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      Frank McCready

McCready, Frank 2000. A Brief Biography. Toledo, Ohio: Melissa Archibald

Frank McCready born October 03, 1899 was the third child of James McCready and Edith Marion Venia.  Franks parents had married previously having a child named Gretchen born May 16, 1896 who died when she was 4 years, 5 months and 15 days of Scarlet Fever. Franks older Brother Robert was said to have died an accidental death with one parent rolling over the child during sleep. Edith and James later divorced and were said to be excommunicated from the Irish Catholic church for that reason. Edith and James would later remarry and have three more sons. When Frank was born the attending midwife had put the wrong solution in his eyes causing him to be blind. In later years when Franks cousin was born, Franks Mother Edith rushed over to be certain her eyes were properly taken care of.  The accidental blindness of Frank was  certainly a tragedy to Edith and James especially since they had already suffered such pain from loosing two other children. In later years Frank did not speak of his parents with high regard. It would seem as though his parents did not treat him the same as they did his siblings. He felt they had shunned him because of his blindness and he resented them just as they resented him. When Frank was 14 his brother  William was born. ( September 08, 1913) and later a second brother Chester Leo was born. (November 23, 1916)  

Frank most certainly had many obstacles in his life but he seemed to overcome them during a time where acceptance was minimal for the blind or disabled. He spent much of his time staying with the Venia family in Temperance Michigan where he had a fondness for his cousin Cecil Venia who was an award winning photographer. Cecil apparently overlooked his blindness and they were good friends. Frank would stay there when he could no longer be at home with his parents. The Venia family operated the local General store in Temperance Michigan and may have provided work for Frank in town.

Frank was a Paperballer for  22 years at the downtown Lion Store in Toledo Ohio and retired in 1969. On one such occasion he had to be rescued from a fire that started near bye because he was unaware of the danger. He was  President of the Progressive Club a social organization affiliated with the Toledo Society for the Blind for many years and his affiliation  would later be the place of meeting for his wife Grace whom he met  at one of their social dance functions. They were married on July 20, 1929 (her 25th birthday). Grace was also blinded at birth though the true story of how remains a mystery. (See Blind Baby Grace) Grace was an abandoned baby who was fostered by Lew Williams and Sophia Hullitz Williams. Lew Williams was a household name in the City of Toledo known as the Buckeye Poet. Lew published books of verse as well as writing for local area newspapers and being the director of the newsboy association, an organization that helped underprivileged children. Lew spent one evening in the Whitehouse as a guest of President Harding.  I believe this  verse was inspired by Grace. 

The orphanage portal opens wide, another has come to stay; give her a number a calico gown see that her name is written down, then forget her and hurry away. Why should we care if a baby heart o'er flows with the lonely pain, and longs for a mother's "Good night dear," we have no time for a baby's tear, or a voice calling "Mamma" in vain. We have paid the tax the law demands, paid servants must do the rest, yet why are we haunted by anguished eyes, and our ears still ring with sobbing sighs that have sprung from a baby's breast. Somewhere in God's world is a childless home, and a mother with love to spare, and a spirit in Heaven will smile tonight, to see her baby's face grow bright in a home with some mother's care. 

Grace and Frank began a life together in poverty living with meager means but they always managed to survive. They were farming to make ends meet and feed their children when Frank was not working at the Lion store. Franks son William speaks of one such occasion where the family lived in an old voting booth. As a child I can remember visiting my grandparents their home was heated with an old wood burner and modern conveniences did not exist. The cooking was done on the wood burner and there was an outhouse not to far from the home. I do not recall electricity but then if there were lights in the home I guess they would not need to turn them on since they were blind. Frank and Grace had seven children and each of them as they got older would help out on the farm. You will find photos of the smaller children attached by harness to a tree when the family was outside farming, this was the only way to secure the child from harm since both parents were blind.  In later years their son James had a home built on the old homestead affording them the luxuries of modern day living. They finally had electricity and indoor plumbing and a furnace for cold nights. Frank and his wife never seemed to let their impaired vision detour them in life and lived many years together. In the end after fifty years of marriage Grace died late in the night on  November 30, 1979, Frank swore he could not live without his Grace and on December 1st, 1980 he passed away. (One year later) I think that these two people truly knew the meaning of working hard for what you get and taught us that  nothing is to far out of range to grasp. To struggle in life only meant paying dues and in later years it always pays off. I think in the end Frank and Grace lived a full and meaningful life. They will be missed by their children Grace, Jewel, William, Robert, James, Donald and Francis and many grandchildren.  Please see a way of life.

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Revised: December 27, 2002 .