Her family? First, her husband Emil. Now, first off, I had to pronounce it with three syllables ... say "Ay-mee-el" ... I'm not sure why but he always made a point of it to me while growing up. [And as you've noticed, this being my page, it's my impressions.] Perhaps more importantly, they were one of the classic loving couples ever on earth. They would have been married sixty years this May (?) but she always hated parties (and particularly pictures) so I'm not too surprised that she left us before that. Anyway, you have never seen a more perfect couple.
They have one daughter, Carol (no longer Carol Ann, as I'm no longer Anthony), who had the opportunity a few days ago to read some of the love letters that they exchanged early on in their relationship. If I may paraphrase one: "Bowl a 200 tonight. And come home soon as I miss you. Don't you love me anymore?" Encouraging, poignant and humorous all in one note. And yes, Uncle Emil has bowled all his life.
Speaking of Carol, she and I have been very close all my life; she was nine when I was born and was the first in my family to find out that I'm gay (I haven't surprised any of my other relatives now, have I?). She has two children of her own (she's divorced now from Tom for a few years), Nicole, in her early 20's and living with her in Connecticut, and Matt, in his late teens (hey, if we're not mentioning a lady's age ...) and a student at Boston University. They're both great offspring; Nicole particularly has her mother's habits and gestures which are a direct descent from my Aunt Annie.
In a page like this, one wonders exactly what to say. She'd been a part of my life for so long; do I tell you anecdotes or things about her? Did you know that she smoked most of her life? A few packs of Chesterfields or Pall Malls, unfiltered? And it might not even have been those brands? You know how memory serves! She quit them a few years ago (yes, she died of cancer ... feel free to make a donation to the American Cancer Society). Interestingly, for years we were sure that she managed to turn them into proteins, along with the tea, boiled chicken and pieces of plain cake or cookies that seemed to be her main diet. Years ago, there was an operation that left her with the inability to eat the incredible foods (particularly, my favorite dish, her lasagna) that she cooked for everyone else. I might be wrong in this, my it's my impression that just recently they discovered what was wrong; in her last year she seemed to be able to eat things she hadn't for years.
Can I tell you about her voice? Yes, years of cigarettes left her with that deep-throated rasp known to Jewish matrons in Florida. I loved it. Recently, once she gave up cigarettes her voice actually returned to normal!
Odd aside ... I believe that the daughters of Rose Sorvillo inherited her incredible ability to change reality. Oh, yes, Grandma was known for her ability to change the weather if necessary (indeed, that was one of her particular skills). A couple of years ago, my Aunt Tessie (who also passed from cancer without having smoked for half a century) left at a specific time while in a coma! A few minutes before her husband arrived (she didn't want to upset him), in her favorite nurse's arms (who had just come on duty), and the day after her mother's birthday. I believe that my aunt also chose her time (the doctors couldn't give her a firm answer on chemo/radiation treatments and wanted her back in the hospital on Monday); she wouldn't even stick around for her birthday in March, much less her wedding anniversary. She knew we'd throw a party, I'm sure. As for Grandma, she died in her late nineties. But she had Alzheimers; and when they put her in the nursing home she declared, in one of her last moments of lucidity, that she wouldn't last the year. She passed quietly in her sleep (from no know disease) at day 364.
Many of my friends in the Christian community will be writing me, I'm sure, to say that I should have told them so that they could put my aunt in their prayers. My relatives who are reading this know better. They should pray to her, as she stands before the throne of God, to pray for them. As the priest said in his eulogy, her penances were remarkable short. Oh, I should probably add that his eulogy was somewhat light (Bryan felt somewhat inappropriately so, especially in references to her confessions). At one point he admitted that since his aunt also had cancer, he asked her (in the confessional booth no less) where she got the turbans that she wore to cover her hair loss! Oh, yeah, if he's not gay than I'm the Queen of ... hey, stop that!
I'm not sure what else I want to tell you. Over the next few weeks, I think I'll continue to change this page. I will add more pictures as I figure out how to scan them (I have a bunch of Polaroids that just aren't working). Also, I'll add comments and corrections as I receive them from my relatives.
But many of you knew about my aunt and I just didn't feel that a one-liner in my diary page was going to do the trick for me. So thanks.