Christopher Lanigan was born in August of 1974. My first son. The marriage didn’t last but I was blessed with Christopher.

While working at Schnucks in the meat department, I met my second wife. We went to church at Trinity Lutheran. During this time is when I was called into the ministry.

I continued my education, receiving my Bachelors Degree. I started the degree at Missouri Baptist College and finished at Concordia Seminary. I received my Master’s of Theology from Concordia Seminary. I was 35 years old.

During the marriage I had two daughters. Stacey Lanigan and Nicole Lanigan.

Between Christopher, Stacey and Nicole, I have 4 grandchildren. Twin girls from Christopher and one boy and one girl from Stacey. My heart is full of love for all of them.

But my story is not over. I found my self single again and in 1990 I met the woman I would grow old with. CeCe and I were married and she brought 4 beautiful children into my life. I have loved them as my own since the day we met. Andy, Felicity, Sarah and John.

We started our lives together in Kansas where I pastored a small church. Lighthouse fellowship. From there we moved to Bradenton, Florida where I took over a church called Jesus’ King. We were there for 3 years when I decided to go into ministry at the nearby prison. Hardy Correctional Center. I was promoted to Senior Chaplan and moved to DeSot Correctional where I stayed until 2004. At this point, I felt I could do more for the inmates on the security side of things and I trained as a Correctional Officer. I was placed at Apalachee Corrections and then when I was promoted I moved to Jackson Correctional Center where I finished my career. I retired in 2015.

Ruthie: You and CeCe have traveled a lot during your marriage haven’t you?

Al: Definitely. We’ve tried to visit as many places out of the US as possible. Ireland, Germany, Norway, England, France, Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Belize, Bahamas, Belgium and Holland. We love people and we love new cultures.

Ruthie: Which was your favorite?

Al: You know the answer to this. Ireland. The first time I stepped on Irish ground, I felt like I was home. We have been there three times and would love to go back!

Ruthie: On a serious note, have you ever been attacked or hurt by a prisoner.

Al: Yes, once. I ended up in the hospital. I was almost stabbed. During the attack I suffered several broken bones and 2 fractured vertebra in my neck. He not only attacked me, he picked me up over his head and threw me to the ground. He was a big guy. I ended up in the hospital. After my release, I was put on light duty for several months. The inmate was transferred to a more secure prison.

Ruthie: So now that you are retired, what are you up to?

Al: Well, the kids are all grown now. I spend time of the farm with my wife and two dogs. I teach law enforcement at a local college. I farm. I cook for my baby sister when she visits (which is not often enough). I have a beautiful grand-daughter that lives less than an hour away and we get to see her frequently. Life is good. We are very blessed.

Ruthie: So to finish up, I have two questions: 1) What is the one dream you did not achieve and 2) What is one piece of advise you would give to your children?

Al: 1) The biggest dream that did not become a reality was becoming a pilot. 2) To ALL of my children: I love all of you so very much. My advice is: Love. Live in the Present. Let Go of the Past and Look to the Future.

#Laniganallaniganruthielaniganlovemyfamilylaniganfamilybrothers