Angela – Nanny
In all the years that I knew and loved her, she was called Nanny, Mama, Zia, and Mrs. Silvester. Neighbors never called her by her first name, and she was just as formal when she spoke with them. There must have been close friends and relatives that did call her Angela, but I never heard it. She kept to herself and always said, “you make a friend a block or a mile away, but never let your neighbors know your business.” She was friendly and cordial but rarely let barriers down to reveal her inner self. She was a proud vain little dynamo who ran her family with an iron hand – no one dared to cross her! She dressed impeccably, wore her white gloves and hat when she went out of the house, and for years, had her hair done every week in neat waves. She was every inch the lady and carried herself straight and as tall as her 4’8″ could stretch! (The height is approximate, and to many she appeared taller because she held her head high and stood so straight.) When she shopped for a new hat or dress, usually in a small shop where she was known, she spent quite some time deciding on the right choice. Her dresses were altered to her exact specification and each on hemmed at exactly 11″ from the floor (no more, no less). Her choice was always elegant.
She prayed to many of the Saints, and had special devotion to the Blessed Mother, The Most Precious Blood (she was born on that feat day). The Sacred Heart, St. Anthony and in later years, Mother Cabrini. Angela enjoyed reading the lives of the saints and, until the time of her death, spent some portion of every day reading the Bible. A day never went by without her saying the Rosary and reciting at least one Litany. When I stayed with her, it seemed like we were on our knees for hours! She told me that she didn’t pray half as much as her grandmother did and that when she was young she would pretend she had fallen asleep – I took my cue from that…..
Nanny was always independent and insisted that she would not live with any of her children. She loved to visit churches and attended many of the “festas” held in the Italian section of New York and Brooklyn. She would take trolleys and buses, transferring from one to another, never caring if it was a long journey. One of her favorite churches was St. Francis of Assisi on 34th Street and we spent many hours there. We’d take the Fifth Avenue double decker bus and ride for one & a half to two hours, and I specially loved it in the summer time when they had the open upper level. As I got a bit older (6 or 7), she’d let me go ‘topside’ where I could really enjoy the ride. Unfortunately, she didn’t like those buses because the ride wasn’t as smooth as the enclosed ones. The Franciscans held Novenas to St. Anthony every Tuesday and distributed bread (something like croutons) during the devotions. I loved that, because I could go up with everyone else (and I wasn’t old enough yet to go to the rail for Communion). After devotions she would kneel, many times with her hands outstretched, for what seemed to be an interminable time. I managed to make as many trips to the rest room as I could, just to get up and walk around.
She often dreamt of the saints, and said she saw them on occasion. Nanny had great devotion to Mother Cabrini and was absolutely thrilled when she was beatified and later proclaimed a saint. One night she dreamed that Mother Cabrini told her that she and St. Aloyious Gonzaga were her protectors. She awoke puzzled, as she had never heard of the saint M. Cabrini mentioned. She went over to the Shrine and related her dream to one of the nuns there (Mother Severina). Nanny was told that although it was not widely known, Mother Cabrini had great devotion to St. Aloysious Gonzaga.
One time when were were in church, following Benediction, she asked me if I saw the lab way up on one of the small platforms of the ornate marble facade behind the altar. She described exactly where he was and said, “You must see him now, he’s looking our way.” She said he turned and seemed to smile at her.
I lived with Nanny periodically for about five years. During that time she was good to me and we talked often. She told me many stories of her childhood, legends and superstitions of her town and stories of the lives of the saints. She didn’t mind that I wrote left-handed, but insisted I eat with my right hand, as food “is a gift from God, and the devil in in the left hand.” If she caught me eating with my left hand she would pinch it! Since I dawdled when I ate, she often left the room to do some chore, and THEN – I’d switch hands and finish eating! She was naturally left-handed also, but ate and learned to write with her right hand, as she had also been chastised for using the ‘wrong hand.’
In September 1953, she took a fall, either trying to get into our out of the bathtub. She finally alerted a neighbor who called Lee and Frank’s house. Frank called an ambulance and he & I went to her apartment. She was taken to Jewish Memorial Hospital and admitted. I was asked to give her personal facts and when I said her age was 85, she interrupted and said “82!” She still had to take off three year’s worth! (She never admitted her age to anyone!) She said she saw many of the saints and just wanted to join them in heaven. The eventual cause of death was pneumonia and was at last at peace with her beloved Savior on October 5, 1953.
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Vito – Grandpa
Grandpa was four years older than Nanny and was born in 1864. He was a dapper handsome man, although small in stature. He carried himself straight and bore the grace of a gentleman, belying the twinkle in his eye. He wore spats when he dressed up and always looked so sharp. Oh yes, he wore the typical watch and chain! He had a tremendous appetite and really appreciate good cooking. He would eat very slowly and I was amazed at the amount he could consume (and also fidgeted at the amount of time we had to spend at the table.)
Grandpa would take me on his lap and tell me funny stories and was always so gentle. I loved him so and wished I could have gotten to know him better. Charlotte recalls that her most vivid remembrance of him was his making her zwieback cookies dipped in warm milk. He loved to dote on children.
I didn’t get to know Grandpa as well as I knew Nanny, as they had separated when I was about 4 years old (circa 1938). He was always cheerful and bore no grudges. If he happened to be visiting at our house and Nanny dropped in, she would rather leave than stay in the same house with him. Grandpa always left instead.
When he became ill Grandpa went to live with Uncle Vincent. Unfortunately, he was not very comfortable there and was quite unhappy. Although he wanted to leave, there was no place for him to go and he remained there until the time of his death (circa 1942).