I was actually raised with my aunt Rosemarie and my Aunt Catherine…at times I think that they were my very first girlfriends…but there was a big difference between my aunts…Aunt Catherine was a rule follower…always where she said she was supposed to be…always home on time…always helping Grandmom around the house and in the kitchen…Aunt Rosemarie…well…maybe not so much…she is the one that introduced me to The Bristol Stomp, Make-up, how to tease my hair…out to
HERE…and boys…oh she liked boys…and they liked her too…how could they resist…she was all smiles and laughter…and fun…it was always fun to be around my aunt Rosemarie.
As a matter of fact the first time I ever remember her getting really serious about anything was when she told me about meeting someone named Augie Lari…first we all tried so hard to get his name straight…was it Augie? Was it Lari with 2 r’s and a y or An R and i…that took us a while… she told me he was slim, handsome with great cheekbones and slick black hair…and I was going to be a bridesmaid…my senior year in high school and I was in love with love…my father gave her away and my Grandmother wore blue and it was a beautiful, beautiful crisp November day…we wore green and gold brocade and the dress was so beautiful that I wore it to my senior prom…we drove around South Philadelphia first taking photos at the lakes and then visiting houses where the men had a shot of whiskey and the women giggled and had our pictures taken…that night I saw my aunt Rosemarie and my Uncle Lari dance and laugh and I saw the way he looked at her…and I knew God was in His heaven and all was right in my Aunt Ro’s world!
Aunt Rosemarie always wanted to be a wife and Mother…I believe the most noble profession a woman can achieve…and she was such a good one…With each child her heart grew bigger and her capacity to love expanded with it…First handsome Mark…who once won a trip to Paris on Bastille Day and tried to give it to his parents to let them know how important they are to him …sweet patty who grew up to be her mother’s best friend and confidant…and Brian the baby and the student…and now an assistant principal …beloved by every student and colleague that he comes into contact with…so much for my aunt to be proud of…
My aunt rosemarie was the nicest person I have ever met...no matter how long it had been or how late it was she opened the door and her heart with open arms and welcomed all of us. That kind of unconditional love is so rare in this world and it was always there for us in her house…always! She had a generosity of spirit that, in this world of personal agendas, is rarely seen. I never once heard her put herself first...it was always, My Mark, My MaryAnne, My Brian, My Patty, My sister Catherine, My Lari, my brother Dominic, my Grandchildren, my nieces, my nephews, my sister in law Joan, my friends...everyone but herself…always…
When Aunt Rosemarie got sick Brian called me on the sly because of course she didn’t want me to know…I didn’t know what to do …I called my brothers and I called Brian often until I finally just sent her flowers and called and went to see her…every single time I went for a visit she was as positive and as happy as always…Brian tells me she was like that with everyone…she never let anyone see the sadness or the pain she was feeling…that would not be her way…
My Aunt Rosemarie was blessed in many ways…I have spoken about Uncle Lari and her children…my Uncle Dominic has certainly been a blessing to all of us…I know he visited my Aunt every Sunday morning and always brought some sunshine and laughter to the breakfast table…one of her most special blessings was and is my Aunt Catherine…she and my Aunt Ro were the most wonderful tag team…if one of them didn’t get us for something…the other one did!! and I know all of us are so very grateful that she had her to care for her and keep her safe until the end.
My aunt would have loved the gospel…I leave you with what she used to tell us…because no one I will ever know lived the Beautitudes the way my Aunt Ro did…
Rosemarie is finally getting to know her father...and spending some time with her mother and her brother, my father...in heaven...I hope they are not talking Italian...because my aunt forgot it all!
