We went to see Aunt Rose and Uncle Lou yesterday. Diana was at work and not able to join us but we were lucky enough to spend the afternoon with Rose, Lou, John and John. They were very gracious with their time and their stories! It was a very rewarding visit.
The first thing I need to do is clear up come confusion I may have caused in my previous post about your Dad's birth certificate. Rose confirmed that "Bob" was indeed the name your grandmother gave him because she always liked the name Bob. When she went to enroll him in school, she was told that Bob wasn't a proper name so then it became Robert. There have been times during my school career when I would have liked to advise parents that their children's names weren't proper, but we don't do that these days!
Apparently this name discrepancy and the lack of the raised seal on the Bob birth certificate caused your Dad a number of problems over the years. Small wonder, but TODAY it would be an impossible situation.
Rose also confirmed that Graham Ave became 34th Street and that Hancock Street became 10th. I guess I did not need that street necrology website after all. You can see the visit was very fruitful.
One of the stories she told was that your grandmother Mary Messa Dalpiaz worked for a short time in the same candy factory as Rose and Josie--the Loft Candy factory. Your grandfather wasn't really happy about this but apparently put up with it for a little while. Sometimes she would start dinner before she left and your grandfather Costante would get it on the table when he came home. One night, Rose was getting ready to set the table and asked Josie to toss a wet rag over so she could wipe the table. Plop. The rag landed in the red sauce your grandfather was stirring. As Rose put it, there was some running around the table that night!
In addition, the rule was "no talking" during dinner so the girls whispered and giggled about the red rag flavored sauce to your grandmother's confusion.
There is a beautiful painting over their fireplace of Lou in his World War II uniform. He has a chest full of medals, some of which he described for me. He was interviewed by Ted Malone because he was so decorated. The interview was broadcast and presented to Uncle Lou's parents on a vinyl record which I believe he told me he now has. This is an example of a Ted Malone European theatre broadcast. Lou was drafted and objected to killing people--perhaps some of his own relatives in Europe so he was assigned to the medic corp. He as even captured by the German soldiers in Belguim for a short time--an experience he says he remembers clearly to this day. He tried to communicate with the Germans using Italian and hand gestures to be allowed to get a stretcher for the wounded soldiers. They allowed Lou and another soldier to go get the stretcher, and they informed their American colleagues who went to rescue the remaining soldiers. The other American soldiers had disappeared by that time, along with the injured. Lou doesn't know the end of their story but he remembers his story very well.
Uncle Lou also related that his father used to work in the coal mines in Pennsylvania--an occupation that exempted him from being drafted. I did not previously know that coal miners were considered key workers at that time.
Uncle Tom and Richard are doing well. Louis called while we were there so James and he got caught up. Louis and Christopher are opening an air conditioning repair business for themselves. Sounds a bit like history repeating itself, yes? It was such fun to visit and we are very appreciative of their time and willingness to share their stories.
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