A Biography- The Story of Claudette O'Malley

This was an actual paper I had to write for Mrs. D. Guittarr English class I attended on March 21, 1995 at Burdett Business School.(Mom passed away last month,October 4, 2010) I want to express my sincere gratitude to Claudette O'Malley for sharing her life story with me for this interview. I have the pleasure of hearing some of these stories often since I am her daughter. Nothing gives me greater feeling than knowing my mother and how she grew up. I could have done my assignment on someone I never met before, but I choose Claudette because I admire the life the has led.I only hope my assignment does her life justice. On Friday, March 17, 1995, I had the pleasure of interviewing Claudette Mae O'Malley (Allain), my mother. From stories I remmber hearing as a child to new things I just learned about her, I will share with you now. Claudette was born on November 7, 1933, in Acushnet, Massachusetts She great up in the Greater New Bedford area. Her family lived mostly in a close-knit french neighborhood in the city of New Bedford. She was born to Amand (Edmond) and Emma Allain as their second child and first daughter. Her older brother is Edmond Donald and he is three years older than her. She also had a younger sister, Doris, but she died after only five hours alive. Claudette spent her young adulthood growing up at a private girls boarding school named Sacred Hearts Academy. She was a student there from 1942 until 1951. Here religion was instilled in her by the nuns and discipline was too.She was an outstanding student and a high achiever.She was in choir, in orchestra playing the drums and piano, in drama society, and she spoke French and Latin. Her nickname at Sacred Hearts was "DUZ" ( a popular laundry detergent back then), because Claudette "duz" everything. She went to help some nurses aides during this time and found she enjoyed helping people. She went ahead to pursue a nursing certificate at St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in New Bedford.She graduated and was "capped" in 1954. She went on to work at St. Lukes for the next 40+ years.It was while she was nursing, that she met a tall, handsome sailor named John Joseph O'Malley Jr. He had hurt his knee during his service in World War II and was in the hospital with some kind of knee trouble. As he was recovering, Claudette would be at his beside talking and making jokes to take his mind off his troubled knee. Through these talks she told him that she prays, "Dear St. Joseph, Dear St. Anne, please bring me a nice young man." John replied, "That's funny because I pray, Dear St. Joseph, Dear St. Anne, make me Claudette's nice young man". She says that was the moment she knew she would one day marry him. They were married on November 7, 1955. Although she was nervous on her wedding night, it was also very exciting for the fact that a baby boy was born nine months later. This was only the beginning of the "O'Malley Clan". She bore four boys and three girls within ten years. Her sons are John III, Donald, Michael and David. Her daughters are Maureen, Janet and Christine. She was not only raising a family, but she was still a nurse at St. Luke's. She worked mostly the all-night shift so she could spend the afternoons being active in her children's lives. She took them to dancing school, Boy/Girl Scouts, football and music lessons. She was the cook of every meal, the laundry cleaner, the maid, the seamstress, the shopper of food and made clothing for seven children. She also acted quite a few times as referee and mediator, not to mention as healer and console. Claudette found herself taking care of the bookkeeping for her husband's business. She went without sleep sometimes just to get things done around the house. A few of Claudette's memorable moments include having a baby while the first man walked on the moon.She remembers going to the all day movies on Saturday's for only a dime. She remembers the day her brother, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, came back from Vietnam.Everyone was so pleased in her family that he was back home in New Bedford after those long months away. She remembers sitting in a rocking chair feeding her youngest son and watching Harry Reasoner tell everyone that the President (John F. Kennedy) was assassinated. Claudette remembers her husband's heart problems and driving to Boston everyday to see him. She would work all night, sleep a little and then drive up to Boston to be by his side. She remembers being only 46 years old when he passed away and having seven children, aged 12-22 to raise alone She remembers turning to "their" retirement account to help pay for college tuition. Out of all these memorable moments, she says her most memorable was giving birth to each child. This also was the greatest accomplishment she has done. To raise, seven, beautiful, healthy, educated children to watch them grow into adults, get married and start their own families, is her greatest accomplishment. Her "Philosophy of Life" you could say, pulled her through all the triumphs and tribulations in her life. She is a deeply religious woman who believe in obeying the laws of God. She also believes in helping those in need, whether it is family, friends, or strangers.This is what she also has passed down to her children. Over the past six decades, nothing much has changed in Claudette's values or morals. She does have a bright outlook for the future awaiting the arrival of two more grandchildren in August. She spends her time with her family and friends. She can often be found babysitting her three other grandchildren: Molly, Tyler, and Bridget.She travels and enjoys going to the movies or playing Mah-Jong. Although she has lived at the same address for thirty years, she would like to buy a mobile home in Florida and spend half the year in each home. I wish her all the best!