Yearly Archives: 2024

…………….HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY to my Mom and Dad in Heaven!………….They were married for 66 years!….They married on October 15th, 1938…..My parents knew each other from when they were young children….My mother was born in September of 1910, and my dad was born the following March of 1911 in Italy……Their dads came to America together from Italy on the same boat. They were from the same town, Bari on the south east coast …..When my grandfathers were established they brought the rest of their young families to America…..My dad pursued my mom relentlessly, but she wasn’t interested….She was having too good a time with her girlfriends…..She finally relented after her BFF, Nardi married her boyfriend Armond…..Nardi and my mother were both 28 when they married, which in those days was considered late. Most girls married at 17, 18, 19 or 21…..but not my mother and her friends…..they were enjoying their freedom, and were enjoying their independent lives…..When Nardi got married first, my mother was her Maid Of Honor. Then the girls started falling like dominos, and they all started saying YES to their boyfriends!…..When my mom got married Nardi was her Matron of Honor and Armond was my father’s best man. You can see my “Aunt Nardi” standing behind my mother, and my “Uncle Armond’s” head peeking out behind my father…..My parents both passed away when they were 94 within  a week and a half of each other. My mom died two days before Christmas Eve, and my dad passed away just after the New Year………Jac and I were visiting him, trying to convince him to come and stay with us, but he wanted to stay with his friends in his retirement village….He told us…..”your Mom’s calling me”…..I thought he was kidding as he always did…..I guess she was calling him…..He passed away in his sleep a few days later……His heart just gave out……..I like to think he gave it back to my Mom……….Happy Valentine’s Day to my sweet Jac…..and to  all of you lovers out there…..Give each other a big hug and a kiss.

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……………..My mother comes from a family of NINE brothers and sisters. They are all present in this picture….except one……my Uncle Tom……From left to right……My Aunt Angie…….my Aunt Millie…..My mother who was named Lorita, but everyone called her Edith…..my Grandfather John Rutigliano,….my Uncle Paul…..my Grandmother …..my Uncle Vito….my Aunt Mary,….my Uncle Lou……and the baby, and tallest of them all……my Uncle Danny…….They all had two to three children except my Uncle Danny who married an older woman, and they didn’t have any children……..I’m guessing after being brought up in a house with so many they all decided to keep the amount of children they would have to a minimum! Only my Uncle Vito beat his dad, and had 12 children! I remember as a child all of us getting together in the basement of my either my dad’s parents house or my mother’s parents house in Brooklyn for the Holidays…..All the women cooking, and all the men playing cards…..and all the kids running wild! Sometimes we would split the time between both families. My grandparent lived around the corner from one another so it was easy to spend time with both families…..Some times just the kids would go from house to house visiting with our cousins!….It was the best of times…..When my grandparents died that all ended……The get togethers were much smaller, and basically everyone stayed home with their families. My mother used to invite some of her siblings over, but it was never the same…….When my brothers and I got older we rarely went into Brooklyn anymore……..It was sad to loose touch. Their children would never have the experiences we did growing up……Times have changed so drastically, and family ties aren’t what they used to be……though some still try to keep some of the traditions going.

……………..I don’t eat wings…..I don’t even like finger food!…….My Super Bowl dinner………ITALIAN HOT SAUSAGE & PEPPERS with ROASTED POTATOES!……..YES!

……………………..My Uncle Paul was my mother’s oldest brother. Her sister Mary was the first born and then Paul was second……I LOVE the photo to the far left. That’s my Uncle Paul with his baby brother, the youngest in the family…..my Uncle Danny. They look like father and son instead of brothers My uncle was very handsome, and had wonderful style…..My Uncle Danny looked like he could have been a child actor….one of the “East Side Kids”…..He definitely has that Jackie Coogan look……The picture next to that at the top shows my Uncle Paul in the center of a group of people none of which I know…..The picture below features my Uncle in Knickers and a Fair Isle sweater, and a dress shirt…..Very brave!…..The top picture, second in from the right, shows my Uncle Paul, my grandmother in the white apron, and next to her  my Aunt Mary, her oldest child. Kneeling in front is my Aunt Millie. I don’t know who the baby is….It could be one of my Aunt Mary’s children…….Below, on the front stoop, is my Uncle Paul and his wife in the center in the white dress. my Aunt Marie….I don’t know who the other people are……My Uncle is sitting on the grass with his wife, or maybe girlfriend at the time, Marie……That’s also my Uncle sitting by himself on the roof…..another of my favorite pictures!……My Uncle Paul was the first to recognize my talent at a young age, maybe 10 ,11 or 12….when my mom brought him sketches I had done. He was a mediator in the NYC Ladies Garment Union, and knew every single designer in the city. They all respected him because he was always fair, and the fact that he was very elegant and handsome didn’t hurt. I remember he had an incredible low voice, that just drew you in. He got me my very first job as a summer intern at Norman Norell, who was considered the king of NY fashion…..I had no idea who he was as a young 18 year old, graduating high school from Long Island…….In my second year at Parsons I won a full scholarship given by Mr. Norell…..The wheel is round! I will always be grateful to my uncle for starting me on my path, and opening my eyes to the wonder of the fashion world!