John and Irene Fay

"We were very provincial in those days. If you lived in the Ingleside, you stayed in the Ingleside. If you lived in the Parkside, you stayed in the Parkside."

28 May 2000 - For our latest interview, we traveled to Healdsburg to talk with John and Irene (Sullivan) Fay. The couple raised eight children over 33 years in the Sunset district, and had some vivid memories of their lives there.

Highlights of the interview included recollections of the grand novenas that drew thousands of Irish-Americans to St. Anne's Catholic Church each year.

Irene remembered the trips to Ocean Beach from her childhood home in the Potrero. Getting to the surf included four transfers on public transportation with her mother and three siblings.

Thank you John and Irene!

One of our primary missions is to record the memories of western neighborhoods people. We preserve these recollections for the future.

Also, you can contribute your own stories, here on our Web site.