Theresa Elizabeth Molfetta

Theresa was born on November 20th, 1927 in Queens, New York. She was the youngest of six children that her mother raised by herself after the passing of her husband in 1929. She met Pasquale Molfetta while working together and nine months later on Sunday, May 9th, 1948 she married The Love of Her Life. They raised three children: William, Gerard, and Kathy while working side by side at their luncheonette. After moving to Arizona in 1977, they again worked together at the Village Tennis Club. In later years, Theresa worked at Godber’s Gift Stores and after retiring, went back to work as a “Lobby Lady” at McDonald’s.

Theresa’s greatest passion was her family. She boasted of being the richest woman in the world because of her family. She enjoyed spending her time with her grandchildren at their sporting events and family get togethers. Hockey rinks in Arizona will greatly miss Nana Molfetta and her presence in the stands. Nana always appreciated art whether it was a Kachina doll that Pasquale had carved or a picture that one of the grandchildren had drawn for her. She enjoyed traveling with her family and to Ireland to explore her heritage. And of course, she was an avid Diamondbacks and Suns fan.

Theresa is preceded in death by her husband Pasquale, her parents, and five brothers and sisters. She is survived by her children William (Silvia), Gerard (Louise), and Kathy (Jeff) and her grandchildren Cristina, Michelle, Sergio, Michael, Kenneth, and Patrick; great grandchildren Jackson, Santino, Leo, Karsten, Tucker, and Makenzie along with her many loving nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, January 12, 2020 at Phoenix Memorial Park and Mortuary from 4 to 8PM. At 9:15AM on Monday, January 13, 2020, there will be a Rosary said at St. James Catholic Church, followed by a funeral Mass at 10AM. Theresa will then be laid to rest with her beloved husband at The National Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 12:30PM. Donations in honor of Theresa may be sent to Sherman Home- Hospice of the Valley 5801 E. Mayo Blvd. Phoenix, AZ 85054.

~~~

Dear Mom

I love you and I miss you.

When I feel sad, I think about you and Daddy being together again.

That makes me happy!

Thank you for all of your love and everything that you always did for me.

Love Always,

Billy

~~~

Mom,

Thank you for raising our family with Daddy and teaching us to always love one another. From your humble beginnings you both created a family we are all proud of. You are the best Mom and Nana there could ever be. Please watch over us as we will always need your love and support.

Love,

Gerard and Louise

~~~

Dear Nana, my beautiful angel in Heaven,

You know how much I think of you and how much I miss you!

I think of you often and one of the last pictures we took together on my visit to Phoenix with Jackson comes to mind. It’s a picture that is engrained in my heart and in my mind. We both have the biggest smiles. The joy in our faces cannot contain the happiness of this moment - of grandma and granddaughter getting to visit and see each other after many months. The exuberance in your face also makes me think of that celebration in Heaven that occurred when you went Home to be with Jesus, Mary, and our Heavenly Father. I picture PopPop hugging you and dancing with you, not letting go, just so happy that you are finally together with him. I picture the smiles, the laughter, the hugs and all the rejoicing with your mommy and daddy, your sisters and brothers, and all our relatives.

Nana, I think of you and I thank God for blessing me with such a beautiful and wonderful Nana. I thank God for the many years I was able to enjoy with you. I am beyond blessed that part of you will always live in me. Nana, you always took the opportunity in each visit and phone conversation to let me know how much you loved me and how proud you were of me. I know each of your grandchildren can say the same. Nana, you gave us so much love and encouragement. You always showed us how special and important we were to you. Nana, this is a gift that will always be with me and will carry me until that moment that I will get to hug you and celebrate that we are together again!

I love you forever!

Cristina

~~~

With Nana’s passing, a library of loving memories lives on with Michelle, Darren, and Jackson. Michelle and Nana spent countless telephone hours sharing all things from their latest discoveries in practical and easy to prepare dinners to the ups and downs of their lives. Nana was one of Michelle’s greatest cheerleaders. Be it passing a test or going back to work and pursuing her teaching credential, she was always reminding her of how she was well able and could accomplish her goals. Michelle will always miss her Nana’s loving encouragement when it came to being a mom and a wife. She always knew she could tell Nana anything without the fear of judgement. They truly had a deep bond and love for each other. Jackson too has treasured memories of Nana. He especially loves hearing the story of when Nana, Aunt Kathy, and Patrick made a surprise visit when they flew to California for the day to visit her first great grandchild after he was born. Nana also purchased him his first “car” which after 14 years he still has. She told Michelle, “Now Jackson can say, ‘Nana bought me my first car!’” Darren has fond memories of Nana as well. Not a birthday went by that Nana did not send him a warm or funny birthday card. Nana also crocheted Darren a beautiful green and tan afghan that surely took many hours to make. This afghan is a cherished gift from Nana which will forever remind us of her love for Michelle, Darren and Jackson. Their memories and their love for her will always remain deep in their hearts.

~~~

NANA

Nana, you’ve left me with so many beautiful memories. From my first one-eyed Jack sandwich, to walks in the mall with you and Popop, to you walking down the aisle at my wedding. We even shared many grown up conversations. You were always so true and honest with your words. You were so proud of your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. I am going to miss your kind words that you shared with me about my wife and children. I know that one day we will meet again and share all of our beautiful memories. Until then, I will continue to live on with the signs that I see and hear from you and Popop every day. The signs of our new neighborhood owl and the new hummingbird that buzzes so close every day. I love you and will always remember you.

All my love, your buddy,

Serge.

~~~

Nana, you where an awesome great grandma. You gave me your cookies. Nana, I liked when you played cards with me, Tino, Jackson, my mom and my dad. I liked when me and Tino rode the tiny bike. We loved you so much and we always will. We all loved you.

Love,

Leo

~~~

Nana Banana, you have left so many wonderful things for me to remember you by. Whenever I came into town and me and my family came to visit you, you would always give me what I wanted. First, you would always let me sit on that foot bicycle. Second, you would always give me those dark and milk chocolate Milano cookies. Those are probably some of my favorite memories of you. I loved you so much and I still do! I know your time is done here, but when my time is done as well, I can’t wait to see you again up there. I love you so much for being my great grandma but, just in general I love you so much. You will always be my Nana Banana forever and ever even when we are up in Heaven. I love you so much. I can’t wait to see you again.

Love, Santino

~~~

Nana~

As you can see, you left quite an impression on my children, Sergio and myself. You may have left us here on Earth, but you have left a legacy. Without you, not one of these family members could be here! I will miss our visits to Arizona. Having coffee and cookies and talking about the past, the present, and the future. You were so proud of your grandchildren and great grandchildren. You always had such kind words to say to me. I will miss you telling me how proud you were of our family and how you were always so impressed with our boys, Santino and Leo. And the rocking chair…you knew my love for antiques and old things. I was honored to take that rocking chair and will continue to make fond memories with it. It is just another way of having you around us at all times. Thank you Nana! You behave up there and until we meet again.

Warmly,

Jen

~~~

Theresa Molfetta……Also known as my Nana.

As one of many grandchildren known to Nana; I want to help you comprehend and understand she was my Nana. I’d like you to pay attention and see if you can recall how many times, I coin the phrase “My Nana.”

We all have people that come and go in life and several that impact us forever. I’d like to take a moment and share some lifelong impacts, Nana’s professional accomplishments, and quotes to live by while in closing share lyrics from Nicholas Lofton Hexum.

Lifelong impacts:

My Nana- Milestone Moments-grade school show and tell

My Nana- 8th grade graduation

My Nana- high school graduation

My Nana- college graduation

My Nana- our wedding

My Nana- Karsten and MaKenzie’s births

My Nana- hockey (travel hockey, high school hockey, my biggest fan) In college after my competitive hockey days were over my friends and I would play basketball at the local community center where My Nana would go with me so she could walk the track above while I competed.

My Nana- Friday night pizza (Rays, Luckys, #1 Brothers) She was so beautiful and I remember several occasions where people would refer to her as my Dad’s wife. So, either he looks old or she was beautiful inside and out……I’ll let you decide.

My Nana- cabin trips to Payson seemed like every other weekend when I was a kid and had downtime from hockey and BTM.

My Nana- vacations up northern Az and California particularly Del Mar, CA. For someone who loved the beach, my goodness did she burn, it was like building Fort Knox around her sometimes to shield the sun.

My Nana- roommate in college. The movie Grandma’s Boy gives some insight to our relationship.

My Nana- was the driving force behind me marrying my wife. Speaking of Nana driving……right before she stopped driving, one day we were going for a ride. We drove down her street and I can tell she is going way too fast. So, I asked her how fast are we going? She replies I don’t know; I glance over and see 40MPH in a 25MPH residential.

My Nana- # you could always call, still have her Voicemails saved, checking in saying hi and how proud she is of all of us. Plus, her best compliment……I Love You.

My Nana- biggest supporter of family, family first (our wedding stayed at our house all night working on finishing touches)

My Nana- visited me at work while working (refused a walker or wheelchair while doing so)

My Nana- May 2018 we went back to Long Island, New York to celebrate Jackie’s life. Everyone could sense peace in Nana as she remembered how this all got started, shared stories, and where it is today. Aunt Kathy and My Nana fought like hell with her health issues to make it across the country amongst other travelers, but they persevered; a round trip with the sweetest little old stubborn Irish blooded New York Lady.

My Nana- time spent together we enjoyed: cooking, coffee, beer, sports, family, and her great grandkids. She gave Karsten his first cookie, a Milano. Politics she kept quiet on unless you lived with her and she was well versed.

In the past few weeks MaKenzie has started walking and speaking some words: ma ma, da da, pa pa, and of course nana to which there’s no doubt in my mind that My Nana has something to do with it regardless of nature’s progression.

Karsten aka Her “Little Buddy” shares the similar passion as his Nana for companionship and love of dogs and birds. Just like Nana would ask for Karsten, Karsten asks for his Nana.

My wife Jordan has a heart unrivaled by the one and only “My Nana”. Their shared passion for love and family continue to honor Nana’s Legacy and guide us in time of challenges and obstacles.

My Nana’s Professional Life

Accomplishments:

-Mother of 3

-Candy Store Owner/Operator

-Biggest pet peeve fresh coffee

Godber’s local retail store- Iconic Az Malls Southwest Culture Pieces

McDonalds Lobby Lady, customer service

My Nana’s quotes:

Shit or get off of the pot- WhoWho

Keep working hard, you’ll get a break- Nana

One of Nan and I’s last conversations was My Nana giving me a hard time for crying while she was in the hospital. We both knew our shared time here on earth was about to end but I wasn’t crying tears of sadness they were of gratefulness, peace, and gratitude to her and the gifts she had shared…..

Tranquility:

Journey in peace now

You don’t have to be afraid

Though mistakes, they have

Been made

Journey in peace now

Journey in peace now

You don’t have to be afraid

Though mistakes, they will be made

Journey in peace now my friend

No you can’t walk around it

You have to walk right through it

My father told me that so long ago

Every time that you ignore it

It gets a little more you just have

To walk toward

The fear to go

Don’t be afraid, it’s all part of the plan for us

Don’t be afraid, it’s all part of the plan for us

All that you hold dear

Is on the other side of that fear

Whoa oh

-Nicholas Lofton Hexum

My Nana is at peace and home with WhoWho and her GOD. She prepared us all for this moment and her wish was be celebrated vs mourned. She lived her life to the fullest and worshipped her GOD every day, no one can ever compare, all we can do is our best to honor her and lead by example.

So, yea…. that’s My Nana!

I love you Nana,

Michael

~~~

Dear Nana,

Thank you for always being there for me and our family. You always told me to be caring, work hard and love the people closest to me. There are so many memories I want to share about you and I, it’s almost impossible to put them into words. You were always there at every hockey game and travel tournament; every school graduation and nearly every California vacation. You came to visit me down in Tucson so many times with Dad; I will cherish those moments forever. Just knowing I could make you proud by graduating College and being successful at work gives me great peace now that you are gone. I know you love us and you know we love you too, forever.

I'll never forget when I came out to you and told you I was gay. I asked Aunt Kathy to be with me, just in case. I was so scared. I didn't know what to expect and I didn't want you to hate me for something I was only starting to understand about myself at the time. My favorite quote of yours from that moment "Well, I know you had lots of friends that are girls but no girl friends". Right then I knew, you knew something was up; and you didn't bat an eye at it. Knowing I had your love and support helped give me the confidence I have today. When I came out to you in college I was terrified for a lot of reasons; the biggest was that I had met someone who I now know is my soulmate, who I desperately wanted to be a part of our family. Once you met Adam, your love only grew. You never hesitated to accept him as one of our family members and make us feel comfortable no matter what. All you ever showed us is love and support, even defending me from people you knew for a long time who didn't understand who we are. From what Aunt Kathy told me, you said "you would change your mind if someone in your family was gay" and when they responded negatively to that, you decided we were more important than that friendship.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, you are right. Family is everything. For us, family is not only our blood relatives, but the people closest to us in our lives. Thank you for helping me to understand. I love you with all my heart and miss you every day. I wish I could see your smiling face and say "Hey Nan, What’s up" or spruce up your yard/garden for you. Rest in Peace. We love you.

Love,

Ken & Adam

~~~

Christmas Eve

Every year Nana would spend Christmas Eve with me and my parents. From when I was little our tradition was to wrap presents and make sugar cookies during the day. Then before bed we would all sit together in the living room and read the same “The Night Before Christmas” book.

Nana & Grandma

Something I will always remember is how my Nana and Grandma were inseparable at every family event. Growing up with a lot of family around on both my Mom’s side and my Dad’s side meant there were a great deal of shared holidays and birthday parties with everyone. Something I could always count on was the two of them sitting in the corner sipping on wine and laughing about something. One memory that stands out to me was my high school graduation. At the end of the ceremony there was a huge swarm of students and parents trying to find each other. Since my Nana and Grandma were older and shouldn’t be trying to hike up the bleachers, they were allowed to sit in the handicap section down on the field. We specifically told the both of them to keep their phones on them so when the ceremony was over, we could call them and find them. Of course, they did not do that. Instead, they were just sitting around talking and laughing like usual while the rest of us were calling them and running through the crowd trying to find them. Once we found them and asked them why they had not been answering their phones, they told us they were in their purses and could not hear them. Apparently, that was hilarious to them. Thinking back to it now, I can’t think of a better way to describe the two of them. They were great friends that always found a way to make our family get togethers so much fun.

Milano Cookies

At a young age, Nana shared her love for Milano cookies with me. Over time, it became a tradition for us to sit down and have milk and cookies. She made sure that there were always Milano’s in her house. On Friday nights, my parents and I would take Nana out for pizza. As I got older and started driving, it became my responsibility to drive Nana home many nights. Even though we just ate a bunch of pizza and wings, I had to make sure I had room for milk and cookies. It didn’t matter what time I brought her home, we would still sit down at her kitchen table to eat Milano’s together. Since Nana’s passing, I make sure to have a bag or two of Milano cookies hidden away in my house so I can have a few when I am thinking about her.

500 Rummy

If you don’t think a little old lady would lie and cheat to your face, you have never played cards with Nana. We spent countless nights at the cabin playing 500 Rummy and somehow, she would win 99.9999% of the time. I am pretty sure she was hiding a second deck of cards under the table. As much as I joke about the crazy old lady and her cards, those nights will be with me forever.

F-250

At one point, I was driving a lifted Ford F-250 that was hard for a lot of people to get in and out of. Shortly after purchasing the truck, I called Nana and told her that I wanted to have dinner with her. One night, I picked up dinner from Macaroni Grill, one of her favorite places, and came to her house in the new truck. Prior to getting to her house, my mom called me and told me not to take Nana for a ride in the truck because she was worried about her getting in and out since the truck was so tall. As soon as I pulled in, she was in shock by the truck. It was a quite a bit bigger than the Ranger that I normally drove her around in. Immediately, she told me to take her for a ride. I had no intention of taking her for a ride because I had the same concerns as my mom. I put her off and told her we should go eat dinner first thinking that maybe if she is full, she won’t be up for getting in the truck. I was wrong. Reluctantly, I agreed to take her for a ride. We took her stool out from under the kitchen table where she always used it as a foot rest and brought it to the truck. I then helped her onto the stool, from there I would boost her up onto the side step of the truck and into the seat. We went for a ride around the neighborhood and she had the biggest smile on her face. She told me she loved her new truck. As soon as I heard that I knew I was in trouble. We got back to her house and realized the stool technique we used to get her in the truck wasn’t going to work when trying to get her out. Instead, I had to pick her up out of her seat and set her on the ground. From that point on, she wanted to ride in her big truck. Every Friday night for pizza I would pick her up, literally, and take her to pizza. A huge pet peeve of mine is seeing lifted trucks in handicap parking spots. I know in some cases trucks are modified for the owner to be able to get in and out of the truck but mine was not one of those trucks. I told Nana that if she wanted to ride with me, we would be parking farther out. I refused to use her handicap placard and park in a handicap spot. With that being said, she still rode with me week after week. As kind as she was, she was as much if not more hardheaded and stubborn. When she made up her mind there was nothing that was going to change it. I saw that first hand when she got in “her” new truck.

Love,

Patrick

~~~

Nana was really special to me. When my Manina would tell me we were going to Arizona, I would get so excited because I knew I would get to see Nana. Sometimes Nana would get surprised that we were there to see her and it would put a huge smile on her face. Other times, she knew we were coming and she would be looking out her window waiting for us. When we were there, we would take Nana out for breakfast. We would pick her up around 9 and go to her favorite diner. These last times, we would go to Denny's. It was so fun because she would tell me stories about her and PopPop working in their candy shop in New York. It is so cool to think that Nana had her own candy shop! Nana cared about me so much that she even drove all the way from Phoenix to LA and back with Aunt Kathy just to see me when I was born. I don't really remember that too much, but my mom says Nana made such a special trip just for me. Nana had a beautiful smile that we would all love to see one more time. She always told me to work hard and to try my best in everything I do. I couldn't ask for a more beautiful and loving Nana!

~~~

Our mom; a beautiful, strong and loving woman lived a full life of 92 years and witnessed immeasurable changes over the course of eleven decades. And if she were to tell you her story, she would undoubtedly say that she lived a very good life and was so thankful for it all.

She was born Theresa Elizabeth Peters on November 20, 1927 to Martin Peters and Mary Morgan Peters in a section of Queens, NY that was then called Blissville. She was the youngest of 7 children: Marty, Mary, Billy, Johnny, Cecilia and Thomas who passed away in infancy. In less than two years, her father passed away in 1929 leaving her mother a widow with a young family to raise on her own in the same year as the start of Great Depression. Over the years, Mommy would tell me stories of how difficult life was with very limited money; forcing her to often go to the neighborhood bakery to ask for free day-old bread. The lack of dental care caused her to need multiple tooth extractions as a young woman expecting her first child. And she and her siblings were forced to get jobs without finishing high school because they needed to help support the family. Although she did share some of her experiences, she also told me that there were things that were so awful from those times that she would never share them with anyone. Above all else, she said that the hardest part was not having a father. She said that as a little girl, she would feel so sad when she would see the men in the neighborhood come home to their families after work but she didn’t have a daddy to come home to her.

Amazingly, despite the hardships of her life, she would also find a way to see the positives…getting a rare new dress or a doll on her birthday and especially that somehow her mom managed to find the money for her to go to dance classes as a teenager. As a young girl, she babysat for a neighbor’s twin boys and another little one who was so close in age that they seemed like triplets…”The Mulligans”. She always spoke so fondly of them and their mother, Kay. She truly enjoyed her time with them and even had the opportunity to vacation with them. She was so thankful to have a distraction from the difficulties of life at home.

When Mommy was twelve years old, her nephew Jackie was born. Because of his own mother’s health issues, our grandmother brought him to live in their home. It was during this time that he and Mommy formed a special bond that would last throughout their lives. He was more like a brother or son to her than a nephew. They remained extremely close over the years; he and his family always held a special place in her heart and at 90 years old, she insisted on travelling to New York for his memorial service.

After leaving high school, Mommy would begin the first of many jobs that she would hold over the course of her life. She started at the cake counter at Schrafft’s and then moved on to Bonwit Teller, a department store in Manhattan. If my memory is correct, I don’t think that she particularly liked the girls that she worked with and decided to leave that job. Mommy was pretty particular about her friends and definitely did not live a wild life. Her idea of a big night out was going to into the city for a late Mass on a Saturday night! But that does not mean that she didn’t have a mischievous side too. Her sister Cecilia was dating an Italian man and for some reason they took Mommy along on their date. Well, for some crazy reason she decided that her sister shouldn’t be with an Italian. So as they got on the subway, she managed to hold her sister back, leaving him on the other side of the door as it closed and with a wave, sent him on his way never to be seen again. The irony of that story is that she had completely different feelings when she met her Italian man!!

Mommy’s next job would definitely change her life…she applied for a job at Knickerbocker Laundry. And as she would often say, “ I had no experience and I don’t know where I got my nerve, but I told the owner that I want a job in the office because I’m not touching anybody’s dirty laundry” and amazingly that is exactly what she got. And this is also where she met our Dad; the love of her life. He was a driver there and was interested in taking her out. She kept putting him off; telling him that her best friend Marie liked him and that he should ask her out instead. But he was persistent and as luck would have it, she won the World Series Office Pool. When he tried to tell her that she had won, she ran into the ladies room to avoid him. Well, he waited her out and somehow talked her into going on a date…that was in September, by January they were engaged and on May 9, 1948, they were married and she began the best years of her life.

As a young bride, Mommy didn’t have much cooking experience but armed with her Good Housekeeping cookbook, she was determined to learn. I remember her telling me of her attempt to cook fresh Brussel sprouts. Even though she had was washed them well, once she put them in boiling water, small bugs began to escape from the under the leaves…needless to say, it was frozen Brussel sprouts from that day on. Although our parents had an amazing relationship like no other that I have ever witnessed in my lifetime, it was not without occasional hiccups. One evening early in their marriage, Daddy mentioned that he did not like what she had prepared and without missing a beat, she picked up his plate and dumped the food in the trash. As easy going as she was, she definitely knew how to draw the line when she wanted to and we all knew not to cross it!

As for our parents’ relationship, it was an amazing thing to see. Because Daddy has been gone for so many years, the younger members of the family missed the privilege of seeing it first hand as their children had. They were the most compatible couple that I have ever seen. Within 7 years of being married and with two young sons…Billy born in 1949 and Gerard in 1953, they decided to buy their first business. “ The Candy Store” in Floral Park sold candy, newspapers, magazines, cigars, cigarettes and toys and had a full service fountain for sodas, ice cream and sandwiches. Neither of them knew the first thing about running a business much less one that served food plus they had to sell their home for the down payment. Despite it all, they decided that they could do it. In fact, they were so naïve, they weren’t sure if they were paying $2,300 or $23,000 for the business, it was $23,000! After signing the papers, they had less than $100 in the bank and a loan to pay off. With that first store and their many endeavors over the years, it seemed that they were both equally up for the challenge. I often wonder if because they both had such hard childhoods and lost a parent at a young age they felt that whatever happened it couldn’t be any worse than what they had already lived through. Mommy would often say that she would always tell Daddy “We can do it!!”

The Candy Store became a second home for us kids. I was born three years after they bought it and it is where I spent many hours of my early life. We had a back yard where we had a 2 foot deep swimming pool, a swing set and Gerard’s tomato garden even though he didn’t like tomatoes. The boys had their trains set up in the basement and we had the back room for our toys. And if we were sent into that same back room, we knew that we were in trouble and it wasn’t for playtime! Daddy opened the store early in the morning and Mommy would stay home to get the boys off to school. Then she and I would head down there for the day and she would work along side Daddy. After school, Billy and Gerard would come to the store to do their homework and we would have dinner there. The 5 of us would sit on the stools at the counter as we ate our meal while our parents also waited on the customers who came and went. Because the boys had to be up early for school, they would go home to the apartment across the street after dinner. But since I wasn’t in school yet, I got to stay at the store until it closed at 10 PM and then went with my parents for coffee and dessert after a long work day. What 4 year old gets to do that ??? Although it was fun while it lasted, boy was I in for a rude awakening when I found out that I would have an 8:00 bedtime once I started school too!!

After 9 years at the candy store, Mommy and Daddy decided that it was time to move from Queens and head out to Long Island. So, they sold the store and bought a coffee shop in the Court House in Commack and we moved to our new house in Kings Park. Life changed for all of us; the challenges of a new business for our parents, new schools for Gerard and I, the start of Billy’s commute to the city and the excitement of a big, new house with a real bedroom for the boys to share. Life was good but still had it challenges. Over the course of 18 years, Mommy and Daddy would buy and sell a total of 6 businesses…2 candy stores, 3 luncheonettes and 1 hero shop in both New York and California; each change was made in the hopes of making things better for their family. And through it all, they worked side by side with us kids helping along the way. We all cashiered, waited tables, washed dishes and did whatever needed to be done to keep the businesses going. Despite the work, there was always time for us to play and I don’t know about my brothers but I amassed quite a collection of Mad Magazines and Archie comic books not to mention having an unlimited supply of candy and ice cream at our fingertips!!

Our parents worked hard and put in long hours, but when circumstances allowed; there were family vacations to Lake George, Florida and even Arizona in August, driving across the country in a car without air conditioning! I’ll never forget Billy dropping gum into my hair, the evaporative cooler hung on the car window and Mommy hyperventilating in the back seat of the Mercury while passing through Oklahoma…installing that air conditioner at Montgomery Wards at Christown Mall in Phoenix was definitely a worthwhile investment!

We were a tight unit of 5; what we did, we did together as a family. They were devoted to each other and to us...their family meant everything to them. I can count on one hand the number of times that I heard them have a disagreement in all of those years. They never, ever called each other by their first names; it was always Babe, Sweetheart or Magee…not sure where that one came from but it seemed to be one of their favorites! They enjoyed being together both at home and at work. They performed like a well-oiled machine especially during a busy lunch rush. They could turn out those orders so seamlessly it was as if they could read each other’s minds. I cannot express what if felt like to be raised in such a loving and stable environment where you never had a doubt that your parents would both be there for you. Mommy and Daddy never made a lot of money and their business choices were not without risks but we always knew that they loved us and would do whatever they needed to do keep a roof over our heads and food on our table.

Mommy and Daddy continued to work together until 1974 when they sold their last business in California. We had moved there in 1973 because Billy, Silvia and Cristina had already relocated there the year before. It had been very important to them to keep the family together, so they sold our house and the “Huntington” restaurant as they called it and off we went. Although they bought small luncheonette in San Fernando, CA to run together and they were blessed with another beautiful granddaughter, Michelle; Daddy just couldn’t adjust to living in California and missed his siblings very much. So, they made the decision to move back to New York which was very difficult because it meant leaving Billy, Silvia and their granddaughters behind. Once back in New York, they did not have an easy time finding jobs and Daddy was forced to work as a night manager at a local diner. Not only did he have to deal with customers who would often stop in after a long night of drinking at the bar, he also didn’t have his partner by his side. After what seemed like 3 very long years, they realized that moving back was not what they had hoped it would be and decided to move again. This time it was to Arizona, where they both had always wanted to move since that vacation in 1964. So again, we packed up and headed across the country; I have to say that we were getting pretty good at the routine!! Gerard and Louise had just married and moved to Arizona at the same time. Now, we were all back out west and closer to Billy’s growing family; Mommy and Daddy’s first grandson Sergio would join us the following year and we were safe from the California earthquakes!!

After taking separate jobs for a short time, they of course ended up working together one last time. Daddy was managing the snack bar at a tennis club and found that he needed some extra help and guess who was available…Mommy!! So they were back together; side by side where they belonged. They continued to work there for the next few years and during that time, they bought their house, I married Jeff and Louise and Gerard gave them two more amazing grandsons…Michael and Kenneth. They also found time to travel to California, New York and Hawaii and around Arizona for their infamous day trips to get a cup of coffee. Over time, Daddy started to experience health issues; he retired and discovered his amazing hidden artistic talent and began carving Kachina dolls. Mommy went to work at Godber’s at Metrocenter and of course Daddy was her chauffer. He would take her there each morning, no doubt walking her safely into the store and then arriving back several hours before quitting time. He would patiently sit on the bench outside the store and surely doing some people watching while waiting for his Sweetheart.

Sadly, Daddy passed away on November 3, 1990; 43 years after they first met. Mommy was by his side every day at the hospital and as much as she didn’t want to live without him, she was thankful when his suffering came to an end. It was a very difficult time for all of us and as devastating as her loss was, this was when I saw what a strong woman Mommy was and had always been. Growing up, I never realized that because Daddy did such a great job of taking care of her and always protecting her. Now on her own, she demonstrated the strength and courage that had sustained her when she was a young girl. She made a conscious decision to not make us feel like it was our job to spend all of our free time with her. She remained living in their home, continued working, now driving herself back and forth, and then babysitting her newest grandson, Patrick born less than 6 months later. She really enjoyed her time with him; they formed a special bond and I think that he gave her a reason to go on. After retiring from Godber’s; she worked as a “Lobby Lady at McDonald’s, spent time with friends, become part of walking club, made her weekly trip to “The Fort” to play Bingo and even travelled to Ireland twice to see the land where her father was born.

The last 29 years on her own had to have been bittersweet for Mommy. Although she greatly missed her soul mate each and every day that they were apart; she would tell you that she was very thankful for all of the experiences she had with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. There were family parties, Christmas celebrations, graduations and countless games whether it be the Suns, Diamondbacks or her grandsons playing; she loved them all, plus trips to both California and New York with Gerard or I and our boys. I do not that think that there was a single person that she did not tell how proud she was her three children, 6 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren…Jackson, Santino, Leo, Karsten, Tucker and Makenzie. She loved being their Nana and was so thankful for each of them. She would always say that she didn’t understand why we were all so good to her and I would tell her that it was because we all loved her very much!!

Well Mom, I hope that I’ve done a good job of telling your story but I’m sure that you are saying that as usuaI I had too much to say and that I can never “shut that mouth”!! I only hope that I truly expressed what an extraordinary woman you’ve always been. You never expected sympathy for the hard times that you experienced; you accepted the challenges as they came your way and stayed strong until the end of your time with us. I know that you would have been so proud of your six “boys” as they escorted you on your final journey; they are all such amazing men. You and Daddy created an incredible family and I am so honored to be a part of it. I think of you everyday day and miss knowing that I could call you at any time and you would always be happy to hear from me. My hope is that your Daddy was waiting to greet you and that you are finally able to hold the hand of your Sweetheart again.

I love you, Mommy

Kathy