Adelaide, Ida, Ma and Nonna. Lor’s mom and my mother- in- law. Nonna was a tough little Italian woman. She only stood about a hair over five feet tall but you would never know it. You always knew where she stood on things and was a force to be reckoned with. Nonna loved her grandkids, Nicky, Joey, Rianna and Julianna and always made sure that Nonno was on the ball with his cooking when the holidays came around. What always amazed me was that her hair never moved. A perfectly coffed dome, pure white and weekly attended to at the hairdresser on Morris Park Ave. Ida was a devout Catholic and a big benefactor to her church and a member her beloved St. Claire’s and Saint Dominic’s. Elephants were also very prominent in her repertoire. Elephant pins, t-shirts, jewelry, you name it. Pure Republican and very proud of it, she was the long time executive secretary to the Bronx area State Senator Guy Vallela. Ida had lots of friends. She was very involved in her community and served as an ARP rep for many years. Weekly card games were never missed as well as the many meetings she attended. When Nonno retired, she had him hopping! Many trips were made to Philly to attend most of our boys events.
I wrote before of Nonno’s accident and eventual passing. It was a very tough time on everyone, especially Nonna. She didn’t drive anymore and after Nonno passed on, Nonna depended on friends and family and NY transit to get around. It didn’t slow her down. She was a Breast cancer survivor, diagnosed in her seventies, who endured many rounds of radiation to treat her condition. You would never know it though. She fought it hard and handled it with a toughness and determined attitude. I always worried about how she would navigate up and down the seven or eight stone steps that it took to get in her house. Apparently, it wasn’t a big issue. Lori’s sister Susan really took great care of Nonna as she aged and I’m sure it wasn’t easy. She was a tough cookie! Every year Lori, I and the boys made the trek on Christmas day to the Bronx. Dinner was always awesome and Susan made enough food to feed an army. Nonna somehow always had tons of gifts for everyone, all wrapped and ready when everyone got there. QVC, Home Shopping Club and Amazon deliveries were a daily event! Nonna was definitely a VIP!
In the summer of 2016, we celebrated the sweet sixteen of my niece Julianna. A magnificent event held at the same venue where Lori and I got married. Uncle Norm and Aunt RitaMarie went all out! It was bigger than a Philly wedding! During the event, a very close family member and great friend of Ida fell ill. An ambulance was called to help. It was a scary situation and had an emotional effect on her and Nonna wanted to go home. Since the party was still going strong, I offered to give Ma a ride back to the house. We spoke of her dismay, how she missed Dad and how tired she was. When we got home, I helped her up those scary front steps and into the bedroom. I asked if she was ok and if she needed anything before she went to bed. Her words were sobering. ” No thanks. Jeff… but I think it’s time for me to go”. Seven months later, she was gone. Right after the holidays, after some other health issues, a stroke hospitalized Nonna and she passed in the beginning of 2017. Nonnas funeral was a three day event. A Wednesday night viewing, a morning and evening viewing on Thursday and a final morning viewing, service and procession to the cemetery on Friday. There were mountains of flower arrangements and an endless line of family and friends offering their respect throughout the entire event. It was quite impressive. A lot of love and respect. My brother in law Norm and his In laws were in the Memorial business. Nonna was intered in a beautiful cemetery where Nonno rested and I was honored to wait with her after everyone had adjourned to witness the sealing of the crypt. A sad day for sure. I felt so bad for Lor. Both of her parents were gone.
This would be a tough year. The start of 2017 would be just the beginning. It would be all downhill from there.
Next Up: A Real Pain in the Ass