On September 27th, my grandmother passed away. Strangely, I was able to be here at the Cape with her because of the accident. I feel fortunate that I was able to see her one last time before she died, and was glad that I could be here with my family. I pasted a little something I wrote about her that I read at her funeral below.

I’m planning on returning to Thailand in a few days, but have not yet booked my flight. Our travel arrangements have changed slightly.

I don’t think we’ll be heading to Russia or Greece, and possibly not China either. Instead, I’ll be spending the next 3 months toodling around South East Asia. We’re hoping that Beth will be able to join me in our new Christmas vacation location: Hawaii!! in December. But I’ll let her post that information shortly…

Eulogy below:

One of the last times I saw my grandmother was when my sister and I took her to the beach on a late August day this last summer. She sat overlooking the sea by lighthouse beach and told us stories she had repeated to us time and time again over the years. These stories my sister and I never tired of. Stories of meeting my grandfather and their life together, of her childhood and her early twenties with her brother and sister. Of her parents enduring the depression, wars, and prohibition. Of my mother when she was little, and of old neighbors and friends.

She brought to life for us a time before we were born and taught us the stories of our family history. That August day she ended by saying, “I’ve had a good life. Lots of memories.”

I have many memories of my grandmother. A permanent fixture throughout my life, in good times and in the most difficult times. I have memories of many childhood visits to Reading to visit my Grandparents.

My first plane trip at 5 months was to Boston. I vividly remember a stocked refrigerator chalk full in preparation of our visits, which she began reaching into as soon as we’d come through the door. Nana was always serving us our favorites; blueberry pie with whipped cream, fudgesicles, piles of pancakes with endless crispy strips of bacon, oreos, gallons and gallons of milk, mounds of spaghetti with fist size meatballs, and my great-grandmother’s famous chicken soup. As anyone who had been to my grandmother’s house can attest, there was no shortage of food. And in traditional Italian style, she let you know that with a nearly manic regularity.

My sister and I played with the toys she had on reserve for us, things like Mr Potato Head, coloring books, and my personal favorite, a large magnet wand that could be used to pick up millions of flat metal disks she used for Bingo. Kerry and I had a few Italian phrases firmly planted into our vocabulary by my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother like que face, marone, or scoochalogatsi. We figured a few of these were real Italian phrases and a few were fabricated by the Rotundi crew. “Don’t be a scooch!” (loosely translated to an annoyance) was one phrase that was commonly directed at me.

After dinner, Nana would watch endless hours of TV with us in her bedroom and had all the great channels we didn’t have at home. Namely, every cable channel in existence. She let me watch movies I had a sneaking suspicion my parents would not have.

When we visited, I would sleep in my grandmother’s room. I remember waiting up and hearing my mother and grandparents playing never-ending backgammon tournaments in the kitchen that I would much later be allowed to participate in. When my grandmother finally came to bed, any irritation at my violation of bedtime would quickly dissipate and she would tell me one of her stories to help me get to sleep. I had a horrible fear of the dark, (which, to be honest, hasn’t faded much with age) but knowing she was there, patiently wooing me to sleep, always made me feel safe.

My grandmother would also make frequent trips to see us in CA. Her visits were much anticipated by my sister and me. She would come bearing gifts and would spend a good portion of her trip playing with us. Anything from coloring or playing checkers, to playing in the pool or blowing bubbles outside in the front yard, and even getting her hands dirty playing in the dirt.

My grandmother often felt more like a close friend than a grown up 2 generations away. She was always easy to talk to and very interested in our lives and what we were up to.

Nana happened to be with us when my father passed away, and proved to be a comforting presence for Kerry and me. I remember my grandmother slowly rocking my 11 year old sister the morning after my father had died. She had finally managed to fall into a peaceful sleep after a tiring night. My grandmother sat there with her wrapped in her favorite blanket for hours and hours as she slept on the couch.

When my grandmother moved out to CA and into an assisted living facility, she made lots of friends with other residents and the staff, and quickly fell into the activities they offered — her favorites being BINGO and singing old classics with various musicians who came in to play for the residents. Being so close allowed us to see Nana often, taking her out to dinners, lunches, and other outings. She left regularly with her sister to play BINGO, and she and I made one memorable trip down to Palm Springs to check out the slots at a local Casino.

Over the last 5 years, my grandmother has been in the Cape living close by to my devoted mother, who helped to take care of her on a weekly basis and attended many social activities. Much like her last move, Nana made many friends with the residents and staff, and was very active in the social activities. In fact, she was elected President of the Resident’s Council acting as the liaison between the residents and management. She kept up with her singing, and made sure that they not only started BINGO at Liberty Commons, but offered it 3 times a week. She knew everyone’s name and remembered details about their lives. She could always be found greeting guests with her friends in the entrance way or outside in the courtyard enjoying the sun. One of my last memories of my grandmother is at a barbeque they had during the summer. She was secretly toasting with her friend Mary with some port wine I had sneaked in, singing with her friends to the music that was being played.

These are just a few of the memories I have of my grandmother. I’m lucky to have had so many wonderful moments with her, and feel fortunate to have her in my life as long as I did. Although I will miss her terribly, I know that she will always be here with me, watching over me, and protecting me from the dark.