White Bear Lake Vadnais Genealogy & Family History Blog

Mona Celestine Vadnais and Guy George Green (part 1 of 2)

1 Comment / Cynthia Vadnais / October 4, 2024

When Mona Celestine, their seventh child, was born on April 5, 1921, in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, her father Adlore was 31 years old and her mother Ellen was 32 years old.¹ Of the 6 siblings born before Mona, only 4 survived to greet their new sister: George, Charles, Florence and Dick. The 2-bedroom family home on Fourth Street was filling up.

**1921 Minnesota record of birth for Mona Celestine**
Record details were altered on March 26, 1947.

Father John Fahey baptized Mona on April 16, 1921 at the original St. Mary of the Lake Church in White Bear Lake (The church stood on Bald Eagle Avenue at the head of Birch Lake Avenue.).² Her godparents were her uncle and aunt, Ferdinand and Norma (Peltier) Tessier; Norma was one of Ellen’s younger sisters.

**Baptismal and marriage record for Mona Celestine Vadnes [Vadnais] from St. Mary of the Lake Church**

**Father John Fahey, pastor at St. Mary of the Lake Church from 1915 to 1939**

**Circa 1926 – Mona standing in the side yard of the family home at 1309 4^th Street in White Bear Lake**

Mona, like the rest of her siblings, attended St. Mary’s Catholic School, a few blocks from the family home.

**Circa 1930 St. Mary’s School – Mona is in the back row, 5^th from the left and Dick is in the 3^rd row on the far right**
Mona would be around 9 years old and Dick would be about 11 years old.

Mona was the youngest in the family for 2 years. By 1930 Mona had welcomed 5 more siblings to the family: Leona born in 1923, Jack born in 1925, Marguerite born in 1926, Gordy born in 1928 and Anna Mae born in 1930.

**Outside of the family home on 4^th Street – Circa 1930**
**Back row left to right: Florence, Mona and Richard (Dick)**
**Front row left to right: Leona, Gordon (Gordy), Marguerite and John (Jack)**
This was probably taken right around the time the youngest of the children, Anna Mae, was born.

Mona graduated from St. Mary’s School (the eighth grade) in 1936.

**1936 St. Mary’s Graduation – Mona (15 years old) is in the 2^nd row, 2^nd from the right**
The picture was taken on the main steps of the entrance to St. Mary of the Lake Church.

I’m not sure whether or not it was a graduation gift, but in the summer of 1936 Mona went for a 2 week visit to her brother Charles’ in-laws, the Doran’s, dairy farm outside of Mankato (Charles had just married Florence Doran on June 18, 1936). Mona went to visit Miss Martha Doran who 6 years later would marry Mona’s brother Dick. The White Bear Press made note of the trip.

The next 4 years Mona attended White Bear High School. She was very active in athletics and a variety of other school organizations. According to the school yearbook, Mona was an excellent singer and piano player. In 1923, two years after her birth, her parents had purchased a piano giving the children the opportunity to learn how to play. I’m sure that Mona, once she was old enough, took music lessons from the nuns while attending St. Mary’s School and that her talent was nurtured.

**P.A. Starck Piano Company guarantee issued to Adlore Vadnais for his piano purchase on November 15, 1923**

**1940 – The school newspaper Bear Tracks staff showing Mona in the second row, second from the left**
She was a typist for the newspaper during her senior year.⁴

**1940 – G. A. A. (Girls Athletic Association), Mona is in the 4^th row, second from the right and her sister Leona is right behind her in the 5^th row, on the far right**
Mona, a senior in this picture, was active in the G. A. A. all 4 years of high school. Her sister Leona is probably a sophomore at this time.⁵

Mona’s senior write-up listing her involvement in athletics and other school groups from her freshman through senior years⁶
I love her motto, “Music’s My Business.”

**1940 Matoskan – Mona must have been well known for her piano playing**⁷

**1940 – Mona Vadnais graduation**
She was 19 years old.

Here are a few other pictures of Mona with family members.

**Mona (left) with her sister Leona in the front yard of the family home at 411 Bald Eagle Avenue**

**1943 – Mona and her brother Jack**
Mona was around 22 years old and Jack was 18 years old.

**Circa 1943 – Ellen with 2 of her daughters: (left) Florence and (right) Mona**
Ellen was about 54 years old, Florence about 26 years old and Mona about 22 years old.

**Circa 1944-45, left to right: Marguerite, Mona and Anna Mae**
Marguerite was about 18 years old, Mona about 23 years old and Anna Mae about 14 years old.
It appears that Mona is wearing a ring on her left hand so I assume this picture was taken sometime in 1944 or 45.

Mona’s future husband Guy George Green was born on July 29, 1924 in White Bear Lake to Scott Leroy and Marian Latta (Parker) Green.⁸ At the time of his birth, Guy’s father was 25 years old (not 26 as shown on the birth record) and his mother was 26 years old.

**Guy George Green listed in the Minnesota Births for 1924**

Guy attended Washington School in White Bear Lake.

**1935 – Washington School 4^th Grade – Guy Green is in the back row, third from the right**
Guy would have been about 10 years old.

By 1940, the year Mona graduated, Guy was a freshman at White Bear High School.⁹ After 1940, I did not find Guy in the White Bear High School yearbook, the Matoskan. I do know that he didn’t finish high school in 1943 as he should have, because on December 15, 1942 he enlisted in the Navy and by December 31 he was at the Farragut Training Station in Idaho.^{10, 11} Guy had just turned 18 years old in July of 1942 and the United States was deeply involved in World War II; I’m sure that he felt an obligation to his country.