Thomas Breen - Cedars Memorial Gardens - Mineola, TX - Woodmen of the World Grave Markers/Monuments on Waymarking.com

As Mr. Breen was a prominent area Catholic, there is a cross atop the headstone, and note the thistle detail, a nod to his native Ireland. The front has the family name, "Breen", on the plinth, and on the main body is the emblem of the Knights of Columbus. Side two features the Woodmen emblem and a set of clasped hands around the inscription:

In Everlasting
Remembrance of a Most
Loving Husband and Father

Thomas Breen

Born in Ireland
March 1853
Died Dec. 30, 1906

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Requiescat in Pace

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While Mr. Breen's wife, Lucy, is not listed on the headstone, she is buried here, next to him, and with them are several of their children. In town is a 2004 Texas Historical Marker that provides some family history:

Irish immigrant Thomas Breen came to Mineola working for the Texas & Pacific Railroad Company, which reached the town in May 1873. He stayed to be the first ticket agent. In the late 1870s, he wed Irish native Lucy Wilson. In the 1880s, he opened a hardware store. He served for many years as postmaster and later as city alderman. Of the Breens' twelve children, one also served as city postmaster, one served as city commissioner, one played on the 1912 baseball team, one helped establish the Mineola Canning Company, and three served during World War I. The Breen home, now razed, served for many years as a meeting place for early Catholic residents of the city.

Was the inscription legible?: Yes Location of Marker/Monument: Cemetery

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