Maria Farese Andolino is my dad’s aunt, my grandmother’s sister. At 85, something she’s quite proud of, she’s the only woman from her family still alive (she’s got a couple brothers in Florida). As always, she’s a little Italian firecracker, even with her broken left arm.
She’s only been in Pahrump for a couple of years now and even though we moved here in the summer of 2000, the family still hadn’t been introduced to her.
When my dad’s cousin passed away in December, my Aunt Marie contacted my dad and found out I was living with my family in Henderson. She wasn’t pleased at all that we hadn’t contacted her since moving here.
So, welcome to New Year’s resolutions (which I really don’t endorse or practice; it’s just a coincidence really that our visit occurred in January) … we went to see Aunt Marie.
She was a bit skeptical when she first came to the door, but once I introduced myself, and yes, we called ahead so she was expecting us (we went through introductions a couple of times … gotta give her props for being as bright as she is at 85), she was happy to talk about the family and perfectly polite as she reviewed Vickey’s scrapbook work in progress (all pages on Eliana … Dominic’s day will come someday).
Marie told us about my Aunt Margaret. She said my grandparents had a baby girl before they had my dad. I guess she only lived a few hours. If that's true, this is the first I've heard of it. I'll have to let my dad and his twin siblings set the record straight on that one.
All in all, we had a fine trip. We left about 3 and got home at 8:30 p.m.
Believe it or not, Aunt Marie can still be found at Bally’s in the coffee shop 5 days a week (she worked for the MGM when it caught on fire in the 80s – correct me if I’ve got the wrong decade there).
Like I said before, you’ve got to give her props.
Also, a shout goes out to my Aunt Dolly (Francis Hempele), my dad’s father’s sister. I heard from my Aunt Betty that today’s my Aunt Dolly’s birthday!
1 comment:
Well, this is Aunt Betty and just want to confirm that yes there was a baby born before your father. The birthday I mentioned was Aunt Dolly (Francis) but Aunt Lucia (Lucy) is at the end of the month so close enough. There is one brother living in Florida, Uncle Bob. Aunt Marie is indeed a firecracker. It would be a good idea for someone in the family to do an oral history. She has many stories to tell as do Lucia and Francis. So glad you and the family got to spend time with her.
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