Merina Bouffard

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Memoirs

of  Merina Bouffard Vincent

born November 22, 1899 at Issoudun, Conte Lotbiniere, P.Q., Canada

A Commemorable Event Never to be Forgotten

Dealing with the wedding of Normand and Margarita

In New York Sunday 12 noon, February 9, 1969

    Having to decide and get organized to leave that Saturday morning, February the 8th for New York, it happens to be no problems for it was a very nice spring day for Raymond, Violet, Elaine and I.  It seems to happen as a relaxing day after 5 days of mourning on the death of Dad, passed away February 31st. We made good for our destination and reached New York without any trouble at 4:40pm.

    We went immediately to the bride’s apartment and stayed overnight as Margarita had planned for me to be more comfortable on getting ready for the next day to attend the wedding at twelve noon at about the distance of an hour ride. Early on that Sunday morning I woke up with the whistling wind through the window without any emotional gesture on my part. I started to get ready and make breakfast before waking up anyone else, at that time a light melting snow was falling. Soon after I called to my daughter Violet and her little girl Elaine who had slept with me in the apartment to come to breakfast and dress up a little warmer because the snow was still coming down.

    At about 8:30 I decided to call my son Lionel, his wife and their four children, they had come down from Medford, MA to enjoy the nice warm day and visit the City of New York, and they did visit the Empire State Building and many more historic places. They had not heard about the snow falling so they hurried and went straight to the church. In fact, they were there before us but by that time we were knee deep in the snow. It was the start of a blizzard by twelve noon.

    When we arrived, my daughter Rita and her husband and their three children had been there for quite a while traveling from Connecticut early Sunday morning. Their car was all covered with snow and we parked with lots of trouble against each other and helping one another. We just about made it to the church and the ground was all covered with over a foot of snow. Everyone was there but the bride. We started worrying if the bride’s father could make it to the church but she appeared in her nice and lovely lace gown with a winter coat and wearing boots to protect her white shoes up to the entry.

    The church was beautiful, a century old church all carved in light wood with crystal chandeliers. She received the blessings of the bishop, dressed in gold robes and ornaments. As for myself, I had the honor to speak personally to the bishop. As the ceremony ended we turned back to face more snow that had fallen in an hour’s time then everyone was on their own.

    Having changed cars to return, we moved on with more worries once we reached our place to sleep. At the motel we started calling some members of the family we left behind, first in New York. It was not until 11pm that we got in touch with my daughter Violet and my son Raymond who had stayed in New York. Monday came the task of finding a way to get home, as it was much colder and very slippery but the sun was shining. Everyone had to part ways.

    As for the children in New York, Raymond, Violet and Elaine, it was not until 2pm that they could start on the road with lots of roads blocked and very adventurous. It was not until 10:45pm that they reached us in Connecticut to spend the night at my daughter Rita’s. On Tuesday we all made it to Fall River, MA.

    As for the bride and groom, they finally got in touch with all the members of the wedding party. To their surprise everyone was safe and sound with all that ordeal and not being worse with all that experience of the worst storm of February 9, 1969.

    God was with us all the way. It must have been, to relive such. A happy ending.

Mother (Merina)

Storm information links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_1969_nor%27easter

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/remembering-a-snowstorm-that-paralyzed-the-city/  

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