Messages of Love Chalked On Grandmother's Driveway

ALSIP, IL — Like many grandparents, Rosemarie Coogan, 72, is feeling the pangs of social distancing from her 14 grandchildren during the new coronavirus pandemic. She’s been self-isolating in her Alsip town home since well before the South Side Irish Parade was canceled and Gov. Pritzker issued his stay-at-home order. The last time she was physically around any of her family was mid-March.

On Tuesday afternoon, Rosemarie heard banging on her patio door when she looked out to see the faces of six of her grandchildren with her daughter, Colleen Curley.

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“I’m blowing them kisses,” she said. “I was so overwhelmed to see their faces.”

Her grandchildren — Molly, 18, Katie, 16, Grace, 14, Kevin, 11, Maggie, 9, and the youngest, 4-year-old Nora — yelled through the window for their grandmother to come outside. Rosemarie opened her garage door and saw her entire driveway covered with chalked messages: “We love you,” “we miss you,” and “best grandma ever.”

“From one end of the driveway to the other they had filled it with all these messages,” Rosemarie said. “I wanted to hug and kiss them so badly, but we were maintaining social distancing.”

Nora had to be held back by her mom from running to her grandmother. The six grandchildren had taken a break from their e-learning at Most Holy Redeemer and McAuley High School, where unfortunately it looks like Molly and Grace’s graduations are going to be canceled.

“But they’ll remember this for the rest of their lives,” Rosemarie said.

Asked if these particular grandchildren were her favorites out of the 14, Rosemarie replied that all her grandchildren were her favorites. After the Curley kids (their dad is the fourth-generation owner of Curley Funeral Home) went home to Evergreen Park, Rosemarie’s neighbors walked by and stopped to admire her beautiful driveway.

“I wish all seniors could get messages like this,” she said, “whether they have family or not.”

Hopefully all the grandparents will get to see their grandchildren in a few months as we stay home flattening the curve.

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