Eugene Cummiskey (1919-1978) *59

Eugene Bernard Cummiskey (Gene) was my father. He was born in Philadelphia to parents Charles Joseph Cummiskey and Marie Archibald Cummiskey. He was the 6th child of 8 that survived childhood.

He was working at Standard Pressed Steel when WWII broke out. He enlisted in the Marines and was trained to be a radio repairman. He was in one of the most infamous battles of the war: Iwo Jima, where he was present on Mt. Suribachi when the flag was raised, creating that iconic image was all know so well.

My father was a musician. He first chose the drums and was proud to have played with a makeshift band put together by Bing's brother Bob Crosby onboard a troop transport in the Pacific. When the war was over and Dad was back home he decided to take lessons on the piano. This was his real gift. He learned jazz improvisation, and Duke Ellington was one of his favorites. He never played anything the same way twice. If a wrong note was hit, he just transitioned into a new key and went on. I loved to listen to him. He played in several combos, and I believe that it was while playing one night that he met my mother Helen Owens who was out with her girlfriends for the evening. They married 8 months later and eventually had 3 children: my older brother Charles, Me (Margaret/Peggy) and then my younger sister Eugenia Maria(Jeannie).

He was a skilled DIY type, as were many men back in the 50's. He made numerous renovations to our first house in Roslyn, Pa and later updated the kitchen and bathroom of our house in East Falls. He did it all: carpentry, electrical, plumbing. He even gave me lessons on how to measure and fit floor tiles while I watched over his shoulder in our kitchen! This came in handy later when I was laying floor tiles in one of my houses.

Dad worked in department stores, first as a salesman and later as a buyer, then manager. He started at Allen's in Germantown, and then moved on to work for Strawbridge & Clothier. He left there and finished his department store career as a manager at Lit Brothers. He still wasn't done working, so worked selling pianos and organs until his health problems forced him to retire early.

He suffered from congestive heart failure and died at the young age of 59.

He was a good man, a hard-working provider who loved his family. It wasn't always easy for him, as it wasn't for many men who returned from WW II. So many had what is now known as PTSS. Sadly it was not treated back then and my father's war demons caused him to withdraw.

Still, I have great memories of the father who would take my brother and me along to run errands with him, most notably when we went to the lumberyard and got to hold the 2x4s that were extending out the car window on the ride home. He'd take us to Strawbridge's and we knew everyone he worked with. I love remembering my Daddy.

RIP, Dad. Thanks for watching over me. Love and miss you, Peggy

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