Conversation with Dominic Ragucci – recorded by Joseph Ragucci

Dom always talks to Rose and I about my mother and his first wife Rose.  He rarely talked about her when he was married to Marge.  But when Marge died he felt no restrictions to talk about what he feels.  It is clear that Rose was the love of his life.  He constantly talks about talking to her when things are not going right or he wants help for someone.  For example, when his sister Angelina died last week he told us that the first thing he did was ask Rose to take care of his sister.  He is strong believer that he will meet her when he passes from this world.  And, because of that, he says that he has no fear of dying. 

Dad says that he was always shy around women.  He would go out with his friends to dances and other gatherings but would stay in the background.  Rose would always show up and get him out on the dance floor.  She was the one who taught him how to dance.  It wasn’t until recently that he found out that Rose arranged to be where he was.  Dora, who was good friend, would find out where Dad’s friends were going and then tell Rose.  She would then know where Dad would be and make it her business to be there.  Dad did not want to be tied down so he tried not to get attached.  However, Rose knew that she was going to get him somehow. 

Just before Dad went into the marines, he got engaged to a girl from Elizabeth also named Rose.  He doesn’t know why he did it but he says that he didn’t want my mother to be attached to him because he was going into war and didn’t know if he would return.  When my mother told Dora that she was going to marry my father, Dora said that’s impossible because he was engaged.  But she didn’t let that discourage her.   After the war, my dad never looked up this Rose he was engaged to in Elizabeth.  She thought he died in the war (she found him after Marge died but that’s another story!).  So after the war Rose got her man, my father as she promised and it was the best thing that ever happened to him.