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My Grandparents attended Rockne's funeral. by Hickster

Rockne lived at 1002 E St. Vincent St. right next to the current Eddy Commons. My grandparents lived next door at 1004 E. St. Vincent St. They were very close friends with Knute and Bonnie Rockne. In 1925 Rockne asked my grandfather to be his sponsor/Godfather when he was baptized in the Log Chapel. My grandmother acted as as his substitute sponsor/Godmother, due to a Rockne relative couldn't make it to the ceremony in time. They both went to his first communion, which was also I believe the first communion for one of his sons, and I assume confirmation.

The week before Rockne left South Bend for the last time, he was over at my grandparents house. He was playing catch with my youngest uncle in the living room, who was almost 3 at he time - my uncle missed the ball and it ended up breaking a vase. Rockne proceeded to quickly leave the house so as not to experience my grandmother's wrath. That was the last time they saw one another.

After the crash, when he was brought back to South Bend, my grandfather viewed the body. He said that Rockne had the metal cross, of his rosary beads, bent around his thumb, since he must have been squeezing it so hard on the way down before he crashed. It is comforting to know that Knute was in a state of grace when he died. South Bend is a small town, that years later my youngest uncle (who was playing catch with Rockne in March of 1931) married Mary McGann, whose parents owned the funeral home that Rockne used, which is mentioned in the article. My grandparents and the Rockne's were friends with the McGanns.

My grandfather quite often traveled with the team for away games, and when Bonnie did not go to the games, my grandfather would sometimes stay in Rockne's room in the upper berth. At one game ND left their jerseys in South Bend and my grandfather had to go out and buy some jerseys with the same colors. I believe he said the worst crowd that he ever experienced was in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Rockne made my grandfather an Honorary Member of the 1930 National Championship Team, and he would go to their reunions. When my grandfather passed away, still in his wallet, he had a practice pass to go to any practice which was signed by Rockne. My oldest brother John, Jr. (first grandson to go to ND'69) used to bring his dormmates in '65 &'66 to my grandfather's house and they'd have dinner and he told them Rockne stories. I very much remember my grandfather, but never really knew him since we lived in the Boston area. One thing we had in common was that my grandfather would stop at the local tavern to get a Manhattan before he headed home - while I was at ND, I used to stop at Nicky's (same location) for a pop(s) before heading back to campus.

My grandfather had an 8th grade education, and took correspondence courses in engineering. He took over my great grandfather's construction company and he built around 30 buildings or extensions on ND's campus. My grandfather was crushed that he was not able to build the Rockne Memorial, because of his relationship with Rockne. My great-great grandfather (French Canadian - by the way I cannot play hockey very well) immigrated to South Bend from Quebec after Fr. Sorin asked him to come to ND to help build the campus - his name is engraved in Sacred Heart Basilica. My grandparents sent their 6 sons to ND (2nd oldest uncle was a member of the '33 to '36 teams), and one of their two daughters married an ND grad from Michigan (whose son was on the ND team '72 - '75, and was the player that the captains asked to sit out the Georgia Tech game so Rudy could play).

Around 1929, the Rockne's moved from E. St Vincent St. to E. Wayne Ave., where Rockne was waked. When Bonnie Rockne was selling the house, she gave my grandfather first dibs on the house, and it was bought by the 4th son, and they lived their until my aunt passed away.

Sorry for making a short story long. Once I started I couldn't stop.