Complex sentence: His mother, Louise (née Leonard; 1894--1982), was a laundress at West Point, and his father, James Durning, was an Irish immigrant who gained U.S. citizenship by joining the army.
Split into simpler sentences: His mother, Louise (née Leonard; 1894--1982), was a laundress at West Point. His father, James Durning, was an Irish immigrant who gained U.S. citizenship by joining the army.