| Subject: Goodbye, Nino, rest in peace |
Author:
JeffF
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Date Posted: 08:20:36 07/19/02 Fri
Sometimes, you have a loss that is greater than might at first be apparent. I say this, because I had not seen the man in five years, yet I will still miss him a lot.
It's the second time, that year, that I've lost somebody important to my early childhood.
My earliest years were in Springfield, Massachusetts. My Mom met her friend, Rita when they were both pregnant. My parents quickly became friends with Rita and her husband Nino. My sister was born, shortly before their daughter, Margie. Told she could not have kids, Rita and Nino had adopted three girls before Margie was born and later they would have a son, Jimmy, a moment Nino had long waited and prayed for.
They lived very close by and I would often be over at their house, swimming with their kids in that wonderful pool with a huge slide and playing shenanigans(anybody remember it?) and other board games, or just running around. They would serve very big meals(Italian Catholic family who often served really wonderful pasta type dishes).
Their house was the first I ever saw Christmas in and the kids would sometimes come over and share our celebrations with us too. Even as a young child, it touched me that Nino would always make sure I was comfortable, asking if my religion allowed me to eat things he was serving or telling me that they were going to say a Christian grace and asking if I wanted to stay and hear it, or if I wanted to go play in another room until they were actually ready to eat. Though I would usually stay, I was so happy to be asked. I had never encountered a deeply religious person who didn't try to force his religion on you, before Nino and it was great to know such people existed.
After we moved to Connecticut, we would still go to see them several times a year and they would come down to CT and swim in our community pool with us. It was around this time that Nino had to have an eye removed for reasons I have never been clear on. He didn't talk about it,and although you couldn't miss it, because he was still so much the same, you usually stopped noticing after a few minutes.
My Mom called their house the other day and was shocked to find out that Nino had died the day before. Apparently, he had a heart attack a few days before and they tried to revive him, but after three days could not and he was gone. Gathering my thoughts and memories here, before I get in touch with Rita and their kids. Whether or not you've seen somebody recently has little effect on how much of a loss it is. All the people who had a positive effect on your earliest years are important and I will miss a very kind and generous man with a very big heart.
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:) how moving...
Re: Goodbye, Nino, rest in peace