Caroline Tarsitano

Caroline “Lina” Tarsitano was born Carolina Olivieri on November 5, 1931, in Roggiano Gravina, in the Calabrian province of Cosenza. She was the youngest of four siblings. She always described her childhood in idyllic terms: she was a popular, enthusiastic, and gifted student. She had an older brother, Carmine, a master tailor who made her skirts, blazers, and berets. He also played various instruments and taught little Caroline music. An aunt made her dresses, and an uncle made her shoes. She loved being in the countryside with her mother, aunts, and uncles—running, climbing trees, and eating fresh fruits and vegetables right off the plant.

In her later teenage years, Vincenzo Tarsitano, who lived no more than three blocks away, admired her, pursued her, and ultimately received permission from her mother to marry her. Their wedding ceremony took place at the Church of Saint Anthony (Sant’ Antonio), in the main square of town, on October 28, 1951, one week before her twentieth birthday.

With considerable objection from her elder relatives—especially her adored grandmother—the newlyweds began making plans to come to the United States to start their married life in earnest. Since her father, Salvatore Olivieri, was an American citizen who had established a new life and family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Carolina was able to gain residency status without issue. And so, in October 1952, she crossed the ocean alone, pregnant with her first child, aboard a ship from Naples bound for New York.

Upon arriving in the United States, she moved into her father’s home in South Philadelphia. One of the first things she would need to do was petition for residency for her husband so he could join her in America.

Caroline delivered her first child, Frank, named after Vincenzo’s elder brother, on December 7, 1952. From the hospital, she moved in with her brother and sister-in-law, Frank and Jennie, in Northeast Philadelphia, where they lovingly helped care for the baby. After just two weeks, Caroline began work at her first job. She worked in packing and shipping for a machine parts company owned by the Russo family. The Russos also had roots in Roggiano and hired many of their paesani over the years.

Caroline had to learn to navigate the Philadelphia transit system to get to and from work. One day, she missed her stop, became disoriented, and took the trolley back to the beginning of the route. When she finally arrived at work, she wasn’t about to admit that she had gotten lost. Instead, she told her boss the baby was sick and she had needed to care for him.

By the time Vincenzo arrived in June 1953, Caroline had already set up a furnished apartment for their new family. She stopped working and became mistress of her own home. Vincenzo also went to work for the Russos as a machine operator, working full-time at one plant and part-time at another. He did this for several years to move the family ahead more quickly. He rose through the ranks at DeRuss Machine Products, becoming foreman in short order.

A second son, Vincent, was born in April 1954.

A couple of apartments later, in 1957, Vincenzo and Caroline purchased their first home at 4539 Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia’s Mayfair section. It was a three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath townhome.

This writer would be remiss not to mention a very important relationship that remained lifelong. When Vincenzo and Caroline lived on Princeton Avenue in the Tacony neighborhood—their last apartment before purchasing their home—Maria and Eugene Grimaldi lived directly next door. They were a couple from a town not far from Roggiano in Calabria. Their daughter Clara and Caroline became and remained very close through every life event, including shared vacations. Clara became Mrs. Mario Arnone in 1959.

A huge source of support for Caroline was her mother, Rosina Bianchino Olivieri, who came to stay with the family in 1957. She remained through most of 1959 before returning to Roggiano.

In 1960, Caroline gave birth to a daughter, Luciana, named after Vincenzo’s mother, Lucia.

Life on Cottman Avenue was pleasant, surrounded by a handful of other Roggianese families, fellow Italian-American families—especially the Quintos, who lived about seven houses away—and neighbors of many different ethnicities. Mom’s dear friend Dolly was the Ethel to her Lucy.

Parish life at Our Lady of Consolation (OLC) in Tacony—designated an Italian-American parish by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia—was another positive element of family life. All three children were baptized there and attended school there, with Caroline often serving as a lunch mother and volunteering on other parish projects.

From the very beginning of her life in the United States, a supportive, loving, and calming presence was Caroline’s first cousin Angie. Angeline Van Ness, born Angelina Caruso, was the daughter of Zia Giuseppina on her mother’s side. Her family had moved from South Philadelphia to Haddonfield, New Jersey, a picture-perfect middle-American town. Visits from Angie were always welcome, and trips to her home in Haddonfield were a special treat.

Vincenzo and Caroline loved to dance and were often seen at church and community functions gliding around the dance floor. Caroline also loved shopping for clothes, shoes, and plants for the house.

She was a talented seamstress and sometimes made her own dresses, as well as Luciana’s. Doing alterations for neighbors and friends became a way to earn a little extra pocket money. Many sought her out whenever their clothing needed care.

Caroline’s brother Dante, nine years older, relocated from Roggiano to Philadelphia in 1962 and lived with the family. A year later, his family joined him and moved into their own apartment in Tacony. A few years later, they purchased a home in Mayfair approximately one block from Caroline. It was a comfort to have her brother and his family nearby, and they spent much time together. Because Dante’s wife, Maria, worked, Caroline cared for her niece Florinda—named after Caroline’s beloved sister and affectionately called Saruccia—during the workweek.

For family vacations, Atlantic City was always the first choice, since Vincenzo’s brother Frank owned a holiday home there. Several cousins had also opened a popular pizza, spaghetti, and seafood restaurant in the resort town: Tony’s Baltimore Grill, established in 1927.

In 1971, however, Vincenzo decided to take the family to Italy. It was a six-week top-to-bottom tour, with extra time set aside for their hometown. It was their first return in nearly twenty years. When the family car arrived from the train station near the coast to Roggiano, Caroline believed the driver had taken them to the wrong town. “Everything looks so much smaller than I remember. Are you sure you heard me right? This is NOT Roggiano?!”

In 1974, Vincenzo and Caroline purchased a holiday home on the next block from Uncle Frank’s in Atlantic City. Caroline and Luciana would spend much of the summer there, with Vincenzo and Vincent arriving for weekends. By then, son Frank often had plans of his own.

There were several other trips to Italy, the last in 2006. Caroline returned home from that trip with a broken foot after a misstep off a curb in Roggiano. There was also a month-long stay with cousins in Argentina in 1993, visits to a nephew and his family in Australia in 2004, and travels to Las Vegas, St. Maarten, Canada, Key West, Washington, D.C., and beyond.

In 1977, a year after the casino referendum passed, the family decided to make a larger investment in Atlantic City and purchased a bigger home at 15 N. Providence Avenue, located one and a half blocks from the beach and Boardwalk. It was a large Dutch Colonial with two small apartments on the ground floor. It also featured a spacious back garden with room for entertaining and a vegetable garden. Caroline adored fruits and vegetables, and you could often find her tending the plants. Truly, this was one of the joys of her life. She also loved caring for houseplants and had a true green thumb.

For several years, Caroline was a landlady, collecting monthly rent from Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia, the other Atlantic City house, and the two ground-floor apartments on North Providence. When son Frank had tenants at his house at 19 N. Providence, and Luciana and her husband Richard at 7 N. Providence, the family relied on Caroline to keep everyone in line with her assertive manner.

Speaking of Richard Migliaccio, he and Luciana were married in June 1987 and soon bought the house next door. At that point, Caroline—a Scorpio—had everyone within easy reach, with three family homes on North Providence Avenue.

A most joyous event occurred in June 1989 when Luciana and Richard became parents for the first time, welcoming Victoriana. To say Caroline was a doting grandmother would be a gross understatement.

Life in Atlantic City was very full for Caroline. Besides being a grandmother and co-gardener, she enjoyed the casino. At least two or three times a week, she would make her way after dinner—usually to the Tropicana, about three blocks away—to play blackjack. This surprised the family because she had never really been much of a card player. It was likely the excitement of the casino and the prospect of winning money that attracted her. She became quite adept at the game. In fact, she would give a dirty look and make a gently disparaging remark to anyone in the anchor seat who drew a card when the dealer showed a two or three, thereby causing everyone to lose if the dealer did not break.

There were birthday and holiday functions, visits from family and friends, and joyful gatherings throughout the years.

Caroline was an excellent cook, specializing in pasta dishes, spaghetti sauce, roasted Cornish hens, pork loin, cutlets, meatloaf, and truly fine turkey gravy and stuffing. She also excelled at holiday baked goods such as Easter bread, Christmas wine cookies, and filled half-moon cookies. She later learned to knit and crochet as well.

In many ways, the Atlantic City years were golden. Casino gaming, shows, even meeting celebrities on occasion. Collecting rents. Fresh vegetables and fruit at the ready. A beautiful little granddaughter. A beloved older cousin, Grace, who lived above the Baltimore Grill. And walking the Boards was always a breath of fresh sea air. Life was good.

As Vincenzo approached retirement, the thought of purchasing a home in Florida became more prominent. He tolerated the cold weather less and less. Vincenzo, Caroline, and Vincent chose Port Orange, near Daytona Beach in east-central Florida. A home was purchased in 1990—comfortable, airy, and spacious. At first, Vincenzo and Caroline spent winters there while summering in Atlantic City. But in 1991, son Vincent relocated permanently, paving the way for the rest of the family to follow.

In 1995, the family decided to build a home in the Steeplechase subdivision in Countryside, Port Orange, large enough to accommodate Luciana, Richard, and Victoriana, as well as Vincenzo, Caroline, and Vincent. There was even room for more children if necessary. With a pool and jacuzzi, it had a resort-like feel. The Atlantic City properties were sold, as was the original Florida home. This new residence was located about a five-minute drive from the beach, which Vincenzo enjoyed nearly every day.

Richard and Luciana had two more children in succession, Vincent Richard and MarcAnthony, with Caroline and Vincenzo embracing grandparenthood to the fullest.

Because Vincenzo retired at sixty-five and remained in robust health, there were many years for him and Caroline to enjoy the Florida climate and amenities. Sharing that life with grandchildren was a special joy: Disney World, the beach, parks, amusements, and milestone family events.

Parish life at Church of the Epiphany in Port Orange was full and rich, with weekly attendance at Mass, Vincenzo serving as an usher, son Vincent in the music ministry, and the boys acting as altar servers. Dances, picnics, retreats, and friendships blossomed at post-Mass gatherings. Everyone at church knew Vincenzo and Caroline as the parents of Vincent “The Cantor.”

Son Frank worked for several years at the casino in Cherokee, North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Vincenzo and Caroline visited a couple of times and loved it.

Later, significant health issues for Vincenzo slowed things down. Then, in 2018, Frank was diagnosed with a major illness, to which he succumbed on April 6 at age sixty-five. It was a devastating loss, met with profound sadness by parents and family alike. Yet Vincenzo and Caroline supported one another and carried on. Then, Caroline lost her beloved partner in the summer of 2021 at nearly ninety-five years old and close to their seventieth wedding anniversary. She moved forward with dignity and strength.

In recent years, Caroline experienced several falls, including a few major ones that caused significant injuries. In most cases, she returned nearly to full strength. However, in September 2024, she fell at home and fractured her shoulder. Afterwards, fearful of falling again and unsteady on her feet due to vertigo, Caroline remained bed-bound for the rest of her life.

Luciana and Vincent cared for Caroline every day, with medical and personal services provided by hospice agencies for eighteen months. Additionally, Richard helped in every way he could. Caroline spoke of plans for after she recovered—where she would visit and what she would cook—almost to the very end. Her strength and positive spirit through this time were remarkable. But then, that was what made Caroline, Caroline.

A Gathering of family and friends will be held at Volusia Memorial Funeral Home, 548 North Nova Road, Ormond Beach, Florida, on May 13, 2026, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, followed by a funeral service at Volusia Memorial Funeral Home, 548 North Nova Road, Ormond Beach, Florida, on May 13, 2026, at 12:30 pm.

Final resting place will be at Volusia Memorial Funeral Home in Ormond Beach.