Since my grandfather’s 90th birthday is approaching, I feel that this is a good time to write some of my recollections of him throughout the years. As a child, I remember that grandpa would always have tootsie rolls on his end table and sometimes he’d even have other candy treats in his closet. I used to like looking at all the fruits and vegetables in his garden. He still always send every visitor home with zuchinni or tomatoes or other treats. .
As a child, I (Rosalie) always loved playing with Uncle Mike and Uncle Ricky. I’ve heard stories of my Uncles putting me in a roasting pan one Christmas when I was a baby. I remember my uncles swinging me by my hands and feet in the yard. My most vivid memory is of what I now call “Uncle Mike’s Game”. I remember him trying to teach me a new game where we’d see who could be quiet the longest. At the time, I had no idea that this was his way of getting me to shut up and sit still for a minute. Now, I’m trying to teach it to my two year old!
Recollections by Joe Ragucci (in conjunction with other discussions):
I have fond memories of my grandma Ragucci. She lived with us in the Port Reading barracks until we moved to Larch Street where she and Aunt Mary moved to an upstairs apartment. I would go upstairs and visit all the time especially when I came home from school. I would sit with her and do my homework. Grandma could not speak any English and I could not speak any Italian. But we had very few problems communicating because we could each understand the other language even though we didn’t speak it. Now that I’m older I wish I would have learned Italian, but no one thought it was important.
One time I recall very vividly is when President Kennedy was shot in Dallas. I remember being with my grandmother after school and seeing the events unfold on her television.
Recollections by Joe Ragucci (in conjunction with other discussions):
One of my vivid images of Marge was sitting next to the telephone in the kitchen talking quietly to her sister or one of her phone friends. The only place she ever went on her own was to her sisters who lived 4 blocks away. But even that was rare. The phone was her link to her world. My father would find out the lies she told to people and when he confronted her she would act as if she never said it. Continue reading
Conversation with Dominic Ragucci (recorded by Joe Ragucci):
Dom has begun to “sanitize” his memory of Marge based on her change of behavior during the last years of her life in Roosevelt Hospital Nursing Home. He now says “she wasn’t that bad” but that’s far from the truth. She was always a strange person. He admits that she was a “home-body”. He admits that it was always a challenge to get her to go anywhere. He remembers many times going to family events alone (or with his children) because she wouldn’t go. He never lied for her but said the truth that she didn’t want to go.
Dom remembers the next door neighbor knocking on the door one day when he came home asking if their child could have his ball back. When he confronted Marge she said she took it and put it down the cellar. She couldn’t stand kids (even her own children) playing near the house – even on the street. She would yell and chase them away. All the kids were afraid of her because she yelled and would steal their balls if it came near her.
Conversation with Terry C and Mary R (recorded by Joe Ragucci):
Aunt Mary began talking about the hallucinations that Grandma had for many years. She blames it on the cortisone she received to relieve pain. Grandma had Parkinson disease and cortisone and Parkinson don’t mix well. Grandma would imagine that I was crying downstairs because Marge wasn’t feeding me. I remember her yelling out the window about imaginary things. Marge was the focus of her imaginations because Grandma felt that Marge took Joseph away from her. The doctors tried medications but there was no solution.
Conversation with Terry C and Mary R (recorded by Joe Ragucci):
Delores and Angelina did everything together. When Delores became sick her mother Angelina was devastated. She couldn’t understand how this could happen. The signs of Delores’ illness began before Warren died. She was a retired teacher and would often substitute in Edison schools. She stopped substituting because she said that she couldn’t find her room. She was confused about the simplest things. Shortly after that Warren died suddenly and she went into a deep depression. He would do everything for her and now he was gone. I (Joe) remember seeing Delores and Angelina at Sunday Mass. For about 2 years Delores would cry constantly during the Mass. She couldn’t stop her grief. Eventually this led to hospitalization and eventually her early death. Dolores past away on Angelina’s 90th birthday. Once Delores died Angelina became angry at the world and deteriorated rapidly until her death.
Conversation with Terry C and Mary R (recorded by Joe Ragucci):
Uncle Leo loved Bob & Terry’s house in Watchung. He would stop by unannounced since he had his own key. Terry said he always had note cards in his pocket and would jot down things that needed to be done as he walked around. Then he’d come and fix things to keep busy. Many times he convinced Warren to come with him to do things. She remembers times when they started taking down wallpaper and painting, and trimming doors that were sticking. He just loved the house, but he would fix things there and let his own house go untouched.