Our Family History
I'm looking for relatives of the following individuals:
- Peter G. Hepp and Eileen A. Ewers Hepp
- Arthur L. Frey and Marguerite M. McInerney Frey
I'm putting together extensive and fairly rigorous histories of these families and would like to include descendants, cousins, and other relatives of Pete, Eileen, Art, and Marg. Please contact me (see the very end of this page) if you're related (and identify yourself, please!). I originally began this project to gain a greater sense of family and to preserve the memories of many relatives that I have loved. However, the best part has been discovering many relatives that I never knew and becoming reacquainted with those I've been away from.
| Hepp-Ewers Family | Frey-McInerney Family |
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These files have substantial information: sources, photos, maps, and historical information. As a result, even the compressed files are almost 10 MB each and are too large to fit on this site. If you would like a CD with the history, source documents, and high resolution images, please send me an e-mail request (see the very end of this page). Be sure to specify which files you want. |
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Heads of households* included in the Hepp-Ewers file: |
Heads of households* included in the Frey-McInerney file: |
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Austin, Ann (abt 1813-aft 1858) |
Adas, Nell (1907-1978) |
Members of Both Families |
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Carlin, Kenneth Thomas (1944-2013) |
Hepp, Marilyn Patricia (1959-1989) |
*Women are listed by maiden names when known. Only deceased persons are included in public files that will be available to anyone who asks. If you can identify yourself as a reasonably close relative, I'll share my family-only file, including living persons. Please contact me for details.
last updated 14 May 2017
Family History
Featured person:
Mary Therese Frey Hepp (1928-2017)
Mary Therese with her father and brother Art, about 1931
click to zoom
Mary Therese was born in Chicago on August 28, 1928, to Arthur and Marguerite (McInerney) Frey, the third of four children, including her sister who died in infancy. She spent her childhood in close proximity to extended family in Chicago.
Mary Therese with her brothers Tom and Art, about 1936; click to zoom
Mary Therese's childhood household included extended family, including her grandmother Annie McInerney, whom the whole family affectionately called "Ma." Always close to Ma, Mary Therese even shared Ma's bedroom for years. They traveled to Mexico and Boston together in the early 1940s, also taking frequent trips in the Chicago area to visit Mary Therese's uncle Father Jim McInerney while he was at the House of Studies and to Calvary Cemetery where family is buried.
Mary Therese and Ma in Mexico, 1941; click to zoom
After attending St. Columbanus Elementary School and Aquinas Dominican High School, Mary Therese completed two years at St. Xavier College and worked at the Avalon Park Branch of the Chicago Libraries. Mary Therese always valued an education and made sure that her children all had the opportunity to go as far as they wished in school.
Mary Therese, 1946; click to zoom
In 1948 Mary Therese married John (Jack) Hepp, and over their 64 years together they raised six children: Terri, John, Rita, Nancy, Marilyn and Jim.
Mary Therese and Jack's wedding, 1948; click to zoom
Mary Therese left the Chicago Public Library when Terri came along and spent the next five years tending to her growing family in Chicago, in Spokane, Washington, when Jack was recalled to active duty, and on a farm in Plano, Illinois.
Mary Therese and Jack with their first five children, 1963; click to zoom
When the family relocated to Aurora, Illinois, she re-entered the workforce part-time, first at the Aurora Dry Goods Store and for Crib Diaper Service while her children were small, then moving to full-time work for Mid-Central grocery broker for a few years, after which she worked for a year in a Montessori preschool. She then worked for 20 years for Illinois Bell Telephone Company (which became Ameritech), first as an operator and then as a service representative.
1977 newspaper clipping; click to zoom
After retiring from Ameritech in 1992, Mary Therese worked part-time as a receptionist for Plum Landing Retirement Community. Mary Therese always had a pleasant telephone voice and a focus on customer service, which combined with her friendly and outgoing personality made her very successful in her work and well loved by those who worked with her.
Mary Therese enjoying two of her granddaughters, 1989; click to zoom
In addition to her paid work, Mary Therese volunteered many hours over the years with the Girl Scouts, the Women of the Moose and St. Anne's Society of Holy Angels Church in Aurora. She frequently assisted neighbors and friends in many ways, knowing well that an act of kindness or compassion can make a big difference in someone's life.
Mary Therese with her brother Tom, 2005; click to zoom
Mary Therese and Jack traveled widely in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, mostly to visit their grown children in California, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Germany, and Indonesia.
Mary Therese and Jack at Notre Dame in Paris, 1989; click to zoom
Mary Therese's hobbies included cooking, playing bridge and reading. She loved a good laugh, but could not tell a joke to save her soul. She also enjoyed good music, although was not gifted with the ability to sing. When asked to join the church choir, she once responded in good humor that everyone would be happier if she abstained.
Mary Therese and Jack host a family gathering, 2009; click to zoom
Mary Therese always enjoyed visits from her family and her many friends and loved to host a meal. She was a lovely, unpretentious, generous, supportive person and will be remembered by many with great love and affection.
Mary Therese and four of her children, March 2, 2017; click to zoom
