The Doyle Dining Room: Uncle Andy Daley (1896-1958) ~ A Kind And Gentle Man

John Gordon Doyle (L) and Andrew W. Daley (R)
At The Wedding of John Gordon Doyle & Mary Bernadine Daley
August, 1930 - Rochester, NY

Aunt Eileen, our awesome family historian, has allowed me to add a thing or two to The Doyle Dining Room blog. My information is more random and less sequential, but I hope you will still find my contribution(s) at least a little bit intriguing.

Uncle Andy Daley

I heard so many wonderful comments about this kind man while growing up. He was so good, so patient, so considerate, so pleasant to have around. Even though he died the year before I was born, I still felt his wonderful spirit.

A World War I Vet - Uncle Andy was on older brother to my grandmother, Mary Bernadine Daley Doyle, by about 9 years. He served in World War I and one story tells that he was commanded to cross enemy lines to get two buckets of beans. While returning with the beans, one bucket was shot out of his hand. He bravely turned back to get another bucket of beans; on his way back the second time, he was shot himself, but still able to get the much needed food to his fellow soldiers. Thankfully, Uncle Andy survived the injury and came home after his war duty. Like so many war veterans, he rarely spoke of his time in the war, but discreetly shared a few bits with my grandmother.

Uncle Andy With Aunt Lib Doyle (later Judge) circa 1942

A Generous Bachelor Uncle - Back in NY, Uncle Andy never married. However, from what I have been told, he gave greatly of himself to his sister's family and was a tremendous uncle to my father and his siblings (including Aunt Eileen). Even as his nieces and nephews grew, Uncle Andy was still in the picture, still kind-hearted. When my mother married into the family, she was very impressed with the humility of Uncle Andy.

Uncle Andy's Buttermilk Pancakes - Another story tells that on many Saturday mornings, Uncle Andy would go out to get some fresh buttermilk and then make a batch of from-scratch buttermilk pancakes for his nieces and nephews. My mother must have asked for Uncle Andy's recipe at some point, for while growing up, every now and then I would enjoy looking through her recipe box and the recipe entitled, "Uncle Andy's Pancakes" would always catch my eye.

All Of The Groomsmen For Grandma and Grandpa Doyle's Wedding - 1930
The Groom, John Gordon Doyle is in the center with the lighter-colored suit.
His new brother-in-law, Andrew Daley, is standing just in front of him, to the right.

The younger sister of Uncle Andrew W. Daley:
Mary Bernadine Daley Doyle (1907-1991)

Just Some Of The Children That Uncle Andy Was So Good To
One Nephew And Three Nieces (1937):
John Gregory Doyle, Patricia Doyle McCooey, Elizabeth Doyle Judge, Eileen Doyle
(Leo Doyle and Michael Andrew Doyle would be born some years later.)

Uncle Andy's Pancakes
2 1/2 C. Flour
2 TBS Sugar
1 scant TBS Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
4 Eggs
1 Quart Buttermilk
3 TBS Melted Butter

Mix together the Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, and Salt in one bowl.
Mix together the Egg, Buttermilk, and Melted Butter in a separate bowl.
Pour the Egg-Buttermilk-Butter mixture into the Flour mixture and stir.
Cook pancakes on a frying pan until golden brown.

A Few Uncle Andy Namesakes

My Uncle Michael Andrew Doyle (also my Godfather!) - he was born in 1944 and is the youngest of Mary Bernadine and John Gordon's six children. Uncle Mike was about 14 years old when his Uncle Andy died. (Photo taken with his wife, Susan, in March, 2014 in Seminole, FL.)

Andrea Barbarisi Robbins, the daughter of our family historian, Eileen, and my wonderful and so very sweet cousin. Andrea was born in 1966 in Maine - eight years after Uncle Andy's death. Aunt Eileen felt inspired to name her youngest child after her beloved Uncle Andy. This photo was taken on Andrea's wedding day. She married Allard Robbins in 2011.

Noah Chad Andrew Nelson

Confirmed by Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller

April, 2013 - Bandera, TX

Noah Chad Andrew Nelson - About 55 years after the death of Uncle Andy, his Great-Great-Nephew (my son), Noah Nelson, chose the name Andrew for his Confirmation name. Although Noah was far enough removed from the stories of Uncle Andy, and maybe only had a very vague sense of who Uncle Andy was, I still like the fact that he chose this name.

Andrew Michael Engh
Fairport, NY

Andrew Michael Engh - A precious new addition to the family, born on November 29, 2019. He is the son of Emily Doyle Engh and Derek Engh, and the brother of Annabelle Engh. Emily had a special affection for her Great Uncle Michael Andrew Doyle (see above) who was named after Uncle Andy. Little Andrew is a Great-Great-Great-Nephew of Uncle Andrew Daley.

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