Sunday, January 21, 2018
The description of Nini in her obituary could not be closer to the truth. The words “Kind, wise, loving, supportive,…” perfectly capture her essence as a person, and her position in the family as its “heart and soul.”
In reflecting on our relationship, what stands out is her wonderful and rare ability to accurately hear my concerns and offer wise guidance. I am forever grateful for the counsel she offered me as a teenager when we both lived at 480 Concord Avenue in the Bronx. I deeply prize the later time we spent together in Leonia prior to my retirement and moving to Maine. (She loved her ritual of starting the day doing the crossword puzzle, listening to the radio, reading the local paper, and nibbling at a piece of cinnamon toast while she sipped her coffee.) While not without concerns for family and our world during this time, I experienced her to be very much at peace.
It was always amazing to me and Anne that she was able to keep track of all our children and grandchildren, and we know she did this for many of her nieces and nephews. She was always our reliable source of info about the extended family. In later years, she kept notes so she would be able to report accurately on the family’s comings and goings. And how Laraine loved and treasured her. Their weekly conversations brought so much joy to both of them.
Nini had the rare gift of being fully present to others, as well as being an extraordinary conversationalist and counselor. She made all our lives better because of the meaning she had found in her own life. Rest in peace, dear Aunt Nini, now being called “Angelina” once again.
Anthony and Anne
