This is one of my favorite sentiments from our family’s collection of funeral cards. Joseph J. Doran was the youngest child of Bernard and Mary Mahoney Doran. He was named after his father’s brother. Born in Jersey City, he lived in Harrison, New Jersey as a child. Later, he moved to nearby Newark, where he worked as a chef for the Santa Lugia Restaurant, for thirty years. He was an excellent chef; in my opinion the best cook in the entire Doran family. After retirement Joseph moved to the New Jersey shore with his family.

He was a good story-teller, and one of my favorite was the story of what happened one fine day when he skipped out truant from Holy Cross School in Harrison, as a young teenager. He had gone down to the Passaic River with friends to hang out, but the truant officer, or cop, found them. He was dragged down to the local police station, and his mother was called to come and collect him. There the officer read the riot act, and made his mother pledge that she would punish him severely. She crossed her heart, and promised. As Joseph and his mom walked back on Harrison Avenue, towards their apartment, he was smart enough to stay silent. With his mom’s Irish temper it was the best thing to do. When they got near the ice cream shop, his mom stopped, and said, “What a great day for an ice cream cone!” There was no punishment, but instead an unexpected treat. Mary Mahoney Doran knew what it was like to be young on a beautiful day, and she felt she knew the right philosophy in bringing up boys.

Below is a photo of Joseph Doran, from a few days before his thirteenth birthday, with his mother, Mary, and his future sister-in-law, Mary. It was taken on Sunday, August 8, 1948. You can click on the image to enlarge it.

Funeral Card Friday is a blogging prompt suggested by Geneabloggers to help memorialize loved ones, or to try and find out more about the “unknown” cards your family may have saved.

Below is the front of the funeral card for Joseph J. Doran, who was my beloved godfather. He was interred at the Holmdel Mausoleum, in Holmdel, NJ. May he rest in peace.