Friday, July 22, 2011
Dear Aunt Helen 2,
You know Aunt Helen, I forgot to ask you to say hello to Grandpa, Uncles Larry, Tom, Chubby, and Marty, and Aunt Angie. I'm thinking of them now and as with you (like you trying to teach me how to make mozzarella and me telling what should be in Italian sausage) I have many memories of each of them also. I always miss Grandpa. I was fortunate to spend so much time with him. I saw my first shooting star with him while sitting on the porch on Zion Road. That day we were digging ditches (we always seemed to be digging ditches, but I didn't care as long as he was with me). By mid-day he would prepare our lunch (antipasta, of course) with bread and cold Reingold beer. He would whistle to me to stop digging and get something to eat and it was with him I had my first taste of beer. When he was at his 2nd country place I used to stop at his house on my home from work to have dinner with him, telling him not to tell my father. After dinner with him I'd go home and have another dinner. He never told my Dad I was doing this. On one visit there I stopped by and there was a dead branch on one of the trees which he wanted cut down. OK, I said. I can do that. We took the ladder out to the tree, I climbed it, and started chopping away. Now I'm 19 years old and think I'm in pretty good shape scraping meat blocks since 9 and working on the country place. But after 10 minutes Grandpa saw my swinging arm (no saw, axe only) was getting tired. He whistled me down and got up on the ladder to finish the job. I was embarrassed that a 79 year old out lasted me. He didn't mind and brought me in for veal and peppers (his favorite), bread and red wine. 3 days later he had his stoke. So much other stuff.
I remember Uncle Larry having the store in Jersey City before my father did. I remember him planting Maple tree seedlings in front of the deck at the country place (they were 6 inches when he planted them and 50 feet by the time we left). Many other memories, and with his children, my cousins, where we spent many a day at Belmar.
I became a lifelong Yankee fan watching one of the games of the 1962 World Series at Uncle Tom's house. When I went to visit Uncle Tom at Caven Point I was treated as Royalty. He was my Godfather. Where's Tommy Boy? Tommy Boy visited the store and got hit by a car 'cause he was looking at a good looking woman walking by.
Uncle Chubby came by the store and house often (He really loved his big brother). I remember when he came by the house one evening 'bout 2 months after "You Belong To Me" was released and the girls in the neighborhood found out he was there and surrounded his car chanting his name for him to come out. Needless to say he had to wait hours to go out to his car after the girls were called inside by their parents. And remember the movie "My Cousin Vinnie" when Joe Pesci says "Yute" for Youth? Uncle Chubby said it first on one of his store visits while he was going to welding school. "I got yute, right Dan?" "Yes, Uncle Chub." He was 27 at the time, I was 16.
I remember Uncle Marty had a job down the street from us in Jersey City tearing down a house. I was under 10 and I knew he was working there and always tried to say hello when I could see him. One day I spotted him and yelled out "Hey, Uncle Marty!". He seemed so pleased to see me that he reached into his pocket and threw me down a quarter (from 3 floors up). Now to me that was BIG MONEY at the time. What a sweet honorable guy. One of my favorites.
I remember walking to school to Holy Rosary when Aunt Angie lived a block away. It always seemed she was outside waiting for me to go by. She was like my second mother. When seeing me she would ask "Daniel, are you behaving?" "Yes, Aunt Angie" I would reply (what else would I say?). I realized years later she was looking out for me, like her own children. She cared for me and I'll never forget that.
I have so many memories of the family members who have left us and the ones still here now. They're important to me and I think of them often. You are gone but not forgotten by anyone whose lives you and the other siblings touched. I am proud to be a part of this great big family and thankful that you were one of the anchors.
