Mi Nonno

Mi Nonno

(My Grandpa)

My grandpa as a bambino.

My grandpa as a ragazzino.

My grandpa with his parents on the levee.

World War II Photograph.

Group Health Photograph.

My grandpa fell in love and married my grandma.

Grandma and Grandpa.

 A great family photo of my grandpa, my parents, my brother and fiance (at the time).

My mother and Grandpa on our last Christmas Eve together (12-24-2010).

I was so fortunate to have my grandpa be present on my wedding day!

Thoughts from My Mother about Grandpa:

My dad had an amazing life. He was often told he should write a book. Instead, he told stories. He was a great storyteller. He told of playing his saxophone in the Big Bands of Saint Paul, New York and Cairo, Egypt. He would always like to interject that at age 11, he asked his parents for a drum set, but ended up receiving a saxophone and began an exciting and wonderful career in the music business. He loved making music. e would say that he felt like one with his saxophone while he was playing. His career in the music business paid for his college education. After graduating from the College of St. Thomas, he served his country during World War II assigned to Army Air Corp Finance in Cairo, Egypt. He had endless stories revolving around this period of his life.

Back home after the War, he worked with a group of individuals dedicated to the idea of prepaid medical care. He worked wit lawyers, politicians and other influential people to pave the way for Group Health, which is HealthPartners today. He was a good businessman - an honest businessman, respected for his integrity. Again, he had many interesting stories about this part of his life.

My dad had many reasons to feel successful. He had many reasons to be proud. But I know that my dad was most proud of his family, his Italian heritage, and proud to have grown up among the 200 Italian families that lived on the levee. He would say, "I'm just a kid from the levee," and I know that he truly meant that. His love and admiration for his mother and father was unending. That same love extended to his three sisters. It was hard for him to tell a story about his family without drying his eyes. His deep ability to love was shared with his first wife, Betty. and again with his second wife, Florence. He was a devoted husband, and I watched firsthand how he tenderly cared for my mother during the last years of her life. Learning from that loving experience, I did my best to care for my dad in his last years of his life.

Dad, I hope I lived up to your expectations. You know that I did my best. And I will do my best to learn to live without you. Taking your advice, I will take it one day at a time...

My Thoughts on Grandpa:

There is no way to capture in writing all of the feelings and memories I have of Grandpa. There are memories that I want to keep between him and me, and there are others that should be shared. I know I am not as great of a storyteller as he was, but there are memories I’d like to share.

I always loved staying at Grandma and Grandpa’s house when Mom and Dad went out. That meant that Brett and I got a McDonald’s adventure and played in their basement. Also, we got to lay on big, fluffy pillows while eating limitless mini-marshmallows and Oreo cookies with the basketball or baseball game on in the background.

I’ll miss his quick “Hi”, his pinky wave goodbye, his standing by the window while we pull out of his driveway, talking with his hands like a true Italian, his charming smile, and his hearty laugh.

He always took “his girls” to his favorite “little restaurant on the edge of town” also known as White Castle. He’d drive Mom and me there and later on, we drove him. All three of us would get our usual. We’d sit, chat and people watch the afternoon away.

He would walk everyday. When he had a hard time walking outside Mom and I were able to get a good deal on a treadmill on Black Friday. That has still been the only time I have gotten up at 3AM for a good deal. Even though he was self-disciplined, he had his weaknesses – hot spaghetti and ice cream. He allowed himself two plates of hot spaghetti and Mom could not keep ice cream in his house!

He taught me about the importance of family and love. Every visit I had with him he expressed his aching and longing for my grandma. He openly shared his feelings and thoughts of her. I will keep what he said close to my heart and will cherish forever.

Grandpa definitely had a great sense of humor. I am so thrilled that Tyler was able to get to know him these past years. One afternoon, I had given Grandpa his pills and stepped out of the room a moment. While I was gone, Grandpa told my husband (fiancé at the time) that he had two perfectly good wives up above waiting for him and that he LOVED being married. He continued about how he was always afraid to talk to a lady who wasn’t a relative because he’d probably be married again. He also gave Tyler some tips for a successful marriage. One tip he told him was that he must be a good actor. Grandpa had hidden his pills in his hand and not taken them. When I returned, Tyler was pointing at his hand. I asked Grandpa if his pills went down…Grandpa said, “Your mother put you up to this, didn’t she?”

That brings me to my mother. She deserves to be sainted. I cannot even explain to you what she has been through taking care of Grandpa. It was helpful that we had some angels help us along the way, which were his neighbors and friends: Carol, Mario, Denise, Gary, Jerry and Bob. They all were there for Grandpa when we couldn’t be. My mother slept a little better knowing that they were around.

Grandpa talked a lot about death, especially in these past couple years. I don’t know if he was getting himself ready or if he was trying to help us get ready for his passing. Grandpa told my mom not to cry when he passed because he’d be so happy up above. It is so hard because we miss him so much already. I hope that he misses us as much as we miss him.

Grandpa: November 28, 1919 - May 30, 2010