God's Gifts
Former students help their teacher celebrate 95 years

By KENNY KEANE, Globe staff reporter
Posted February 13, 2003

Most people would probably find it difficult to remember many of their former teachers. However, two men have never forgotten their sixth-grade teacher and have even continued a friendship with her to this day.

Gary McKay of San Diego, Calif. and Mike Greenfield of Portland, Ore. recently came to Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City to help their former teacher, Mary Frances Minette, celebrate her 95th birthday.

"These boys, I call them, and I have had this friendship over all of these years," said Minette, a parishioner at Blessed Sacrament. "We keep track of each other at Christmas, New Years, birthdays and different affairs. These boys think about me a lot and care for me."

This unusual friendship began many years ago in the small town of Albany, Ore. where McKay and Greenfield had Minette as their sixth-grade teacher at St. Mary's Catholic Grade School.

Although she was born and raised in Sioux City, Minette moved out to Oregon in 1949. She received her master's degree in education from Portland University. While living in Albany, she volunteered to teach at St. Mary's where the Benedictine Sisters were desperate for teachers at the time.

Even before their sixth-grade year, though, the two boys established a relationship with Minette.

"It is an unusual friendship," Greenfield said. "We knew her from the second grade on. I remember she used to invite us for cookies and milk at her house on the way home from school.

"So we knew her then, and then she was our sixth-grade teacher. Then my friend and I were in the Franciscan Seminary in high school. She'd come and see our place, and she'd send us packages. We just communicated with her because we were fond of her."

McKay said after they went to the major seminary both of them dropped out their first year in college. Although their priestly vocation never materialized, he admitted that his relationship with Minette may have played a role in Greenfield and him going to the seminary.

Another memory McKay shared was that he and Greenfield were altar boys for Minette's wedding, which he said was influential in starting the friendship, along with the fact that he was her newspaper boy, too.

The fact that Albany was a town of only 18,000 residents with only one Catholic Church, St. Mary's, also played a role.

As for coming to Sioux City to help Minette celebrate her 95th birthday on Feb. 4, McKay said he wouldn't have missed it for the world.

"I think the people in Sioux City really have a fine friend there," he said. "I refer to her as 'Minnie' because that's what we called her when we were younger. I think Mike and I are the only two people who call her Minnie.

"Just in terms of her friendship, she's very accepting of everyone, and she's really pretty non-judgmental. She's probably the most charitable person I know in terms of trying to help everyone else. She's truly a remarkable woman."

Greenfield said his relationship with Minette, has continued to grow over the years.

"She is more like an aunt to us," he said. "We talk a couple times a week and probably write at least two times a week. I've known her for 50 years, so I've probably been writing to her for the last 35 years."

Aside from their presence on her birthday, they also had a special gift for her. Greenfield had been in contact with Minette's sister to create a list of people in the Sioux City area who know "Minnie." He contacted them, as well as those in Oregon and just anyone who had been touched by this woman to ask them if they would send him letters, photos or just some thoughts about Minette that he would put in an album to give to her.

"People sent letters, cards, memories, and pictures," he said. "I read them all as I'm putting them in this album, and everyone thinks that they are important in her life.

"Every single person said, 'You made a difference in my life. You changed my life. You influenced my life.' I thought, what a legacy to be 95 and have people love you and want to be around you. I think it's incredible. She just has all these friends."

Even more incredible to Greenfield was the act of the students from Blessed Sacrament who shared something special with Minette over in the church on her birthday.

"After the Communion service, these 200 grade schoolers in their little Catholic uniforms stood up, turned around and they sang 'Happy Birthday' to her," he said. "She just stood there and grinned. I thought, this is just wonderful."

Minette was in disbelief at what these former students and friends did for her.

"I just can't get over it," she said. "Can you imagine anyone being so resourceful, so thoughtful and so considerate? But that's the way these guys are. The whole thing was just so beautiful and so gratifying to me that I just can't get over it."