Originally, the Mahoney family had its family roots in Ireland where the first historic documentation of their family was when John and Catherine (Farrington) where born, around 1832. County Cork, Ireland is the ancestral home of the Mahoney clan. John and Catherine entered the United States in the 1880s by way of New York City and settled in Ontario County, New York. One year after their arrival, they relocated to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where they moved to a small township called Lafayette. There they purchased land from Cornell University.

John & Catherine Mahoney
John and Catherine had 4 children, John Jr., James, Tom, and Jane. James married Sarah Levis and they had three sons, Elias, James, and Robert. Elias married Lottie Violet Gerber (born June 18, 1898) and worked his entire life on the family farm. Elias and Lottie had three boys, Alexander Robert Mahoney, Elias James Mahoney, and Richard “Dick” Gordon Mahoney. Elias passed away from a tragic tractor accident that occurred on the family farm in early April of 1927.

Alexander Robert Mahoney
Alexander Robert (most WWII letters are from Robert or his mother) Mahoney was born on September 23, 1921, and passed away in March 2008. He was drafted into World War II on July 25, 1942, and was put into active-duty August 7, 1942. He had an honorable discharge from the Army on November 30, 1945. Alexander worked for 17 years at Vanderbie Jewelers, which closed on November 15, 1990. They originally opened their doors in Eau Claire, WI in 1913.

Lottie Mahoney & Fred Parker
After the tragic death of Elias, Lottie Mahoney remarried on June 12th, 1930, to Fred Parker. Together they had three children, Harold Kenneth Parker, Dona Jean Parker, and Carl B. Parker. Fred was born on September 14, 1898, and passed away on April 7, 1959. His occupation is unknown. Lottie worked as a nurse/central supply aide for the remainder of her life and retired in 1969. Lottie, a resident of the Chippewa Valley for over 35 years, passed away at the age of 73 at the Chippewa Valley hospital on February 8, 1972.

Dona Parker
Their daughter, Dona Jean Parker, was born on November 3, 1932. Dona married Dale Peterson on July 17, 1964. They had two boys, Paul and Greg, and one girl, Pamela. Dona graduated from Eau Claire High School in 1950. She began her nursing career when she first started training at the Luther Hospital School of Nursing in 1951. She graduated from the Cook County General Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, in 1954, specializing in surgery. In 1956 Dona joined the United States Air Force Nurses Corps where she was active in Anchorage, Alaska, and San Antonio, Texas until 1958. Dona worked actively in nursing from 1958-1995. She was a lead nurse at the Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled (NWCDD) until her retirement. Dona received multiple state awards during her time at NWCDD for her commitment to making improvements in health care in the state of Wisconsin. One award was from Wisconsin Governor, Tommy Thompson, who included commendations for Dona’s exceptional work.