Anne Gillilan likes to reminisce about how she and her best friends from high school bonded and managed to maintain their friendship for more than 75 years.
“It’s remarkable,” said Gillilan, who is now 90, “but true!”
The connection started on the east side of Columbus at Holy Rosary High School, which Bishop James J. Hartley established in the early 20th century and remained in operation until 1966.
“By the 1950s, the school was thriving and I transferred to Holy Rosary from St. Mary of the Springs (an all-girls school) and began my sophomore year there,” said Gillilan, who graduated in 1953.
During her sophomore year, Gillilan began sharing a locker with a girl named Phyllis, something that was normal in those days. At first, they got along famously until Gillilan began dating a boy from another school whom she’d met at a dance at her home parish, Columbus St. Thomas the Apostle. There was just one problem: Phyllis had also taken a liking to this boy and, after that, Phyllis quit speaking to Anne until sometime after graduation.
In the end, Anne married the young man, Jim Gillilan, and she and Phyllis let bygones be bygones. Today, Anne and Phyllis are among the six remaining “girls” who share lunches together at TAT Family Restaurant (in Columbus at the corner of James Road and East Livingston Avenue) on the third Friday of every month.
Gillilan thinks back on her high school days at Holy Rosary and says, “The friendships with the other girls (12 in the original lunch group) continued after graduation. We even took a couple of vacations together — one to Virginia Beach and one to New York City. Not long after that, we all started getting married and having children. Then we formed a weekly card club or played other games like Bunco (a friendly but merry dice game), and began spending time together on the holidays, especially at Christmas.”
So, 75-plus years later, the six “girls” who maintain their lunch group at the TAT share conversation, reminiscing and laughs together. Each is 90 or 91 and they carry on as if still in their 20s. By now, each is a grandmother or great grandmother, some sadly outliving their own children. Often, many of their children and grandchildren attend the luncheons, adding to the friendly cacophony that always prevails.
This lunch group evolved from the original card club of the early days and really didn’t take off until about 15 years ago. But it was a natural extension of their lifelong friendship. Some of the ladies are still living independently and still drive while others are in assisted living and rely on their children to bring them to the lunches. Yet, not one of them would skip these monthly get-togethers unless a physical or health-related issue were to prevent them from coming.
Suzanne Webb, one of the “girls” who graduated from Holy Rosary in 1954, said, “I got married the following December and it wasn’t long after that when we all started having children. The card club was our way of escaping for one night a week. We let our husbands be in charge of our kids so we could relax and keep our heads about us. My husband was a mailman and we had four children.”
Phyllis Woodyard (yes, the Phyllis) graduated from Holy Rosary in ’53 and said about still getting together after all these years, “There are things you wouldn’t imagine. When we needed help, you always could call one another on the phone and talk to them. They would always be there for us.”
Peggy Williams, Phyllis’ daughter who brought her to the luncheon, said, “They started out getting together when they all had their children. They had play dates to go to the park, have picnic lunches, and that sort of thing, and during that time, they started having their card club. That’s how it initially started. They also got together as couples and these events became the foundation of their lifelong friendship. So, gatherings like this one today are very special. When you think about a lifelong friendship, it’s literally been since they were children. Some of them have known each other since elementary school, and others came in as time went on. But, really, this is a lifelong relationship family — these ladies are like family to one another.”
Williams, 65, said that she and her three siblings were adopted by Phyllis and her husband (now deceased) and that she plans to continue the tradition of get-togethers with the daughters and sons of the group. She said, “This is so important. That’s why we continue because many of these ladies might otherwise have died many years ago. And Anne (Gillilan) always says to me, ‘Thanks for bringing your mom.’”
Williams continued, “She (her mom Phyllis) has to be here. These relationships are that important to these women and I think it really helps with their longevity. And I told Mom, ‘As long as you want to keep coming and you feel well enough to come, we’re here for you.’ It’s on my calendar every month.”
Gillilan summarized the lunch club by saying, “I don’t think these lifelong relationships would’ve ever come about if we hadn’t been Catholic. We were all raised in good, Catholic families. We all went to Catholic school. And we all loved the Lord. These things make up the foundation of lives well-lived. And I hope our children, and our children’s children, carry on this legacy. It makes life worth living and really helps us live longer and in the most fulfilling ways.”
Growing up Catholic in a devout family also influenced Gillilan’s life. Some of her earliest memories were of her dad, whom she called “a pretty tough guy” who’d sometimes pound his chest and exclaim, “I love my faith!”
“And that impressed me,” Gillilan said. “He was a fun person, he had a good time, he worked hard, and when he’d stop and say, ‘I love my faith!’ It made me sit up and take notice. Not only that, but it made me begin to love my faith, too. Things like that really shaped my life. And it matters when you come from a big family. I’m one of 12 children — 10 girls and two boys.”