When the children of Mary Alice Grippe look back on their childhood, nothing but good memories come to light.
Grippe has 10 children, Gary Grippe and wife Sylvia of Frankfort; Jody Grippe and wife Mary Jean of Frankfort; Kimberley Grippe and Roy Fuller of Frankfort; Karen Rumrill and husband Garry of Frankfort; Jack Grippe and Suzanne Douglas of Syracuse; Wendy Button and husband John of Frankfort; Crystal Reina and husband Rick of Frankfort; Mary Alfano and husband Joe of Albany; Brian Grippe and wife Maria of Frankfort and Bridget Foti and husband John of Frankfort. She and her husband, Joseph, also have 39 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. There is also one grandson, Christian Celi, who is deceased.
Grippe was born in Ilion on April 16 to the late Rex and Mildred Cobb and has one brother, Gene Cobb, who lives with his wife Martha in Schuyler.
Having a small family for Grippe was never an option. She actually wanted 12 children but she said with a laugh that her husband fizzled out.
“It wasn’t easy with 10 kids,” Grippe said. “But they all helped out. They all had jobs around the house and it was very structured.”
Grippe also says it is very rewarding to be a mother.
The cost of food was high, she said, with the family buying 30 dozen eggs at a time sometimes.
Grippe also spent a lot of time sewing her children’s clothes.
“That’s one way to save money,” Grippe said.
Grippe said her children were all very active in school and sports and she even baby-sat for some of the teachers children.
“When you have a big family a few more doesn’t matter,” she added with a laugh.
Within those 10 children are two sets of twins, four years apart, which Grippe said her and her husband had no idea about until they were delivered.
“I was so excited to learn about the twins,” Grippe remembers with a smile on her face.
Although she always wanted a big family, she said it was challenging at times and took some patience and a sense of humor.
“Looking back I would do nothing differently,” Grippe said. “I’d do it all over again.”
Joseph and Mary Alice also established the J. Grippe Industrial Supply Co., Inc. in Frankfort in 1964.
They both also remember the summers spent at a camp on Pine Lake and then a camp at Sylvan Beach.
The last of their children, Bridget Foti, remembers growing up in the house.
“Our hair was combed, our faces were washed, our teeth were brushed and we were dressed before breakfast,” she said. “We went outside to play on the swingset and by the pond. We were rewarded and we were disciplined and it made us all who we are today. We’re here for them because they were here for us.”
She adds that the family has always remained close.
“We were very close for being a big family, we’re still a really close family now,” Foti said. “Everyone has stayed around, you don’t see anyone running off anywhere.”
Foti says that the family always looks for a positive reason to get together, whether it be for graduations, birthdays or holidays.
“There’s about 75 people at our house when everyone gets together,” Joseph Grippe said.
Mary Alice Grippe was recently at the Mohawk Valley Nursing Home for rehabilitation she needed after a fall and she and her family love the Mohawk Valley Nursing Home for all they do for her.
“I love coming here,” Grippe said.
The next big occasion for the Grippe family is that of Joe and Mary Alice celebrating their 60th anniversary on June 19.