Recollections by Joe Ragucci (grandson):

When my grandparents were alive and living in Carteret, my father and I would stop by and visit every Sunday, usually in the morning.  My mother (Rose) had passed away and my father had remarried (Marge) but my Dad and I went religiously.   My recollections are of my grandmother cooking in the kitchen and my grandfather smoking a cigar usually on the back porch.  My grandfather was a tough man who said very few words.  My grandmother was very “motherly” and was always trying to feed you (like a good Italian grandmother). 

Typically, while we were there my Aunt Ester and cousin Ricky would come downstairs from where they lived and join us for socializing.  It was rare when my Uncle Yonce (Carl) would join us.  My most memorable memories are when Uncle Pat and Aunt Ann would visit from the Bronx (see other recollections).

My last memory of my grandmother was her lying on her deathbed at home and breathing her last.  My dad put a mirror under her nose to confirm she was dead.  Although it may sound morbid, it is a very peaceful memory for me.