In 1925, Thornton (Bumpa) and Ida (Mimi) Cressy were invited to visit the Les Cheneaux Islands by Pop and Tillo Wanger. Falling in love with the area, eventually they purchased a cottage of their own in 1954 located in Shepards (Smith's) Bay. This began the intergenerational love affair with the Les Cheneaux Islands which continues to grow to this day.
Bumpa and Mimi we blessed with six children: Georgia, Lois, Ruth, Joe, Fredice and Marilyn. Each of the Cressy children married, leading to the six main branches, or "clans" of the family tree we have today.
Georgia married Leonard Cesulka and they had two children.
Ruth married Ross Clapper and they had eight children.
Lois married Bill Israel and they had four children.
Joe Cressy married Lorna and they had five children.
Fredice married Jim Alexander and they had seven children.
Marilyn married Gordon Bledsoe and they had eight children.
Each of the couples sought to build a legacy within their own families, and many descendants of each-as many as five generations removed from Bumpa and Mimi-still gather in the islands annually to celebrate family.
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