Fourth generation now in on the fun
The Real family has been celebrating an annual Thanksgiving Family Turkey Bowl going on 50 years, starting in Elmhurst with the patriarch and matriarch, Ronald and Cecilia “Ceil” Real, and their children, Sherry Davies (now deceased), Rory (Kathy) Real, Rhonda Real, Roxanne Knapp, Rae Ellen Real, Mike (Pam) Real and Russ (Rachael) Real. There are now 12 grandkids and seven great-grandkids. In one early photo, the turkey bowl included some cousins as well. The family celebrated the 25th anniversary bowl in Florida, and another photo shows last year’s event.
Many of us have family traditions on and around the holidays, and for one local family, it has been “real” for five decades now.
Local realtor and former Lombard resident Rachael Real, who now lives in Elmhurst, explained that her husband’s family has been celebrating what they named the Thanksgiving Family Turkey Bowl for 50 years as of this year. It all started with Ronald J. and Cecilia “Ceil” Real, longtime Elmhurst residents, and the parents of seven children—her husband Russ being the youngest.
The elder Reals “made Thanksgiving their family holiday,” she narrated, when Russ was about 2 years old.
Real said the idea was create a family tradition that would expand as all the kids grew up and had families of their own.
She said the Thanksgiving festivities started out with playing a football game at nearby Wilder Park; but, she added with a chuckle, “It’s interesting because none of the kids played football. Their family sport was hockey.”
She remembers when she met—and became part of—the family, saying, “I just thought it was super cool, overwhelming and big; super crazy” to witness the annual turkey bowl.
Real said the captains are chosen and “then it’s like a schoolyard pick” to form the teams. They even wear red or blue jerseys as part of their respective teams.
The annual turkey bowl has endured over the years, growing in number as the Real children began to invite other family and friends to join in the fun, then had kids of their own.
When Ronald and Ceil retired to Florida, the family still held their turkey bowl at various parks, such as one in Bensenville, where one of the daughters now lives.
One of the siblings, Rae Ellen Real, recalled that there were several years when they “threw the ball around at the cemetery.”
On the 25th anniversary of the bowl, the family held their bowl in Florida, and had commemorative T-shirts made.
As the children have grown, Real said, the bowl typically involves 20 to 30 minutes of football, and then about five or six years ago the family added what she calls “beer-in-hand” kickball—that is, the adults try to make it from base to base without spilling their beverage. The younger participants also try to make their way around the bases without spilling the contents of their non-alcoholic beverage.
That game lasts about an hour-and-a-half, Real noted, depending on the weather.
It is “something less aggressive for the old people,” she quipped.
Another feature of the day involves sitting around watching a loop of old home movies from earlier Thanksgiving turkey bows, Real said. Some of the scenes include “interviews” with the players, she mentioned.
Even though both Ronald and Ceil are both deceased, and the locations have shifted, the Real family keeps the tradition alive, now with a fourth generation of Real children. In fact, Real said of the siblings, “They’re all around here, ironically,” including Elmhurst, Lombard, Bensenville and Elk Grove Village.
This year the bowl will include a 50th anniversary T-shirt, and the family dogs will get commemorative bandannas. Instead of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, Real said they will be participating in a chill cook-off.
For her, looking back over the years that she has been part of the Real clan, what this tradition means to Real is that it is “a testament to a close family.”
Why football?
As Real stated, the Real kids were into hockey, not football. However, their patriarch, Ronald, was a big proponent of the game.
According to his obituary, written when he passed away in 2008, Ronald would be remembered as president of the American Football Association, or AFA, which he founded in 1980; it was originally called the Minor Professional Football Association, or MPFA.
He “dedicated his life to the advancement of semi-pro/minor league football organizations,” his obituary states.
The AFA website, americanfootballassn.com, says the AFA is a national nonprofit organization and not affiliated with any other national semi-pro/minor league organizations.
The mission of the AFA is to “keep alive the memories of those who have played, coached, officiated and managed at our level of the game,” so the participants can be “remembered forever by their fans, family, teammates and those who follow their football leadership in the future.”
The website also features video archives and a photo gallery.