Despite what her last name might suggest, Sister Jeanne Marie Zeugin of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth said her family has deep Irish roots.
Her father’s side is Swiss, she said, but her mother’s side — the Hartnett side — bleeds green.
“You don’t go around telling us we’re not Irish,” she said.
Still, Zeugin said it came a shock when she was presented with a bunch of balloons and the news that she was picked to be the grand marshal for the 27th annual Leavenworth St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17.
“I think for once in my life I was speechless,” Zeugin said.
This despite having kissed the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle in Ireland — said to be responsible for the “gift of eloquence” — twice.
Zeugin said her family has participated in the Leavenworth parade for as long as it has been around. Their floats throughout the years of the event have included themes like “Couch potatoes” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” on a year with particularly heavy rain. Two of her sisters and their husbands have previously served as grand marshals.
Despite what her last name might suggest, Sister Jeanne Marie Zeugin of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth said her family has deep Irish roots.
