CARL MICHAEL COFFEE, JR.
BIRTH
17 Dec 1976
Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado, USA
DEATH
3 Sep 2000 (aged 23)
Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado, USA
CARL MICHAEL COFFEE, JR.
December 17, 1976 - September 3, 2000
Monday, September 4, 2000, "Pueblo Chieftain" Newspaper:
Carl M. Coffee Jr., 23, a Pueblo resident, passed away Sept. 3, 2000.
He is survived by his parents, Carl and Patty Coffee; sisters, Shannon (Tony) Villalpando and Stacey Coffee; niece, Rylie Villalpando; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Coffee and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Walton; aunts and uncles, JoAnn (Ward) Johnson, Joe (Christine) Coffee, Paula Coffee, Jerry (Patricia) Coffee, Theresa Coffee, Mary (Steve) Latino, Nancy (Jim) Simonsen and Sue (Frank) Farmer. He is also survived by numerous cousins.
Carl graduated from South High School in 1995.
Member, I.B.E.W. No. 12 and was a third year apprentice, and would have been a fourth year apprentice.
He enjoyed fishing, playing pool and horseshoes, and hanging out with his friends. His family and friendships were highly valued. Carl spent many years with his dog "Girl" roller blading to the park and the river.
He will be sadly missed by the many lives he touched with his great sense of humor and caring heart.
Rosary recitation, 7 p.m. today, funeral Mass, 10 a.m. Wednesday, both services at the Shrine of St. Therese.
At his request, cremation.
Those who wish may make contributions to the charity of their choice.
A special thank you to Lori Pfannenschmid for your support and being the giving, caring person that you are.
PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Sunday, December 17, 2017:
IN MEMORIAM
Carl Coffee Jr. To lose a child, alters your life FOREVER, for grief forces you to see WHO matters, who NEVER did, who WON'T anymore, and who ALWAYS will. Blessed to have been graced by our son's heart. Happy 41st Birthday Love, Your Family.
IN MEMORIAM Carl Jr. Remembering your on 42nd Birthday. The Coffees and Richardsons. PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Monday, December 17, 2018.
IN MEMORIAM Carl Coffee Jr.
Family is a circle of love, not broken by the loss of Carl but made stronger by his memories. He doesn't just cross our minds, he lives in them. We will always be Dad, Mom, and Family to him in heaven. Happy Birthday Love, Sadly missed Your Family. PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Monday, December 17, 2018.
IN MEMORIAM
Carl Coffee Jr.
Our minds still talk to you, our hearts still look for you,
and even though we can no longer see you with our eyes,
or touch you with our hands,
we will feel you in our hearts
forever.
Happy 43rd Birthday
in Heaven.
Loved and missed,
All Your Family
Published in The Pueblo Chieftain on Dec. 17, 2019.
IN MEMORIAM
Carl J.
1976 - 2000
Today we fondly
remember the sweet
child you were and
the good man you
were becoming.
Forever in our hearts.
The Coffee and
Richardson Family
Published in The Pueblo Chieftain on Dec. 17, 2019.
NOTE: Following Interview of Joseph Anthony D'Orazio Coffee, UNCLE of Carl Michael Coffee, Jr. INTERVIEW by First Cousin Pauline Annette DiSipio, 2001, Pueblo, Colorado:
Page 1 of 13 Interviewer: Pauline Annette DiSipio
NOTE: Amended Spelling: D'Orazio
INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH D'ORAZIO-COFFEE - 2001 – Pueblo, Colorado
On October 4, 2001, at the Jubilee Inn in Pueblo, Colorado, My Cousin Joey Coffee and I met to talk about his D'ORAZIO-COFFEE family who lived on Elm Street.
A page from the Pueblo City Directory in 1943 showed that a "Joseph Coffee" was living at 1034 Elm Street. That Joseph Coffee was Joey's grandfather, after whom he was named. Joey is Joseph Anthony Coffee.
The D'Orazio-Coffee Family originated in the village of Civitella Messer Raimondo, province of Chieti, and region of Abruzzi in central Italy. My Grandmother Concetta DiSipio was a D'Orazio before she married my Grandfather Angelo. Not only are Joey and I related through our mothers, but we may also be related through our fathers, who could be cousins. Joey's Grandfather Joseph came to America in the early 1900's. Lucy D'Orazio (later O'Dorisio), who was my father Anthony DiSipio's Baptism Godmother, was Joey's Grandfather D'Orazio's sister.
"I can remember my Grandpa (D'Orazio) Coffee!" says Joey who is happy to have known his grandfather. "He had huge hands and big fingers! He worked as a truck driver at the mill."
That last statement reminded me for a moment that "Uncle" Dominic Luppino was also a truck driver at the mill, and that he and Grandpa Carlo Passanante, who worked as a mason at the mill, were paesani from the Old Country and came to America AND Elm Street in that first decade of the 1900's, seeking employment at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation (steel mill) in Pueblo, Colorado.
"He used to like to tease people!" announces Joey, who describes his Grandfather Coffee. "He was ornery, and his nickname was 'Buckshot'!" It was in the early 1900's when Joey's Grandfather Joseph D'Orazio (Coffee) arrived in America.
"When my Grandpa Coffee was younger, he used to box!" Joey adds, "Not professionally, though." I bet those big hands came in handy for that, I thought to myself. I mentioned Joe "Awful" Coffee, the famous boxer, but Joey said that he was not related. Joey said that he thought that the famous boxer was Jewish. I had recalled reading an article a few years back in the Pueblo paper stating that his name was "made up". Joey now tells me that his grandfather and his "Uncle Pete", also an amateur boxer like his grandfather, were friends of Joe "Awful" Coffee.
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When I heard the name "Pete Coffee", I was glad I could ask Joey some questions about him. "When people discover I'm related to the Coffee Family, a lot of them mention a 'Pete Coffee', and I don't know who that it," I search for an answer from Joey. "Can You tell me about him?"
Pete Coffee was Joey's grandfather's brother. "Uncle Pete had a bar in Bessemer," Joey begins. "It was called 'Pete Coffee's', I think, and it was located where the Klamm's Shell is now (424 West Northern Avenue). Uncle Pete had a pool hall and bar there."
I had heard that Joe "Awful" Coffee had a bar in Denver in the thirties and forties. It was designed like a boxing ring, ropes and all, and there were signatures of boxers in the bar.
Joey continues telling me about Pete Coffee. "His name is listed on the wall at Gus's Tavern on Elm Street, He is named as one of Pueblo's old-time bar owners who passed away." Joey says that he doesn't, however, have any personal memories of his Uncle Pete Coffee.
Recalling a gravestone at Roselawn Cemetery in Pueblo, I mention the DORAZIO-COFFEE (D'ORAZIO-COFFEE) name etched into the stone. "When was your family name changed to COFFEE?" I question Joey about a name change.
"Uncle Pete changed the name from D'Orazio to Coffee, and my Grandfather Joseph Coffee kind of went along with it," Joey answers and then tells of possible reasons. "It (name change) was probably so that the Italian family would assimilate better into American culture. Also, there was discrimination against Italians at that time." Joey cites yet another possible reason, ""They probably wanted to give up their old life, which wasn't too good." Dropping their old name was like having a "clean slate", I concluded. ("Tabula Rasa" is what I call a clean slate.) There were several Italian and Sicilian families who changed their names.
"I have a copy of the documents. The name was changed from D'Orazio to D'Orazio-Coffee! So, I can legally use the D'Orazio name!" Joey now states that the D'Orazio name was not dropped! "I've thought about using the D'Orazio name," says Joey, who is proud of both names.
Joey has a story that his mother Sarah Passanante Coffee tells him about the D'Orazio-Coffee name change. "When my mama was about twelve years old and living at 736 Elm Street, she asked her Mama Paolina Passanante why that family up Elm Street (Coffee Family) changed their name!" Joey then tells that his mother ended up marrying one!
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Michael Joseph Coffee, Joey's father, was born May 23, 1924 and grew up on Elm Street along with his brothers Angelo and Joe and his sister Rose. They were born to Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee and Anna Ricotta (D'Orazio) Coffee. I think I recall Uncle Mike Coffee telling me that his Mama's family came from Calabria, Italy. I may be wrong, if my memory is not serving me correctly.
Anna Ricotta was born on a farm in Pueblo in the late 1800's. "She was a first-generation American," announces Joey, who remembers two brothers of his Grandmother Anna … Uncle Ralph Ricotta and Uncle Jerry Ricotta. "Uncle Ralph used to bring us chocolate at Easter. And wooden Dutch shoes. He was single or divorced. He was a good man," Joey has pleasant memories of his grandmother's brother. "My brother Jerry," says Joey, "was named after my Grandma's other brother, my Uncle Jerry."
In an obituary for Mrs. Anna R. Coffee, who passed away at "St. Mary-Corwin Hospital October 7, 1980, following a four-month illness", it also stated that her husband Joseph D. Coffee, Sr. preceded her in death in 1962. Her three surviving sisters are named as Mrs. Rose Vergilio, Pueblo: Mrs. Angelina Comnillo, Denver; and Mrs. Theresa Krajacic, Pueblo. Anna Ricotta Coffee was active in the Ladies Fidelity Lodge, as stated in the obituary.
First-born of Joseph and Anna Coffee was Angelo Coffee, "My Uncle Ange always drove a Cadillac! He sold stuff for awhile and then started the C&O Manufacturing company," Joey shares some memories of his Dad's oldest brother. "My Uncle Angelo Coffee and my Uncle Aldridge O'Quin, who was married to my Aunt Rose, started C&O Manufacturing. It stands for Coffee and O'Quin," explains Joey who goes on to say that C&O Manufacturing still exists. "It's on Pueblo Boulevard, and my Aunt Rose still goes there, part-time."
"My Uncle Ange's first wife was Alma, and they had Patrick and Diana," says Joey. Both Pat and Diana have passed away. I told Joey that Diana Coffee and I were both flower girls when Michael Joseph Coffee married my mother's sister Sarah (Rosaria) Passanante on June 5, 1948. I can still picture Little Diana in her flower girl dress. She looked like an angel. She passed away at an early age, on the brink of becoming a young woman.
"Arvella was my Uncle Ange's second wife, and they had Monty and Greg Coffee." Monty and Greg both passed away. Gregory passed away, as stated in his obituary, at age 42 just last year, April 23, 2000. His brother Monty preceded him in death as did his half-brother Patrick Coffee and his half-sister Diana Coffee. Dee Holmes and Becky Martino are listed as surviving half-sisters. Gregory is survived by his mother Arvella I. Coffee and his son, Duran Coffee (Denver), as well as "numerous aunts, uncles and cousins".
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After Angelo Coffee and Arvella divorced, he and Ann Corsentino shared their lives for a period of time. "Bunny" and "Bo-Bo" are Ann's daughters. There may have been another companion for Angelo D. Coffee before he passed away in 1974 from heart disease.
It was in 1951 that Joey's Uncle Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. passed away, but Joey never knew his Uncle Joe Coffee. Joey was born two years later on October 11, 1953. Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. and Mary Yengich married and had two children, Mary Jo Coffee and Ray Coffee, both raised by their Aunt Rose and Uncle O'Quin, who also had their own children Dennis and Ronnie O'Quin. The cause of death for Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. was complications from purpura. Ray lives in Alabama, and Mary Jo is married and lives in Denver.
Rose (D'Orazio) Coffee O'Quin and Michael Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee are the two surviving offspring (God Bless You Both!) of Anna Ricotta (D'Orazio) Coffee and Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee, Sr. Rose's husband Aldridge B. O'Quin has passed away. Dr. Ron O'Quin is a pulmonary specialist in Seattle, and Dennis O'Quin runs C&O Manufacturing Company in Pueblo.
My Uncle Mike and Aunt Sarah Coffee have seven beautiful children (God Bless!) and Joey is one of them! There are also several grandchildren. It was on September 3, 2000 that their grandson Carl Coffee passed away, a very sad time for the family.
The oldest of the children of Michael Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee and Sarah Passanante (D'Orazio) Coffee is JoAnn Marie Coffee Johnson who is married to Warden Lee Johnson. They have three children: Ward, Jr., Sarah Rose and Marc Jeffrey. JoAnn is manager and part owner of "Trips R Us Travel Agency" in Pueblo West, where she uses her knowledge, expertise and experience, love of people, as well as her college degree in travel and tourism. In the last year she took a trip to Sicily with her mother and father.
Second-born is Carl Michael Coffee who is married to Patty Walton Coffee. He is an electrician at Adams Electric. They have three children: Carl Michael, Jr. (passed away); Shannon who is married to Tony Villalpando and they have a daughter Rylie; Stacey Lynn Coffee of the family home.
Joseph Anthony Coffee ("Joey") is third-born. He is married to Christine Finch Coffee. They have four children: Michael who is 19, Tony who is 17, Daniel who is 15, and Angela who is 14. When asked how he and Chris met, Joey answers, "We met at my cousin Jack Passanante Jr.'s spring break party." Joey, who makes his home in Pueblo West, works at Matrix Logistics in Fountain, Colorado in Inventory Control. He just celebrated one year there. He had worked for almost fifteen years at Target warehouse.
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Dr. Paula Kay Coffee was born next. Paula is a dentist in Parker, Colorado where she is raising her two daughters, Emily and Allison Denny. Paula is versatile and a hard worker, having performed hard labor several years ago at the CF&I!
Paula owns the dental building in Pueblo West, where Dr. Paul Hennegan has his dental office in Suite A; Paula's sister JoAnn Coffee Johnson has her travel agency in Suite B; and her sister Mary Coffee Latino has "Krazie Kiln" pottery studio in Suite C!
Gerald Lee ("Jerry") Coffee is married to Pat Thiessen Coffee, and they have two daughters, Krista and Katie. Jerry is an electrician at Main Electric, and Pat works for Pueblo County offices. They make their home in Pueblo in the county.
Theresa Ann Coffee is a dental hygienist in Parker, Colorado. She has done some great work on my teeth, which sparkle at each cleaning! She is single.
Youngest in the family is Mary Catherine Coffee Latino who has Krazie Kiln Shop in the Pueblo West building at Hahn's Peak and Joe Martinez Blvd. She has two children, Steven and Elizabeth Latino.
On October 11, 1953, Joseph Anthony Coffee was born to Michael Joseph Coffee and Sarah Passanante Coffee. Although he was born in a hospital, his place of residence at 736 Elm Street makes him what I call "an Elm Street Baby"! After a few years on Elm Street, his family bought a house at 623 West 15th in Pueblo, where they lived for some years to follow. Joey's early childhood memories are those of his friend Matt Wilcox, whom I remember as a little red-headed kid. Joey mentions Dave Speken, father of Sally. Sally and Joey's sister JoAnn were friends. Joey said that there weren't any Speken kids his age when he lived on West 15th. I have West 15th memories of hot dogs, your dog Penny, you and your Superman cape!
When his family visited 736 Elm Street (Grandma and Grandpa's house) while he was living on West 15th, Joey has a memory of some of the renters at the Passanante house. "They had just come from Italy, and they lived upstairs at Grandma and Grandpa's. Their names were John and Lena Abbate and their son was Joe." I tell my Cousin Joey that I remember Joe Abbate as a classmate of mine when I attended Keating Junior High School (1957 – 1959).
Thinking about Keating, I share one of my memories with Joey. "I was in a school musical, called 'H.M.S. Pinafore'. There were sailors, cousins and aunts. I was one of the sailors. I did the Hornpipe dance with three or four other 'sailors', and I wore your Dad's Navy white bell bottoms that he wore when he was in the service in the 1940's!! And they fit! … A little tight! Uncle Mike's authentic
Page 6 of 13
Navy bell bottoms!" Joey, who admitted that he had never heard this family story, stated that he has his Dad's Navy uniform. "It's either my Dad's or my Uncle Joe Coffee's."
About three years ago, Joey's dad gave him his accordion. "I haven't learned to play it yet," says Joey who may still learn. Joey remembers when Grandma and Aunt Rena Capozzola went to Sicily (with Auntie Anna Luppino and her daughter Catherine "Rena" Luppino). It was in 1958, and Joey was five years old. "They brought back my brother Carl an accordion, and they brought me a wind-up toy … a cat or a mouse! I was hurt!" Joey gets in touch with those early feelings of disappointment.
Uncle Mike (Joey's father) saw to it that Joey got an accordion! "My dad loves to barter," Cousin Joey describes one characteristic of his Daddy. We both agree that he is good at it! And he is generous, too. "My dad has had some health problems," Joey takes us into the present a moment. "But he is recovering well."
After West 15th Street, Joey's family's next move would take him back to 736 Elm Street at Grandma and Grandpa Passanante's house, where many more precious memories were made! That was about 1958. "We lived downstairs at Grandma and Grandpa's house," remembers Joey. "Grandma and Grandpa lived upstairs, but Grandma would come down every morning and cook for us! Grandma made fried bread or biscuits (biscotti) or she would go out in her garden and cut asparagus and make omelets!"
Joey says that Grandma Passanante went to school in Sicily until she was in the third grade, and that is where she learned math. I told Joey that his Mama (my Aunt Sarah) let me copy a picture of Grandma's school class in Sicily. Grandma is pictured with one of her hands on her hips. And Joey and I remember many times Grandma standing with both hands on her hips! She always had an apron on unless she was going to lodge.
Joey's memories of Grandpa Passanante are similar to mine. "I can remember Grandpa sitting in a chair. He was sick then." But, there were the earlier years when Grandpa walked to work at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation. And he tended a big garden on Elm Street. There was a time that he made wine. He was active in men's lodges in those earlier years, before Parkinson's Disease disabled him.
Grandpa used to sleep in that little bedroom off the front room," Joey tells about our Grandpa Passanante. "That was before my brother Carl and I slept in
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that room," Joey recalls his sleeping arrangement in the late 1950's and 1960's at 736 Elm Street.
"And my Dad had his vacuum shop where Grandma and Grandpa's Passanante Grocery Store once flourished. My Dad's business was called 'A&G Vacuum Shop'. The 'G' stood for 'Garone'," remembers Joey. I remember that Aunt Sarah did a lot of phone work for Uncle Mike in his business.
"Then my Mom got a job at the Pueblo Army Depot when I was twelve. That was about 1965," says Joey. "But that was until she got pregnant with my sister Mary, who was born in 1967." It was in 1975 or 1976 that Joey's mother would return to work. She worked in "work study and financial aid" at the University of Southern Colorado where she received an Outstanding Woman Award.
"My Dad got a job at the mill where he worked as a scale mechanic. Another one of his jobs was at Crews-Beggs. He sold and repaired vacuum cleaners for them." It was after this job that Joey says his dad had his own shop for awhile. "Then he went to work at the Pueblo Army Depot." He has since retired.
Now remembered is a photo of Grandma Passanante, my Mama DiSipio (Joey's Aunt Dea), Aunt Sarah (Joey's Mama), Joey and me holding up our coffee cups at the kitchen table and toasting! That was how it was! We would sit and talk a lot! Or play cards! Sometimes Grandma would tell stories from the Old Country.
Joey now tells a story that we both recall …
"Story of the Werewolf in Sicily"
"In Sicily there were people who would have 'fits' when the full moon came out! They were called werewolves! During these 'fits', they were dangerous and would attack people!
One night a man told his wife to turn off all the lights and lock the doors and NOT open them to anyone, even him! He went out!
The next day he returned. And when he yawned at the kitchen table, his wife saw a piece of material (fabric) between his teeth!"
A second story is recalled by Pauline …
"You Oughta See My Molars!"
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"There was a tiny baby on the street in Sicily. The baby seemed to be about a month old. A passerby looked at the little baby and noticed teeth as the baby was crying!
'How can you have teeth?!' The passerby queried.
The baby replied in a deep loud voice, 'You oughta see my molars'!"
A third story is recalled by Pauline …
"Let Us Play with Your Baby, Or Else!"
"A couple moved into a house where a baby was born to them. During the night the couple would hear the baby laughing. When they went to check on the baby, they discovered that the baby had been moved from its crib to the cellar.
This happened several nights, and each time the couple, puzzled and upset, returned the baby to its crib.
One night a dream came to the couple, who had decided to move from the house. In the dream they heard these words … 'If you move away and don't let us play with your baby, something bad will happen to your baby!' The spirit-elves gave the couple a warning!
The couple did not take heed. They moved away. And their baby became deformed."
That third story always saddened me. The baby was innocent, yet received a "curse" as a punishment.
Coming over from the Old Country were customs and a culture passed down from our grandparents and their ancestors. On June 26 (25), 1910, Paolina Luppino and Calogero (Carlo) Passanante were united in Holy Matrimony at Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Pueblo, Colorado. Joey stated, "Grandma made Grandpa marry her BEFORE she came to America." And, because Grandpa was in Pueblo working at the steel mill (CF&I), Grandma was married in Italy by "proxy" first, with someone standing in Grandpa's place.
A Catholic upbringing is cited as an important part of Joey's life, helping to make him the person he is today. At age five, Joey started first grade at St. Pat's. "I didn't go to kindergarten. I started right into first grade. But, I cried and cried! I didn't want to go to St. Pat's! I wanted to go to Assumption School!" Joey tells about a feeling he had at that young age of five. "It was either Kaye's or Connie's wedding (1958). I was in that Assumption Church hall, and I knew THAT'S where I was supposed to go to school!" That was probably my sister Connie DiSipio's wedding on September 6, 1958.
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Seeing that he was very unhappy, Joey's parents put him in Assumption School. "I was happy from then on!" remembers Joey. His memories of his teachers are pleasant positive ones. "There was Sister Mary Elizabeth. And Sister Titus in second grade. Miss Kordick, a lay teacher from Connecticut, was my teacher in third grade. My sixth grade teacher was Sister Gertrude, and my eighth grade teacher was Sister Elizabeth. All at Assumption!" Joey recalls going to church every morning before school.
From about age seven or eight until about age twelve or thirteen, Joey wanted to be a Catholic priest. "I had great teachers! Great priests! Father John Powers, a great man." We remembered that Father Powers had died in a plane crash, possibly coming back from Ireland. "There was Father John O'Flaherty and Monsignor Holland. Good men! Good teachers!" Joey made his First Holy Communion and Confirmation. His Confirmation Sponsor (Godfather) was his Uncle Aldridge B. O'Quin.
Joey's Baptism Godfather was his Uncle "Slew" Carl Passanante.
In ninth grade, Joey went to Roncalli and was taught by all "Brothers". When I asked Joey why he decided not to become a priest, he answered, "I decided that priesthood wasn't for me. I wanted kids, a family." And Joey is a good father. I know.
One of Joey's good friends at Assumption and all through school was Ron Alfonso. "Jim Toribio was my friend, too, and now his son and my son Daniel are friends," says Joey. Now Joey names Mike Marcovecchio, who lived on Routt, as another one of his childhood friends at Assumption Catholic School.
Some of Joey's friends in those early years on Elm Street were Louie Dionese, Rick Sagona, cousins Tommy and Jack Passanante, Jr. and Nathan Youngblood. Nathan lived on Abriendo, the next street over from Elm. "My cousins, who are the Luppinos, Benskos and Nicky Rusovick (Nicky lived on Van Buren) were more of my friends. Davey Dionese told me the 'facts of life' on Grandma's front porch!" Joey recalls this memorable occasion.
"When I was eleven," Joey has another memory, "Gary Sagona and Frankie Cirullo called me over. They were on Box Elder, and I was on my bike. They dared me to ride my bike off a six-foot wall. I got clobbered! But, I didn't let them know!"
"My Cousin Jack Passanante, Jr. went to Jefferson School, in another neighborhood, but he'd always come over to Elm Street." Some of the games the Elm Street neighborhood kids played were 'Ditch 'em' ( a game that is like 'Hide 'n Seek'). We played 'Kick the Can', too. A pastime recalled by Joey almost
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got him in big trouble once … throwing eggs at cars! "I hit a police car with an egg from the top of Grandma and Grandpa's store! I hid. They never found me!
"I remember when everybody thought I was 'lost'!" Joey smiles as he begins telling another story. "My family looked everywhere for me! I was about eight or nine at the time. I was over at the Alessi house on Elm Street. Their granddaughter Karen Hoyt and I were reading 101 Dalmations together!" Joey said that he and Karen were in third grade together at Assumption School. "I got in trouble for not letting anyone know where I was. It was 10:00 at night, and I was still over at the Alessi's! Mr. and Mrs. Alessi were good people!" The Alessi home was at 805 Elm Street.
Some other Elm Street neighbors Joey especially remembers are Snuzzy Dionese at 802 Elm Street and "Aunt Nellie" and "Uncle John" at 735 Elm Street. Nellie Hinds Hunyadi and John Hunyadi (spelling variations may be Hunyada, Huniady, Hunuday) wanted to be called "aunt" and "uncle" by the neighborhood kids. And they were! They didn't have any children of their own, but they had all of us!
It was either John's mother or Nellie's mother who lived with them at their home on the upper corner of the 700 block of Elm Street, right across the street from the Passanante Grocery Store. "I went to school with Gary Hunyadi who lived on Washington," remembers Joey who adds that they were a nice family.
Next, I ask Joey how he got the nickname "Spider". "On summer nights we used to play around the neighborhood. I was a little kid then, and I used to wrestle around with Donnie Luppino," Joey begins telling how he got his nickname. "Donnie and Donna Luppino … Donna was so pretty … were twins and our third cousins who lived on the 800 block of Elm Street. I used to hang on Donnie," Joey continues with his story, "and I wouldn't let him go! 'You're like a dang spider!' Donnie would say to me! And that's how my nickname started!" Great story!
"Mikey Uhal used to call me to come out to play." Joe has a recollection of one of his special friends. "He was TALL! And he used to carry railroad spikes in his pocket!" Mike was a special part of our growing up years on Elm Street. "He was a nice guy." Joey has good memories of his friend.
"Rick Sagona, Louie Dionese, Louie Sciortino, my brother Carl and I played baseball in that empty lot that was across the street from your house." Joey tells me about a pastime enjoyed by neighborhood kids for a very long time! "We were upset when they started building Brothers Plumbing (owned by Angelo Brothers) in the empty lot! They took our baseball field!" D&D Electronics is there now, a business owned by the Drobnitch Family.
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Joey now has a not-so-pleasant memory associated with that empty lot. "Nathan Youngblood and my brother Carl and I were in that empty lot. They had just started digging for Brothers Plumbing, and we were playing there. Nathan got a big boulder and threw it up in the air! At this point, both Nathan and Carl warned me about the big rock! 'Look out!' they both yelled. "So, I ran about twenty yards, put my head down, and the boulder hit me in the back of my head! I was right in the line of the rock! If I had just stood still, I would have been all right!" Joey went to the emergency room.
There was really a neat trick that Joey did that no one else could do! He could WALK on his HEAD! Joey tells me that he can still do that! I remember his head scooting along the ground! "I can remember standing on my head in the middle of Elm Street, stopping cars, and asking them for money! I got five bucks one time!" Joey says that his mom put a stop to his dangerous antics and money-making acrobatics when she found out about them! He was about six years old then.
Though Joey has memories of the Dump, he didn't spend a lot of time there like the earlier and older neighborhood kids (and adults!) did. "Jimmy Lucero lived near there. He was one year older than me. 'Kiko' Lucero was my brother Carl's age."
"I remember crying when you wouldn't let me go in the funhouse in your garage," Joey now directs a memory to me. That "funhouse" was more of a very dark ghost house! There was the "devil's beard" (a hairbrush), a cup of blood (beet juice), and the devil's wife's dress (some rag)! Joey's brother Carl Michael was beating a drum in the corner of the ghost house. I was making strange noises and guiding the neighborhood kids on their little tour, which did scare quite a few of them.
I told Joey that he was just too young at the time, and I didn't want him to have any bad dreams and wake up screaming! As an added feature of the funhouse, I placed empty pop bottles lying flat, close together on the garage dirt floor so that the kids could "roll" on them. As it turned out, one of our older cousins, Carl Jess Passanante, was just too big to "roll" and ended up crushing the bottles! When my Dad saw all the broken glass in his garage … well, you can imagine!
Joey remembers when Grandpa Carlo Passanante passed away. That was the same year that his Grandpa Coffee passed away, 1962. "I remember the 'visita' that people made for Grandpa Passanante. I was about nine years old," says Joey, who does not remember a "wake" for Grandpa in the house at 736 Elm Street. He thinks that was about the time that they quit having dead bodies in houses.
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It was in the late 1940's, after World War II, that Joey's Grandma and Grandpa Coffee left Elm Street to live on Pitkin Avenue in Pueblo. "I remember my Grandma Coffee always feeding us when we would go over there, On Pitkin, she had Sunday dinner which was spaghetti and 'Italian fare'. She and my Grandpa Coffee lived on Pitkin until he died in 1962. Then my Grandma Coffee moved in with my Aunt Rose O'Quin on Lake Avenue. My Aunt Rose took care if her until my Grandma Coffee died in 1980.
Joey's Uncle A. B. O'Quin died of cancer in the late 1970's. It was during that time period that Joey worked as a dealer at the Barbary Coast in Las Vegas, Nevada. Joey said that he liked his job there, but he wrecked his car in Vegas and came back to Pueblo. Joey lived in Las Vegas for about four years.
"To the degree that you believe in something is the degree it will affect you," Joey now presents some of his philosophy of life. "The 'mal occhio' (bad eye, evil eye) is the same way," says Joey who admits that he believes in it, but has never had it. Following my questioning about the mal occhio, Joey and I get into one of our "deep" discussions … philosophical and spiritual.
"Before a child is seven years old, that child needs to be protected. Values need to be set. After age seven, you are who you are," Joey share another bit of his philosophy. I began thinking about my early years. I thought about my parents, and I asked Joey what he remembered about my mama and daddy … his Aunt Dea and Uncle Tony DiSipio.
"Aunt Dea was apple pie! She was beautiful! I miss her, " says her nephew Joey who went up to speak at her funeral mass in November of 1998. Joey, one of seven nephews who were all Pall Bearers, loved his Aunt Dea very much. "She was a sweetie … and a hard worker!"
"The one memory of Uncle Tony, your dad, that stands out is I remember seeing him walk with his lunch pail. He kept the yard at 716 Elm street spotless. He loved his house and his yard. He was a hard worker," Joey remembers.
Now, I ask my Cousin Joey to describe the qualities of his mother and father, Sarah and Mike Coffee, who make their home on the south side of Pueblo on Farabaugh Lane. "My Mother is Warmth, Beauty, Fortitude and Love. My Dad is Protector, Strength, Words and Guidance."
I mention that it was Uncle Mike, Joey's father, who guided me to the DiSipio graves in the old part of Roselawn Cemetery. Uncle Mike honors the Dead. He visits and prays at the graves of our family member who have gone on before us. He does not forget them. Aunt Sarah is a nurturer and giver of love. She is a gracious hostess to anyone who is at her home. She makes sure that
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you eat! And she makes the BEST meatballs!
"You're a good combination of both of your parents," I recognize the same qualities in Joey and I that he attribute to his parents. "I see you as a very Spiritual Being, Joey."
"We weren't raised to be wolves," Joey assesses our family upbringing. "We were raised to be more like sheep. Gentle. Our family is a gentle people. At times we seem fractured as a unit, but the fractures don't run deep. We carry pretty heavy Karma, as a family. But we all have a lot of blessings. Our Christian values drive us all."
"Catholic schools made me a good person. I'm glad I went to Catholic school," says Joey who attends St. Paul's Catholic Church in Pueblo West. "Just two or three weeks ago, Chris and I took up the 'Gifts' (Bread and Wine)."
Joey, who likes talking about old times, graduated from Pueblo's Central High School in 1971. Early in Joey's marriage, he bought the house at 732 Elm Street, returning yet another time to that nostalgic old neighborhood holding so much family history! He sold the home after a few years. A special furniture keepsake from Grandma and Grandpa Passanante's house at 736 Elm Street is a coffee table with colored inlaid wood. Joey and his family have used that memento which Joey still has.
Reading and writing are two of Joey's interests. "I like Thomas Clancy," says Joey who has a preference for fiction. "Just so it's interesting!" Joey goes to the Abruzzi Internet website on his computer to research his Dorazio family history, He has done some DiSipio research for me, too! "A priest from Civitella (Messer Raimondo), a village in the province of Chieti and the region of Abruzzi in central Italy has offered to do research for me," states Joey who adds that he has a translator on his computer so he can send messages in Italian!
"Our ancestors came to America, the land of opportunity. Our family as a whole unit came from TWO different parts of Italy … Abruzzi and Sicily. Basically peasants with very little education, they were all hard workers, setting good examples for our work ethic."
Joey concludes, "Most of all, above all else, we are good people. Good people with Christian values."
BIRTH
17 Dec 1976
Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado, USA
DEATH
3 Sep 2000 (aged 23)
Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado, USA
CARL MICHAEL COFFEE, JR.
December 17, 1976 - September 3, 2000
Monday, September 4, 2000, "Pueblo Chieftain" Newspaper:
Carl M. Coffee Jr., 23, a Pueblo resident, passed away Sept. 3, 2000.
He is survived by his parents, Carl and Patty Coffee; sisters, Shannon (Tony) Villalpando and Stacey Coffee; niece, Rylie Villalpando; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Coffee and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Walton; aunts and uncles, JoAnn (Ward) Johnson, Joe (Christine) Coffee, Paula Coffee, Jerry (Patricia) Coffee, Theresa Coffee, Mary (Steve) Latino, Nancy (Jim) Simonsen and Sue (Frank) Farmer. He is also survived by numerous cousins.
Carl graduated from South High School in 1995.
Member, I.B.E.W. No. 12 and was a third year apprentice, and would have been a fourth year apprentice.
He enjoyed fishing, playing pool and horseshoes, and hanging out with his friends. His family and friendships were highly valued. Carl spent many years with his dog "Girl" roller blading to the park and the river.
He will be sadly missed by the many lives he touched with his great sense of humor and caring heart.
Rosary recitation, 7 p.m. today, funeral Mass, 10 a.m. Wednesday, both services at the Shrine of St. Therese.
At his request, cremation.
Those who wish may make contributions to the charity of their choice.
A special thank you to Lori Pfannenschmid for your support and being the giving, caring person that you are.
PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Sunday, December 17, 2017:
IN MEMORIAM
Carl Coffee Jr. To lose a child, alters your life FOREVER, for grief forces you to see WHO matters, who NEVER did, who WON'T anymore, and who ALWAYS will. Blessed to have been graced by our son's heart. Happy 41st Birthday Love, Your Family.
IN MEMORIAM Carl Jr. Remembering your on 42nd Birthday. The Coffees and Richardsons. PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Monday, December 17, 2018.
IN MEMORIAM Carl Coffee Jr.
Family is a circle of love, not broken by the loss of Carl but made stronger by his memories. He doesn't just cross our minds, he lives in them. We will always be Dad, Mom, and Family to him in heaven. Happy Birthday Love, Sadly missed Your Family. PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Monday, December 17, 2018.
IN MEMORIAM
Carl Coffee Jr.
Our minds still talk to you, our hearts still look for you,
and even though we can no longer see you with our eyes,
or touch you with our hands,
we will feel you in our hearts
forever.
Happy 43rd Birthday
in Heaven.
Loved and missed,
All Your Family
Published in The Pueblo Chieftain on Dec. 17, 2019.
IN MEMORIAM
Carl J.
1976 - 2000
Today we fondly
remember the sweet
child you were and
the good man you
were becoming.
Forever in our hearts.
The Coffee and
Richardson Family
Published in The Pueblo Chieftain on Dec. 17, 2019.
NOTE: Following Interview of Joseph Anthony D'Orazio Coffee, UNCLE of Carl Michael Coffee, Jr. INTERVIEW by First Cousin Pauline Annette DiSipio, 2001, Pueblo, Colorado:
Page 1 of 13 Interviewer: Pauline Annette DiSipio
NOTE: Amended Spelling: D'Orazio
INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH D'ORAZIO-COFFEE - 2001 – Pueblo, Colorado
On October 4, 2001, at the Jubilee Inn in Pueblo, Colorado, My Cousin Joey Coffee and I met to talk about his D'ORAZIO-COFFEE family who lived on Elm Street.
A page from the Pueblo City Directory in 1943 showed that a "Joseph Coffee" was living at 1034 Elm Street. That Joseph Coffee was Joey's grandfather, after whom he was named. Joey is Joseph Anthony Coffee.
The D'Orazio-Coffee Family originated in the village of Civitella Messer Raimondo, province of Chieti, and region of Abruzzi in central Italy. My Grandmother Concetta DiSipio was a D'Orazio before she married my Grandfather Angelo. Not only are Joey and I related through our mothers, but we may also be related through our fathers, who could be cousins. Joey's Grandfather Joseph came to America in the early 1900's. Lucy D'Orazio (later O'Dorisio), who was my father Anthony DiSipio's Baptism Godmother, was Joey's Grandfather D'Orazio's sister.
"I can remember my Grandpa (D'Orazio) Coffee!" says Joey who is happy to have known his grandfather. "He had huge hands and big fingers! He worked as a truck driver at the mill."
That last statement reminded me for a moment that "Uncle" Dominic Luppino was also a truck driver at the mill, and that he and Grandpa Carlo Passanante, who worked as a mason at the mill, were paesani from the Old Country and came to America AND Elm Street in that first decade of the 1900's, seeking employment at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation (steel mill) in Pueblo, Colorado.
"He used to like to tease people!" announces Joey, who describes his Grandfather Coffee. "He was ornery, and his nickname was 'Buckshot'!" It was in the early 1900's when Joey's Grandfather Joseph D'Orazio (Coffee) arrived in America.
"When my Grandpa Coffee was younger, he used to box!" Joey adds, "Not professionally, though." I bet those big hands came in handy for that, I thought to myself. I mentioned Joe "Awful" Coffee, the famous boxer, but Joey said that he was not related. Joey said that he thought that the famous boxer was Jewish. I had recalled reading an article a few years back in the Pueblo paper stating that his name was "made up". Joey now tells me that his grandfather and his "Uncle Pete", also an amateur boxer like his grandfather, were friends of Joe "Awful" Coffee.
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When I heard the name "Pete Coffee", I was glad I could ask Joey some questions about him. "When people discover I'm related to the Coffee Family, a lot of them mention a 'Pete Coffee', and I don't know who that it," I search for an answer from Joey. "Can You tell me about him?"
Pete Coffee was Joey's grandfather's brother. "Uncle Pete had a bar in Bessemer," Joey begins. "It was called 'Pete Coffee's', I think, and it was located where the Klamm's Shell is now (424 West Northern Avenue). Uncle Pete had a pool hall and bar there."
I had heard that Joe "Awful" Coffee had a bar in Denver in the thirties and forties. It was designed like a boxing ring, ropes and all, and there were signatures of boxers in the bar.
Joey continues telling me about Pete Coffee. "His name is listed on the wall at Gus's Tavern on Elm Street, He is named as one of Pueblo's old-time bar owners who passed away." Joey says that he doesn't, however, have any personal memories of his Uncle Pete Coffee.
Recalling a gravestone at Roselawn Cemetery in Pueblo, I mention the DORAZIO-COFFEE (D'ORAZIO-COFFEE) name etched into the stone. "When was your family name changed to COFFEE?" I question Joey about a name change.
"Uncle Pete changed the name from D'Orazio to Coffee, and my Grandfather Joseph Coffee kind of went along with it," Joey answers and then tells of possible reasons. "It (name change) was probably so that the Italian family would assimilate better into American culture. Also, there was discrimination against Italians at that time." Joey cites yet another possible reason, ""They probably wanted to give up their old life, which wasn't too good." Dropping their old name was like having a "clean slate", I concluded. ("Tabula Rasa" is what I call a clean slate.) There were several Italian and Sicilian families who changed their names.
"I have a copy of the documents. The name was changed from D'Orazio to D'Orazio-Coffee! So, I can legally use the D'Orazio name!" Joey now states that the D'Orazio name was not dropped! "I've thought about using the D'Orazio name," says Joey, who is proud of both names.
Joey has a story that his mother Sarah Passanante Coffee tells him about the D'Orazio-Coffee name change. "When my mama was about twelve years old and living at 736 Elm Street, she asked her Mama Paolina Passanante why that family up Elm Street (Coffee Family) changed their name!" Joey then tells that his mother ended up marrying one!
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Michael Joseph Coffee, Joey's father, was born May 23, 1924 and grew up on Elm Street along with his brothers Angelo and Joe and his sister Rose. They were born to Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee and Anna Ricotta (D'Orazio) Coffee. I think I recall Uncle Mike Coffee telling me that his Mama's family came from Calabria, Italy. I may be wrong, if my memory is not serving me correctly.
Anna Ricotta was born on a farm in Pueblo in the late 1800's. "She was a first-generation American," announces Joey, who remembers two brothers of his Grandmother Anna … Uncle Ralph Ricotta and Uncle Jerry Ricotta. "Uncle Ralph used to bring us chocolate at Easter. And wooden Dutch shoes. He was single or divorced. He was a good man," Joey has pleasant memories of his grandmother's brother. "My brother Jerry," says Joey, "was named after my Grandma's other brother, my Uncle Jerry."
In an obituary for Mrs. Anna R. Coffee, who passed away at "St. Mary-Corwin Hospital October 7, 1980, following a four-month illness", it also stated that her husband Joseph D. Coffee, Sr. preceded her in death in 1962. Her three surviving sisters are named as Mrs. Rose Vergilio, Pueblo: Mrs. Angelina Comnillo, Denver; and Mrs. Theresa Krajacic, Pueblo. Anna Ricotta Coffee was active in the Ladies Fidelity Lodge, as stated in the obituary.
First-born of Joseph and Anna Coffee was Angelo Coffee, "My Uncle Ange always drove a Cadillac! He sold stuff for awhile and then started the C&O Manufacturing company," Joey shares some memories of his Dad's oldest brother. "My Uncle Angelo Coffee and my Uncle Aldridge O'Quin, who was married to my Aunt Rose, started C&O Manufacturing. It stands for Coffee and O'Quin," explains Joey who goes on to say that C&O Manufacturing still exists. "It's on Pueblo Boulevard, and my Aunt Rose still goes there, part-time."
"My Uncle Ange's first wife was Alma, and they had Patrick and Diana," says Joey. Both Pat and Diana have passed away. I told Joey that Diana Coffee and I were both flower girls when Michael Joseph Coffee married my mother's sister Sarah (Rosaria) Passanante on June 5, 1948. I can still picture Little Diana in her flower girl dress. She looked like an angel. She passed away at an early age, on the brink of becoming a young woman.
"Arvella was my Uncle Ange's second wife, and they had Monty and Greg Coffee." Monty and Greg both passed away. Gregory passed away, as stated in his obituary, at age 42 just last year, April 23, 2000. His brother Monty preceded him in death as did his half-brother Patrick Coffee and his half-sister Diana Coffee. Dee Holmes and Becky Martino are listed as surviving half-sisters. Gregory is survived by his mother Arvella I. Coffee and his son, Duran Coffee (Denver), as well as "numerous aunts, uncles and cousins".
Page 4 of 13
After Angelo Coffee and Arvella divorced, he and Ann Corsentino shared their lives for a period of time. "Bunny" and "Bo-Bo" are Ann's daughters. There may have been another companion for Angelo D. Coffee before he passed away in 1974 from heart disease.
It was in 1951 that Joey's Uncle Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. passed away, but Joey never knew his Uncle Joe Coffee. Joey was born two years later on October 11, 1953. Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. and Mary Yengich married and had two children, Mary Jo Coffee and Ray Coffee, both raised by their Aunt Rose and Uncle O'Quin, who also had their own children Dennis and Ronnie O'Quin. The cause of death for Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. was complications from purpura. Ray lives in Alabama, and Mary Jo is married and lives in Denver.
Rose (D'Orazio) Coffee O'Quin and Michael Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee are the two surviving offspring (God Bless You Both!) of Anna Ricotta (D'Orazio) Coffee and Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee, Sr. Rose's husband Aldridge B. O'Quin has passed away. Dr. Ron O'Quin is a pulmonary specialist in Seattle, and Dennis O'Quin runs C&O Manufacturing Company in Pueblo.
My Uncle Mike and Aunt Sarah Coffee have seven beautiful children (God Bless!) and Joey is one of them! There are also several grandchildren. It was on September 3, 2000 that their grandson Carl Coffee passed away, a very sad time for the family.
The oldest of the children of Michael Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee and Sarah Passanante (D'Orazio) Coffee is JoAnn Marie Coffee Johnson who is married to Warden Lee Johnson. They have three children: Ward, Jr., Sarah Rose and Marc Jeffrey. JoAnn is manager and part owner of "Trips R Us Travel Agency" in Pueblo West, where she uses her knowledge, expertise and experience, love of people, as well as her college degree in travel and tourism. In the last year she took a trip to Sicily with her mother and father.
Second-born is Carl Michael Coffee who is married to Patty Walton Coffee. He is an electrician at Adams Electric. They have three children: Carl Michael, Jr. (passed away); Shannon who is married to Tony Villalpando and they have a daughter Rylie; Stacey Lynn Coffee of the family home.
Joseph Anthony Coffee ("Joey") is third-born. He is married to Christine Finch Coffee. They have four children: Michael who is 19, Tony who is 17, Daniel who is 15, and Angela who is 14. When asked how he and Chris met, Joey answers, "We met at my cousin Jack Passanante Jr.'s spring break party." Joey, who makes his home in Pueblo West, works at Matrix Logistics in Fountain, Colorado in Inventory Control. He just celebrated one year there. He had worked for almost fifteen years at Target warehouse.
Page 5 of 13
Dr. Paula Kay Coffee was born next. Paula is a dentist in Parker, Colorado where she is raising her two daughters, Emily and Allison Denny. Paula is versatile and a hard worker, having performed hard labor several years ago at the CF&I!
Paula owns the dental building in Pueblo West, where Dr. Paul Hennegan has his dental office in Suite A; Paula's sister JoAnn Coffee Johnson has her travel agency in Suite B; and her sister Mary Coffee Latino has "Krazie Kiln" pottery studio in Suite C!
Gerald Lee ("Jerry") Coffee is married to Pat Thiessen Coffee, and they have two daughters, Krista and Katie. Jerry is an electrician at Main Electric, and Pat works for Pueblo County offices. They make their home in Pueblo in the county.
Theresa Ann Coffee is a dental hygienist in Parker, Colorado. She has done some great work on my teeth, which sparkle at each cleaning! She is single.
Youngest in the family is Mary Catherine Coffee Latino who has Krazie Kiln Shop in the Pueblo West building at Hahn's Peak and Joe Martinez Blvd. She has two children, Steven and Elizabeth Latino.
On October 11, 1953, Joseph Anthony Coffee was born to Michael Joseph Coffee and Sarah Passanante Coffee. Although he was born in a hospital, his place of residence at 736 Elm Street makes him what I call "an Elm Street Baby"! After a few years on Elm Street, his family bought a house at 623 West 15th in Pueblo, where they lived for some years to follow. Joey's early childhood memories are those of his friend Matt Wilcox, whom I remember as a little red-headed kid. Joey mentions Dave Speken, father of Sally. Sally and Joey's sister JoAnn were friends. Joey said that there weren't any Speken kids his age when he lived on West 15th. I have West 15th memories of hot dogs, your dog Penny, you and your Superman cape!
When his family visited 736 Elm Street (Grandma and Grandpa's house) while he was living on West 15th, Joey has a memory of some of the renters at the Passanante house. "They had just come from Italy, and they lived upstairs at Grandma and Grandpa's. Their names were John and Lena Abbate and their son was Joe." I tell my Cousin Joey that I remember Joe Abbate as a classmate of mine when I attended Keating Junior High School (1957 – 1959).
Thinking about Keating, I share one of my memories with Joey. "I was in a school musical, called 'H.M.S. Pinafore'. There were sailors, cousins and aunts. I was one of the sailors. I did the Hornpipe dance with three or four other 'sailors', and I wore your Dad's Navy white bell bottoms that he wore when he was in the service in the 1940's!! And they fit! … A little tight! Uncle Mike's authentic
Page 6 of 13
Navy bell bottoms!" Joey, who admitted that he had never heard this family story, stated that he has his Dad's Navy uniform. "It's either my Dad's or my Uncle Joe Coffee's."
About three years ago, Joey's dad gave him his accordion. "I haven't learned to play it yet," says Joey who may still learn. Joey remembers when Grandma and Aunt Rena Capozzola went to Sicily (with Auntie Anna Luppino and her daughter Catherine "Rena" Luppino). It was in 1958, and Joey was five years old. "They brought back my brother Carl an accordion, and they brought me a wind-up toy … a cat or a mouse! I was hurt!" Joey gets in touch with those early feelings of disappointment.
Uncle Mike (Joey's father) saw to it that Joey got an accordion! "My dad loves to barter," Cousin Joey describes one characteristic of his Daddy. We both agree that he is good at it! And he is generous, too. "My dad has had some health problems," Joey takes us into the present a moment. "But he is recovering well."
After West 15th Street, Joey's family's next move would take him back to 736 Elm Street at Grandma and Grandpa Passanante's house, where many more precious memories were made! That was about 1958. "We lived downstairs at Grandma and Grandpa's house," remembers Joey. "Grandma and Grandpa lived upstairs, but Grandma would come down every morning and cook for us! Grandma made fried bread or biscuits (biscotti) or she would go out in her garden and cut asparagus and make omelets!"
Joey says that Grandma Passanante went to school in Sicily until she was in the third grade, and that is where she learned math. I told Joey that his Mama (my Aunt Sarah) let me copy a picture of Grandma's school class in Sicily. Grandma is pictured with one of her hands on her hips. And Joey and I remember many times Grandma standing with both hands on her hips! She always had an apron on unless she was going to lodge.
Joey's memories of Grandpa Passanante are similar to mine. "I can remember Grandpa sitting in a chair. He was sick then." But, there were the earlier years when Grandpa walked to work at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation. And he tended a big garden on Elm Street. There was a time that he made wine. He was active in men's lodges in those earlier years, before Parkinson's Disease disabled him.
Grandpa used to sleep in that little bedroom off the front room," Joey tells about our Grandpa Passanante. "That was before my brother Carl and I slept in
Page 7 of 13
that room," Joey recalls his sleeping arrangement in the late 1950's and 1960's at 736 Elm Street.
"And my Dad had his vacuum shop where Grandma and Grandpa's Passanante Grocery Store once flourished. My Dad's business was called 'A&G Vacuum Shop'. The 'G' stood for 'Garone'," remembers Joey. I remember that Aunt Sarah did a lot of phone work for Uncle Mike in his business.
"Then my Mom got a job at the Pueblo Army Depot when I was twelve. That was about 1965," says Joey. "But that was until she got pregnant with my sister Mary, who was born in 1967." It was in 1975 or 1976 that Joey's mother would return to work. She worked in "work study and financial aid" at the University of Southern Colorado where she received an Outstanding Woman Award.
"My Dad got a job at the mill where he worked as a scale mechanic. Another one of his jobs was at Crews-Beggs. He sold and repaired vacuum cleaners for them." It was after this job that Joey says his dad had his own shop for awhile. "Then he went to work at the Pueblo Army Depot." He has since retired.
Now remembered is a photo of Grandma Passanante, my Mama DiSipio (Joey's Aunt Dea), Aunt Sarah (Joey's Mama), Joey and me holding up our coffee cups at the kitchen table and toasting! That was how it was! We would sit and talk a lot! Or play cards! Sometimes Grandma would tell stories from the Old Country.
Joey now tells a story that we both recall …
"Story of the Werewolf in Sicily"
"In Sicily there were people who would have 'fits' when the full moon came out! They were called werewolves! During these 'fits', they were dangerous and would attack people!
One night a man told his wife to turn off all the lights and lock the doors and NOT open them to anyone, even him! He went out!
The next day he returned. And when he yawned at the kitchen table, his wife saw a piece of material (fabric) between his teeth!"
A second story is recalled by Pauline …
"You Oughta See My Molars!"
Page 8 of 13
"There was a tiny baby on the street in Sicily. The baby seemed to be about a month old. A passerby looked at the little baby and noticed teeth as the baby was crying!
'How can you have teeth?!' The passerby queried.
The baby replied in a deep loud voice, 'You oughta see my molars'!"
A third story is recalled by Pauline …
"Let Us Play with Your Baby, Or Else!"
"A couple moved into a house where a baby was born to them. During the night the couple would hear the baby laughing. When they went to check on the baby, they discovered that the baby had been moved from its crib to the cellar.
This happened several nights, and each time the couple, puzzled and upset, returned the baby to its crib.
One night a dream came to the couple, who had decided to move from the house. In the dream they heard these words … 'If you move away and don't let us play with your baby, something bad will happen to your baby!' The spirit-elves gave the couple a warning!
The couple did not take heed. They moved away. And their baby became deformed."
That third story always saddened me. The baby was innocent, yet received a "curse" as a punishment.
Coming over from the Old Country were customs and a culture passed down from our grandparents and their ancestors. On June 26 (25), 1910, Paolina Luppino and Calogero (Carlo) Passanante were united in Holy Matrimony at Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Pueblo, Colorado. Joey stated, "Grandma made Grandpa marry her BEFORE she came to America." And, because Grandpa was in Pueblo working at the steel mill (CF&I), Grandma was married in Italy by "proxy" first, with someone standing in Grandpa's place.
A Catholic upbringing is cited as an important part of Joey's life, helping to make him the person he is today. At age five, Joey started first grade at St. Pat's. "I didn't go to kindergarten. I started right into first grade. But, I cried and cried! I didn't want to go to St. Pat's! I wanted to go to Assumption School!" Joey tells about a feeling he had at that young age of five. "It was either Kaye's or Connie's wedding (1958). I was in that Assumption Church hall, and I knew THAT'S where I was supposed to go to school!" That was probably my sister Connie DiSipio's wedding on September 6, 1958.
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Seeing that he was very unhappy, Joey's parents put him in Assumption School. "I was happy from then on!" remembers Joey. His memories of his teachers are pleasant positive ones. "There was Sister Mary Elizabeth. And Sister Titus in second grade. Miss Kordick, a lay teacher from Connecticut, was my teacher in third grade. My sixth grade teacher was Sister Gertrude, and my eighth grade teacher was Sister Elizabeth. All at Assumption!" Joey recalls going to church every morning before school.
From about age seven or eight until about age twelve or thirteen, Joey wanted to be a Catholic priest. "I had great teachers! Great priests! Father John Powers, a great man." We remembered that Father Powers had died in a plane crash, possibly coming back from Ireland. "There was Father John O'Flaherty and Monsignor Holland. Good men! Good teachers!" Joey made his First Holy Communion and Confirmation. His Confirmation Sponsor (Godfather) was his Uncle Aldridge B. O'Quin.
Joey's Baptism Godfather was his Uncle "Slew" Carl Passanante.
In ninth grade, Joey went to Roncalli and was taught by all "Brothers". When I asked Joey why he decided not to become a priest, he answered, "I decided that priesthood wasn't for me. I wanted kids, a family." And Joey is a good father. I know.
One of Joey's good friends at Assumption and all through school was Ron Alfonso. "Jim Toribio was my friend, too, and now his son and my son Daniel are friends," says Joey. Now Joey names Mike Marcovecchio, who lived on Routt, as another one of his childhood friends at Assumption Catholic School.
Some of Joey's friends in those early years on Elm Street were Louie Dionese, Rick Sagona, cousins Tommy and Jack Passanante, Jr. and Nathan Youngblood. Nathan lived on Abriendo, the next street over from Elm. "My cousins, who are the Luppinos, Benskos and Nicky Rusovick (Nicky lived on Van Buren) were more of my friends. Davey Dionese told me the 'facts of life' on Grandma's front porch!" Joey recalls this memorable occasion.
"When I was eleven," Joey has another memory, "Gary Sagona and Frankie Cirullo called me over. They were on Box Elder, and I was on my bike. They dared me to ride my bike off a six-foot wall. I got clobbered! But, I didn't let them know!"
"My Cousin Jack Passanante, Jr. went to Jefferson School, in another neighborhood, but he'd always come over to Elm Street." Some of the games the Elm Street neighborhood kids played were 'Ditch 'em' ( a game that is like 'Hide 'n Seek'). We played 'Kick the Can', too. A pastime recalled by Joey almost
Page 10 of 13
got him in big trouble once … throwing eggs at cars! "I hit a police car with an egg from the top of Grandma and Grandpa's store! I hid. They never found me!
"I remember when everybody thought I was 'lost'!" Joey smiles as he begins telling another story. "My family looked everywhere for me! I was about eight or nine at the time. I was over at the Alessi house on Elm Street. Their granddaughter Karen Hoyt and I were reading 101 Dalmations together!" Joey said that he and Karen were in third grade together at Assumption School. "I got in trouble for not letting anyone know where I was. It was 10:00 at night, and I was still over at the Alessi's! Mr. and Mrs. Alessi were good people!" The Alessi home was at 805 Elm Street.
Some other Elm Street neighbors Joey especially remembers are Snuzzy Dionese at 802 Elm Street and "Aunt Nellie" and "Uncle John" at 735 Elm Street. Nellie Hinds Hunyadi and John Hunyadi (spelling variations may be Hunyada, Huniady, Hunuday) wanted to be called "aunt" and "uncle" by the neighborhood kids. And they were! They didn't have any children of their own, but they had all of us!
It was either John's mother or Nellie's mother who lived with them at their home on the upper corner of the 700 block of Elm Street, right across the street from the Passanante Grocery Store. "I went to school with Gary Hunyadi who lived on Washington," remembers Joey who adds that they were a nice family.
Next, I ask Joey how he got the nickname "Spider". "On summer nights we used to play around the neighborhood. I was a little kid then, and I used to wrestle around with Donnie Luppino," Joey begins telling how he got his nickname. "Donnie and Donna Luppino … Donna was so pretty … were twins and our third cousins who lived on the 800 block of Elm Street. I used to hang on Donnie," Joey continues with his story, "and I wouldn't let him go! 'You're like a dang spider!' Donnie would say to me! And that's how my nickname started!" Great story!
"Mikey Uhal used to call me to come out to play." Joe has a recollection of one of his special friends. "He was TALL! And he used to carry railroad spikes in his pocket!" Mike was a special part of our growing up years on Elm Street. "He was a nice guy." Joey has good memories of his friend.
"Rick Sagona, Louie Dionese, Louie Sciortino, my brother Carl and I played baseball in that empty lot that was across the street from your house." Joey tells me about a pastime enjoyed by neighborhood kids for a very long time! "We were upset when they started building Brothers Plumbing (owned by Angelo Brothers) in the empty lot! They took our baseball field!" D&D Electronics is there now, a business owned by the Drobnitch Family.
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Joey now has a not-so-pleasant memory associated with that empty lot. "Nathan Youngblood and my brother Carl and I were in that empty lot. They had just started digging for Brothers Plumbing, and we were playing there. Nathan got a big boulder and threw it up in the air! At this point, both Nathan and Carl warned me about the big rock! 'Look out!' they both yelled. "So, I ran about twenty yards, put my head down, and the boulder hit me in the back of my head! I was right in the line of the rock! If I had just stood still, I would have been all right!" Joey went to the emergency room.
There was really a neat trick that Joey did that no one else could do! He could WALK on his HEAD! Joey tells me that he can still do that! I remember his head scooting along the ground! "I can remember standing on my head in the middle of Elm Street, stopping cars, and asking them for money! I got five bucks one time!" Joey says that his mom put a stop to his dangerous antics and money-making acrobatics when she found out about them! He was about six years old then.
Though Joey has memories of the Dump, he didn't spend a lot of time there like the earlier and older neighborhood kids (and adults!) did. "Jimmy Lucero lived near there. He was one year older than me. 'Kiko' Lucero was my brother Carl's age."
"I remember crying when you wouldn't let me go in the funhouse in your garage," Joey now directs a memory to me. That "funhouse" was more of a very dark ghost house! There was the "devil's beard" (a hairbrush), a cup of blood (beet juice), and the devil's wife's dress (some rag)! Joey's brother Carl Michael was beating a drum in the corner of the ghost house. I was making strange noises and guiding the neighborhood kids on their little tour, which did scare quite a few of them.
I told Joey that he was just too young at the time, and I didn't want him to have any bad dreams and wake up screaming! As an added feature of the funhouse, I placed empty pop bottles lying flat, close together on the garage dirt floor so that the kids could "roll" on them. As it turned out, one of our older cousins, Carl Jess Passanante, was just too big to "roll" and ended up crushing the bottles! When my Dad saw all the broken glass in his garage … well, you can imagine!
Joey remembers when Grandpa Carlo Passanante passed away. That was the same year that his Grandpa Coffee passed away, 1962. "I remember the 'visita' that people made for Grandpa Passanante. I was about nine years old," says Joey, who does not remember a "wake" for Grandpa in the house at 736 Elm Street. He thinks that was about the time that they quit having dead bodies in houses.
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It was in the late 1940's, after World War II, that Joey's Grandma and Grandpa Coffee left Elm Street to live on Pitkin Avenue in Pueblo. "I remember my Grandma Coffee always feeding us when we would go over there, On Pitkin, she had Sunday dinner which was spaghetti and 'Italian fare'. She and my Grandpa Coffee lived on Pitkin until he died in 1962. Then my Grandma Coffee moved in with my Aunt Rose O'Quin on Lake Avenue. My Aunt Rose took care if her until my Grandma Coffee died in 1980.
Joey's Uncle A. B. O'Quin died of cancer in the late 1970's. It was during that time period that Joey worked as a dealer at the Barbary Coast in Las Vegas, Nevada. Joey said that he liked his job there, but he wrecked his car in Vegas and came back to Pueblo. Joey lived in Las Vegas for about four years.
"To the degree that you believe in something is the degree it will affect you," Joey now presents some of his philosophy of life. "The 'mal occhio' (bad eye, evil eye) is the same way," says Joey who admits that he believes in it, but has never had it. Following my questioning about the mal occhio, Joey and I get into one of our "deep" discussions … philosophical and spiritual.
"Before a child is seven years old, that child needs to be protected. Values need to be set. After age seven, you are who you are," Joey share another bit of his philosophy. I began thinking about my early years. I thought about my parents, and I asked Joey what he remembered about my mama and daddy … his Aunt Dea and Uncle Tony DiSipio.
"Aunt Dea was apple pie! She was beautiful! I miss her, " says her nephew Joey who went up to speak at her funeral mass in November of 1998. Joey, one of seven nephews who were all Pall Bearers, loved his Aunt Dea very much. "She was a sweetie … and a hard worker!"
"The one memory of Uncle Tony, your dad, that stands out is I remember seeing him walk with his lunch pail. He kept the yard at 716 Elm street spotless. He loved his house and his yard. He was a hard worker," Joey remembers.
Now, I ask my Cousin Joey to describe the qualities of his mother and father, Sarah and Mike Coffee, who make their home on the south side of Pueblo on Farabaugh Lane. "My Mother is Warmth, Beauty, Fortitude and Love. My Dad is Protector, Strength, Words and Guidance."
I mention that it was Uncle Mike, Joey's father, who guided me to the DiSipio graves in the old part of Roselawn Cemetery. Uncle Mike honors the Dead. He visits and prays at the graves of our family member who have gone on before us. He does not forget them. Aunt Sarah is a nurturer and giver of love. She is a gracious hostess to anyone who is at her home. She makes sure that
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you eat! And she makes the BEST meatballs!
"You're a good combination of both of your parents," I recognize the same qualities in Joey and I that he attribute to his parents. "I see you as a very Spiritual Being, Joey."
"We weren't raised to be wolves," Joey assesses our family upbringing. "We were raised to be more like sheep. Gentle. Our family is a gentle people. At times we seem fractured as a unit, but the fractures don't run deep. We carry pretty heavy Karma, as a family. But we all have a lot of blessings. Our Christian values drive us all."
"Catholic schools made me a good person. I'm glad I went to Catholic school," says Joey who attends St. Paul's Catholic Church in Pueblo West. "Just two or three weeks ago, Chris and I took up the 'Gifts' (Bread and Wine)."
Joey, who likes talking about old times, graduated from Pueblo's Central High School in 1971. Early in Joey's marriage, he bought the house at 732 Elm Street, returning yet another time to that nostalgic old neighborhood holding so much family history! He sold the home after a few years. A special furniture keepsake from Grandma and Grandpa Passanante's house at 736 Elm Street is a coffee table with colored inlaid wood. Joey and his family have used that memento which Joey still has.
Reading and writing are two of Joey's interests. "I like Thomas Clancy," says Joey who has a preference for fiction. "Just so it's interesting!" Joey goes to the Abruzzi Internet website on his computer to research his Dorazio family history, He has done some DiSipio research for me, too! "A priest from Civitella (Messer Raimondo), a village in the province of Chieti and the region of Abruzzi in central Italy has offered to do research for me," states Joey who adds that he has a translator on his computer so he can send messages in Italian!
"Our ancestors came to America, the land of opportunity. Our family as a whole unit came from TWO different parts of Italy … Abruzzi and Sicily. Basically peasants with very little education, they were all hard workers, setting good examples for our work ethic."
Joey concludes, "Most of all, above all else, we are good people. Good people with Christian values."
CARL MICHAEL COFFEE, JR.
BIRTH
17 Dec 1976
Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado, USA
DEATH
3 Sep 2000 (aged 23)
Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado, USA
CARL MICHAEL COFFEE, JR.
December 17, 1976 - September 3, 2000
Monday, September 4, 2000, "Pueblo Chieftain" Newspaper:
Carl M. Coffee Jr., 23, a Pueblo resident, passed away Sept. 3, 2000.
He is survived by his parents, Carl and Patty Coffee; sisters, Shannon (Tony) Villalpando and Stacey Coffee; niece, Rylie Villalpando; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Coffee and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Walton; aunts and uncles, JoAnn (Ward) Johnson, Joe (Christine) Coffee, Paula Coffee, Jerry (Patricia) Coffee, Theresa Coffee, Mary (Steve) Latino, Nancy (Jim) Simonsen and Sue (Frank) Farmer. He is also survived by numerous cousins.
Carl graduated from South High School in 1995.
Member, I.B.E.W. No. 12 and was a third year apprentice, and would have been a fourth year apprentice.
He enjoyed fishing, playing pool and horseshoes, and hanging out with his friends. His family and friendships were highly valued. Carl spent many years with his dog "Girl" roller blading to the park and the river.
He will be sadly missed by the many lives he touched with his great sense of humor and caring heart.
Rosary recitation, 7 p.m. today, funeral Mass, 10 a.m. Wednesday, both services at the Shrine of St. Therese.
At his request, cremation.
Those who wish may make contributions to the charity of their choice.
A special thank you to Lori Pfannenschmid for your support and being the giving, caring person that you are.
PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Sunday, December 17, 2017:
IN MEMORIAM
Carl Coffee Jr. To lose a child, alters your life FOREVER, for grief forces you to see WHO matters, who NEVER did, who WON'T anymore, and who ALWAYS will. Blessed to have been graced by our son's heart. Happy 41st Birthday Love, Your Family.
IN MEMORIAM Carl Jr. Remembering your on 42nd Birthday. The Coffees and Richardsons. PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Monday, December 17, 2018.
IN MEMORIAM Carl Coffee Jr.
Family is a circle of love, not broken by the loss of Carl but made stronger by his memories. He doesn't just cross our minds, he lives in them. We will always be Dad, Mom, and Family to him in heaven. Happy Birthday Love, Sadly missed Your Family. PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Monday, December 17, 2018.
IN MEMORIAM
Carl Coffee Jr.
Our minds still talk to you, our hearts still look for you,
and even though we can no longer see you with our eyes,
or touch you with our hands,
we will feel you in our hearts
forever.
Happy 43rd Birthday
in Heaven.
Loved and missed,
All Your Family
Published in The Pueblo Chieftain on Dec. 17, 2019.
IN MEMORIAM
Carl J.
1976 - 2000
Today we fondly
remember the sweet
child you were and
the good man you
were becoming.
Forever in our hearts.
The Coffee and
Richardson Family
Published in The Pueblo Chieftain on Dec. 17, 2019.
NOTE: Following Interview of Joseph Anthony D'Orazio Coffee, UNCLE of Carl Michael Coffee, Jr. INTERVIEW by First Cousin Pauline Annette DiSipio, 2001, Pueblo, Colorado:
Page 1 of 13 Interviewer: Pauline Annette DiSipio
NOTE: Amended Spelling: D'Orazio
INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH D'ORAZIO-COFFEE - 2001 – Pueblo, Colorado
On October 4, 2001, at the Jubilee Inn in Pueblo, Colorado, My Cousin Joey Coffee and I met to talk about his D'ORAZIO-COFFEE family who lived on Elm Street.
A page from the Pueblo City Directory in 1943 showed that a "Joseph Coffee" was living at 1034 Elm Street. That Joseph Coffee was Joey's grandfather, after whom he was named. Joey is Joseph Anthony Coffee.
The D'Orazio-Coffee Family originated in the village of Civitella Messer Raimondo, province of Chieti, and region of Abruzzi in central Italy. My Grandmother Concetta DiSipio was a D'Orazio before she married my Grandfather Angelo. Not only are Joey and I related through our mothers, but we may also be related through our fathers, who could be cousins. Joey's Grandfather Joseph came to America in the early 1900's. Lucy D'Orazio (later O'Dorisio), who was my father Anthony DiSipio's Baptism Godmother, was Joey's Grandfather D'Orazio's sister.
"I can remember my Grandpa (D'Orazio) Coffee!" says Joey who is happy to have known his grandfather. "He had huge hands and big fingers! He worked as a truck driver at the mill."
That last statement reminded me for a moment that "Uncle" Dominic Luppino was also a truck driver at the mill, and that he and Grandpa Carlo Passanante, who worked as a mason at the mill, were paesani from the Old Country and came to America AND Elm Street in that first decade of the 1900's, seeking employment at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation (steel mill) in Pueblo, Colorado.
"He used to like to tease people!" announces Joey, who describes his Grandfather Coffee. "He was ornery, and his nickname was 'Buckshot'!" It was in the early 1900's when Joey's Grandfather Joseph D'Orazio (Coffee) arrived in America.
"When my Grandpa Coffee was younger, he used to box!" Joey adds, "Not professionally, though." I bet those big hands came in handy for that, I thought to myself. I mentioned Joe "Awful" Coffee, the famous boxer, but Joey said that he was not related. Joey said that he thought that the famous boxer was Jewish. I had recalled reading an article a few years back in the Pueblo paper stating that his name was "made up". Joey now tells me that his grandfather and his "Uncle Pete", also an amateur boxer like his grandfather, were friends of Joe "Awful" Coffee.
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When I heard the name "Pete Coffee", I was glad I could ask Joey some questions about him. "When people discover I'm related to the Coffee Family, a lot of them mention a 'Pete Coffee', and I don't know who that it," I search for an answer from Joey. "Can You tell me about him?"
Pete Coffee was Joey's grandfather's brother. "Uncle Pete had a bar in Bessemer," Joey begins. "It was called 'Pete Coffee's', I think, and it was located where the Klamm's Shell is now (424 West Northern Avenue). Uncle Pete had a pool hall and bar there."
I had heard that Joe "Awful" Coffee had a bar in Denver in the thirties and forties. It was designed like a boxing ring, ropes and all, and there were signatures of boxers in the bar.
Joey continues telling me about Pete Coffee. "His name is listed on the wall at Gus's Tavern on Elm Street, He is named as one of Pueblo's old-time bar owners who passed away." Joey says that he doesn't, however, have any personal memories of his Uncle Pete Coffee.
Recalling a gravestone at Roselawn Cemetery in Pueblo, I mention the DORAZIO-COFFEE (D'ORAZIO-COFFEE) name etched into the stone. "When was your family name changed to COFFEE?" I question Joey about a name change.
"Uncle Pete changed the name from D'Orazio to Coffee, and my Grandfather Joseph Coffee kind of went along with it," Joey answers and then tells of possible reasons. "It (name change) was probably so that the Italian family would assimilate better into American culture. Also, there was discrimination against Italians at that time." Joey cites yet another possible reason, ""They probably wanted to give up their old life, which wasn't too good." Dropping their old name was like having a "clean slate", I concluded. ("Tabula Rasa" is what I call a clean slate.) There were several Italian and Sicilian families who changed their names.
"I have a copy of the documents. The name was changed from D'Orazio to D'Orazio-Coffee! So, I can legally use the D'Orazio name!" Joey now states that the D'Orazio name was not dropped! "I've thought about using the D'Orazio name," says Joey, who is proud of both names.
Joey has a story that his mother Sarah Passanante Coffee tells him about the D'Orazio-Coffee name change. "When my mama was about twelve years old and living at 736 Elm Street, she asked her Mama Paolina Passanante why that family up Elm Street (Coffee Family) changed their name!" Joey then tells that his mother ended up marrying one!
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Michael Joseph Coffee, Joey's father, was born May 23, 1924 and grew up on Elm Street along with his brothers Angelo and Joe and his sister Rose. They were born to Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee and Anna Ricotta (D'Orazio) Coffee. I think I recall Uncle Mike Coffee telling me that his Mama's family came from Calabria, Italy. I may be wrong, if my memory is not serving me correctly.
Anna Ricotta was born on a farm in Pueblo in the late 1800's. "She was a first-generation American," announces Joey, who remembers two brothers of his Grandmother Anna … Uncle Ralph Ricotta and Uncle Jerry Ricotta. "Uncle Ralph used to bring us chocolate at Easter. And wooden Dutch shoes. He was single or divorced. He was a good man," Joey has pleasant memories of his grandmother's brother. "My brother Jerry," says Joey, "was named after my Grandma's other brother, my Uncle Jerry."
In an obituary for Mrs. Anna R. Coffee, who passed away at "St. Mary-Corwin Hospital October 7, 1980, following a four-month illness", it also stated that her husband Joseph D. Coffee, Sr. preceded her in death in 1962. Her three surviving sisters are named as Mrs. Rose Vergilio, Pueblo: Mrs. Angelina Comnillo, Denver; and Mrs. Theresa Krajacic, Pueblo. Anna Ricotta Coffee was active in the Ladies Fidelity Lodge, as stated in the obituary.
First-born of Joseph and Anna Coffee was Angelo Coffee, "My Uncle Ange always drove a Cadillac! He sold stuff for awhile and then started the C&O Manufacturing company," Joey shares some memories of his Dad's oldest brother. "My Uncle Angelo Coffee and my Uncle Aldridge O'Quin, who was married to my Aunt Rose, started C&O Manufacturing. It stands for Coffee and O'Quin," explains Joey who goes on to say that C&O Manufacturing still exists. "It's on Pueblo Boulevard, and my Aunt Rose still goes there, part-time."
"My Uncle Ange's first wife was Alma, and they had Patrick and Diana," says Joey. Both Pat and Diana have passed away. I told Joey that Diana Coffee and I were both flower girls when Michael Joseph Coffee married my mother's sister Sarah (Rosaria) Passanante on June 5, 1948. I can still picture Little Diana in her flower girl dress. She looked like an angel. She passed away at an early age, on the brink of becoming a young woman.
"Arvella was my Uncle Ange's second wife, and they had Monty and Greg Coffee." Monty and Greg both passed away. Gregory passed away, as stated in his obituary, at age 42 just last year, April 23, 2000. His brother Monty preceded him in death as did his half-brother Patrick Coffee and his half-sister Diana Coffee. Dee Holmes and Becky Martino are listed as surviving half-sisters. Gregory is survived by his mother Arvella I. Coffee and his son, Duran Coffee (Denver), as well as "numerous aunts, uncles and cousins".
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After Angelo Coffee and Arvella divorced, he and Ann Corsentino shared their lives for a period of time. "Bunny" and "Bo-Bo" are Ann's daughters. There may have been another companion for Angelo D. Coffee before he passed away in 1974 from heart disease.
It was in 1951 that Joey's Uncle Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. passed away, but Joey never knew his Uncle Joe Coffee. Joey was born two years later on October 11, 1953. Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. and Mary Yengich married and had two children, Mary Jo Coffee and Ray Coffee, both raised by their Aunt Rose and Uncle O'Quin, who also had their own children Dennis and Ronnie O'Quin. The cause of death for Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. was complications from purpura. Ray lives in Alabama, and Mary Jo is married and lives in Denver.
Rose (D'Orazio) Coffee O'Quin and Michael Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee are the two surviving offspring (God Bless You Both!) of Anna Ricotta (D'Orazio) Coffee and Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee, Sr. Rose's husband Aldridge B. O'Quin has passed away. Dr. Ron O'Quin is a pulmonary specialist in Seattle, and Dennis O'Quin runs C&O Manufacturing Company in Pueblo.
My Uncle Mike and Aunt Sarah Coffee have seven beautiful children (God Bless!) and Joey is one of them! There are also several grandchildren. It was on September 3, 2000 that their grandson Carl Coffee passed away, a very sad time for the family.
The oldest of the children of Michael Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee and Sarah Passanante (D'Orazio) Coffee is JoAnn Marie Coffee Johnson who is married to Warden Lee Johnson. They have three children: Ward, Jr., Sarah Rose and Marc Jeffrey. JoAnn is manager and part owner of "Trips R Us Travel Agency" in Pueblo West, where she uses her knowledge, expertise and experience, love of people, as well as her college degree in travel and tourism. In the last year she took a trip to Sicily with her mother and father.
Second-born is Carl Michael Coffee who is married to Patty Walton Coffee. He is an electrician at Adams Electric. They have three children: Carl Michael, Jr. (passed away); Shannon who is married to Tony Villalpando and they have a daughter Rylie; Stacey Lynn Coffee of the family home.
Joseph Anthony Coffee ("Joey") is third-born. He is married to Christine Finch Coffee. They have four children: Michael who is 19, Tony who is 17, Daniel who is 15, and Angela who is 14. When asked how he and Chris met, Joey answers, "We met at my cousin Jack Passanante Jr.'s spring break party." Joey, who makes his home in Pueblo West, works at Matrix Logistics in Fountain, Colorado in Inventory Control. He just celebrated one year there. He had worked for almost fifteen years at Target warehouse.
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Dr. Paula Kay Coffee was born next. Paula is a dentist in Parker, Colorado where she is raising her two daughters, Emily and Allison Denny. Paula is versatile and a hard worker, having performed hard labor several years ago at the CF&I!
Paula owns the dental building in Pueblo West, where Dr. Paul Hennegan has his dental office in Suite A; Paula's sister JoAnn Coffee Johnson has her travel agency in Suite B; and her sister Mary Coffee Latino has "Krazie Kiln" pottery studio in Suite C!
Gerald Lee ("Jerry") Coffee is married to Pat Thiessen Coffee, and they have two daughters, Krista and Katie. Jerry is an electrician at Main Electric, and Pat works for Pueblo County offices. They make their home in Pueblo in the county.
Theresa Ann Coffee is a dental hygienist in Parker, Colorado. She has done some great work on my teeth, which sparkle at each cleaning! She is single.
Youngest in the family is Mary Catherine Coffee Latino who has Krazie Kiln Shop in the Pueblo West building at Hahn's Peak and Joe Martinez Blvd. She has two children, Steven and Elizabeth Latino.
On October 11, 1953, Joseph Anthony Coffee was born to Michael Joseph Coffee and Sarah Passanante Coffee. Although he was born in a hospital, his place of residence at 736 Elm Street makes him what I call "an Elm Street Baby"! After a few years on Elm Street, his family bought a house at 623 West 15th in Pueblo, where they lived for some years to follow. Joey's early childhood memories are those of his friend Matt Wilcox, whom I remember as a little red-headed kid. Joey mentions Dave Speken, father of Sally. Sally and Joey's sister JoAnn were friends. Joey said that there weren't any Speken kids his age when he lived on West 15th. I have West 15th memories of hot dogs, your dog Penny, you and your Superman cape!
When his family visited 736 Elm Street (Grandma and Grandpa's house) while he was living on West 15th, Joey has a memory of some of the renters at the Passanante house. "They had just come from Italy, and they lived upstairs at Grandma and Grandpa's. Their names were John and Lena Abbate and their son was Joe." I tell my Cousin Joey that I remember Joe Abbate as a classmate of mine when I attended Keating Junior High School (1957 – 1959).
Thinking about Keating, I share one of my memories with Joey. "I was in a school musical, called 'H.M.S. Pinafore'. There were sailors, cousins and aunts. I was one of the sailors. I did the Hornpipe dance with three or four other 'sailors', and I wore your Dad's Navy white bell bottoms that he wore when he was in the service in the 1940's!! And they fit! … A little tight! Uncle Mike's authentic
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Navy bell bottoms!" Joey, who admitted that he had never heard this family story, stated that he has his Dad's Navy uniform. "It's either my Dad's or my Uncle Joe Coffee's."
About three years ago, Joey's dad gave him his accordion. "I haven't learned to play it yet," says Joey who may still learn. Joey remembers when Grandma and Aunt Rena Capozzola went to Sicily (with Auntie Anna Luppino and her daughter Catherine "Rena" Luppino). It was in 1958, and Joey was five years old. "They brought back my brother Carl an accordion, and they brought me a wind-up toy … a cat or a mouse! I was hurt!" Joey gets in touch with those early feelings of disappointment.
Uncle Mike (Joey's father) saw to it that Joey got an accordion! "My dad loves to barter," Cousin Joey describes one characteristic of his Daddy. We both agree that he is good at it! And he is generous, too. "My dad has had some health problems," Joey takes us into the present a moment. "But he is recovering well."
After West 15th Street, Joey's family's next move would take him back to 736 Elm Street at Grandma and Grandpa Passanante's house, where many more precious memories were made! That was about 1958. "We lived downstairs at Grandma and Grandpa's house," remembers Joey. "Grandma and Grandpa lived upstairs, but Grandma would come down every morning and cook for us! Grandma made fried bread or biscuits (biscotti) or she would go out in her garden and cut asparagus and make omelets!"
Joey says that Grandma Passanante went to school in Sicily until she was in the third grade, and that is where she learned math. I told Joey that his Mama (my Aunt Sarah) let me copy a picture of Grandma's school class in Sicily. Grandma is pictured with one of her hands on her hips. And Joey and I remember many times Grandma standing with both hands on her hips! She always had an apron on unless she was going to lodge.
Joey's memories of Grandpa Passanante are similar to mine. "I can remember Grandpa sitting in a chair. He was sick then." But, there were the earlier years when Grandpa walked to work at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation. And he tended a big garden on Elm Street. There was a time that he made wine. He was active in men's lodges in those earlier years, before Parkinson's Disease disabled him.
Grandpa used to sleep in that little bedroom off the front room," Joey tells about our Grandpa Passanante. "That was before my brother Carl and I slept in
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that room," Joey recalls his sleeping arrangement in the late 1950's and 1960's at 736 Elm Street.
"And my Dad had his vacuum shop where Grandma and Grandpa's Passanante Grocery Store once flourished. My Dad's business was called 'A&G Vacuum Shop'. The 'G' stood for 'Garone'," remembers Joey. I remember that Aunt Sarah did a lot of phone work for Uncle Mike in his business.
"Then my Mom got a job at the Pueblo Army Depot when I was twelve. That was about 1965," says Joey. "But that was until she got pregnant with my sister Mary, who was born in 1967." It was in 1975 or 1976 that Joey's mother would return to work. She worked in "work study and financial aid" at the University of Southern Colorado where she received an Outstanding Woman Award.
"My Dad got a job at the mill where he worked as a scale mechanic. Another one of his jobs was at Crews-Beggs. He sold and repaired vacuum cleaners for them." It was after this job that Joey says his dad had his own shop for awhile. "Then he went to work at the Pueblo Army Depot." He has since retired.
Now remembered is a photo of Grandma Passanante, my Mama DiSipio (Joey's Aunt Dea), Aunt Sarah (Joey's Mama), Joey and me holding up our coffee cups at the kitchen table and toasting! That was how it was! We would sit and talk a lot! Or play cards! Sometimes Grandma would tell stories from the Old Country.
Joey now tells a story that we both recall …
"Story of the Werewolf in Sicily"
"In Sicily there were people who would have 'fits' when the full moon came out! They were called werewolves! During these 'fits', they were dangerous and would attack people!
One night a man told his wife to turn off all the lights and lock the doors and NOT open them to anyone, even him! He went out!
The next day he returned. And when he yawned at the kitchen table, his wife saw a piece of material (fabric) between his teeth!"
A second story is recalled by Pauline …
"You Oughta See My Molars!"
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"There was a tiny baby on the street in Sicily. The baby seemed to be about a month old. A passerby looked at the little baby and noticed teeth as the baby was crying!
'How can you have teeth?!' The passerby queried.
The baby replied in a deep loud voice, 'You oughta see my molars'!"
A third story is recalled by Pauline …
"Let Us Play with Your Baby, Or Else!"
"A couple moved into a house where a baby was born to them. During the night the couple would hear the baby laughing. When they went to check on the baby, they discovered that the baby had been moved from its crib to the cellar.
This happened several nights, and each time the couple, puzzled and upset, returned the baby to its crib.
One night a dream came to the couple, who had decided to move from the house. In the dream they heard these words … 'If you move away and don't let us play with your baby, something bad will happen to your baby!' The spirit-elves gave the couple a warning!
The couple did not take heed. They moved away. And their baby became deformed."
That third story always saddened me. The baby was innocent, yet received a "curse" as a punishment.
Coming over from the Old Country were customs and a culture passed down from our grandparents and their ancestors. On June 26 (25), 1910, Paolina Luppino and Calogero (Carlo) Passanante were united in Holy Matrimony at Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Pueblo, Colorado. Joey stated, "Grandma made Grandpa marry her BEFORE she came to America." And, because Grandpa was in Pueblo working at the steel mill (CF&I), Grandma was married in Italy by "proxy" first, with someone standing in Grandpa's place.
A Catholic upbringing is cited as an important part of Joey's life, helping to make him the person he is today. At age five, Joey started first grade at St. Pat's. "I didn't go to kindergarten. I started right into first grade. But, I cried and cried! I didn't want to go to St. Pat's! I wanted to go to Assumption School!" Joey tells about a feeling he had at that young age of five. "It was either Kaye's or Connie's wedding (1958). I was in that Assumption Church hall, and I knew THAT'S where I was supposed to go to school!" That was probably my sister Connie DiSipio's wedding on September 6, 1958.
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Seeing that he was very unhappy, Joey's parents put him in Assumption School. "I was happy from then on!" remembers Joey. His memories of his teachers are pleasant positive ones. "There was Sister Mary Elizabeth. And Sister Titus in second grade. Miss Kordick, a lay teacher from Connecticut, was my teacher in third grade. My sixth grade teacher was Sister Gertrude, and my eighth grade teacher was Sister Elizabeth. All at Assumption!" Joey recalls going to church every morning before school.
From about age seven or eight until about age twelve or thirteen, Joey wanted to be a Catholic priest. "I had great teachers! Great priests! Father John Powers, a great man." We remembered that Father Powers had died in a plane crash, possibly coming back from Ireland. "There was Father John O'Flaherty and Monsignor Holland. Good men! Good teachers!" Joey made his First Holy Communion and Confirmation. His Confirmation Sponsor (Godfather) was his Uncle Aldridge B. O'Quin.
Joey's Baptism Godfather was his Uncle "Slew" Carl Passanante.
In ninth grade, Joey went to Roncalli and was taught by all "Brothers". When I asked Joey why he decided not to become a priest, he answered, "I decided that priesthood wasn't for me. I wanted kids, a family." And Joey is a good father. I know.
One of Joey's good friends at Assumption and all through school was Ron Alfonso. "Jim Toribio was my friend, too, and now his son and my son Daniel are friends," says Joey. Now Joey names Mike Marcovecchio, who lived on Routt, as another one of his childhood friends at Assumption Catholic School.
Some of Joey's friends in those early years on Elm Street were Louie Dionese, Rick Sagona, cousins Tommy and Jack Passanante, Jr. and Nathan Youngblood. Nathan lived on Abriendo, the next street over from Elm. "My cousins, who are the Luppinos, Benskos and Nicky Rusovick (Nicky lived on Van Buren) were more of my friends. Davey Dionese told me the 'facts of life' on Grandma's front porch!" Joey recalls this memorable occasion.
"When I was eleven," Joey has another memory, "Gary Sagona and Frankie Cirullo called me over. They were on Box Elder, and I was on my bike. They dared me to ride my bike off a six-foot wall. I got clobbered! But, I didn't let them know!"
"My Cousin Jack Passanante, Jr. went to Jefferson School, in another neighborhood, but he'd always come over to Elm Street." Some of the games the Elm Street neighborhood kids played were 'Ditch 'em' ( a game that is like 'Hide 'n Seek'). We played 'Kick the Can', too. A pastime recalled by Joey almost
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got him in big trouble once … throwing eggs at cars! "I hit a police car with an egg from the top of Grandma and Grandpa's store! I hid. They never found me!
"I remember when everybody thought I was 'lost'!" Joey smiles as he begins telling another story. "My family looked everywhere for me! I was about eight or nine at the time. I was over at the Alessi house on Elm Street. Their granddaughter Karen Hoyt and I were reading 101 Dalmations together!" Joey said that he and Karen were in third grade together at Assumption School. "I got in trouble for not letting anyone know where I was. It was 10:00 at night, and I was still over at the Alessi's! Mr. and Mrs. Alessi were good people!" The Alessi home was at 805 Elm Street.
Some other Elm Street neighbors Joey especially remembers are Snuzzy Dionese at 802 Elm Street and "Aunt Nellie" and "Uncle John" at 735 Elm Street. Nellie Hinds Hunyadi and John Hunyadi (spelling variations may be Hunyada, Huniady, Hunuday) wanted to be called "aunt" and "uncle" by the neighborhood kids. And they were! They didn't have any children of their own, but they had all of us!
It was either John's mother or Nellie's mother who lived with them at their home on the upper corner of the 700 block of Elm Street, right across the street from the Passanante Grocery Store. "I went to school with Gary Hunyadi who lived on Washington," remembers Joey who adds that they were a nice family.
Next, I ask Joey how he got the nickname "Spider". "On summer nights we used to play around the neighborhood. I was a little kid then, and I used to wrestle around with Donnie Luppino," Joey begins telling how he got his nickname. "Donnie and Donna Luppino … Donna was so pretty … were twins and our third cousins who lived on the 800 block of Elm Street. I used to hang on Donnie," Joey continues with his story, "and I wouldn't let him go! 'You're like a dang spider!' Donnie would say to me! And that's how my nickname started!" Great story!
"Mikey Uhal used to call me to come out to play." Joe has a recollection of one of his special friends. "He was TALL! And he used to carry railroad spikes in his pocket!" Mike was a special part of our growing up years on Elm Street. "He was a nice guy." Joey has good memories of his friend.
"Rick Sagona, Louie Dionese, Louie Sciortino, my brother Carl and I played baseball in that empty lot that was across the street from your house." Joey tells me about a pastime enjoyed by neighborhood kids for a very long time! "We were upset when they started building Brothers Plumbing (owned by Angelo Brothers) in the empty lot! They took our baseball field!" D&D Electronics is there now, a business owned by the Drobnitch Family.
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Joey now has a not-so-pleasant memory associated with that empty lot. "Nathan Youngblood and my brother Carl and I were in that empty lot. They had just started digging for Brothers Plumbing, and we were playing there. Nathan got a big boulder and threw it up in the air! At this point, both Nathan and Carl warned me about the big rock! 'Look out!' they both yelled. "So, I ran about twenty yards, put my head down, and the boulder hit me in the back of my head! I was right in the line of the rock! If I had just stood still, I would have been all right!" Joey went to the emergency room.
There was really a neat trick that Joey did that no one else could do! He could WALK on his HEAD! Joey tells me that he can still do that! I remember his head scooting along the ground! "I can remember standing on my head in the middle of Elm Street, stopping cars, and asking them for money! I got five bucks one time!" Joey says that his mom put a stop to his dangerous antics and money-making acrobatics when she found out about them! He was about six years old then.
Though Joey has memories of the Dump, he didn't spend a lot of time there like the earlier and older neighborhood kids (and adults!) did. "Jimmy Lucero lived near there. He was one year older than me. 'Kiko' Lucero was my brother Carl's age."
"I remember crying when you wouldn't let me go in the funhouse in your garage," Joey now directs a memory to me. That "funhouse" was more of a very dark ghost house! There was the "devil's beard" (a hairbrush), a cup of blood (beet juice), and the devil's wife's dress (some rag)! Joey's brother Carl Michael was beating a drum in the corner of the ghost house. I was making strange noises and guiding the neighborhood kids on their little tour, which did scare quite a few of them.
I told Joey that he was just too young at the time, and I didn't want him to have any bad dreams and wake up screaming! As an added feature of the funhouse, I placed empty pop bottles lying flat, close together on the garage dirt floor so that the kids could "roll" on them. As it turned out, one of our older cousins, Carl Jess Passanante, was just too big to "roll" and ended up crushing the bottles! When my Dad saw all the broken glass in his garage … well, you can imagine!
Joey remembers when Grandpa Carlo Passanante passed away. That was the same year that his Grandpa Coffee passed away, 1962. "I remember the 'visita' that people made for Grandpa Passanante. I was about nine years old," says Joey, who does not remember a "wake" for Grandpa in the house at 736 Elm Street. He thinks that was about the time that they quit having dead bodies in houses.
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It was in the late 1940's, after World War II, that Joey's Grandma and Grandpa Coffee left Elm Street to live on Pitkin Avenue in Pueblo. "I remember my Grandma Coffee always feeding us when we would go over there, On Pitkin, she had Sunday dinner which was spaghetti and 'Italian fare'. She and my Grandpa Coffee lived on Pitkin until he died in 1962. Then my Grandma Coffee moved in with my Aunt Rose O'Quin on Lake Avenue. My Aunt Rose took care if her until my Grandma Coffee died in 1980.
Joey's Uncle A. B. O'Quin died of cancer in the late 1970's. It was during that time period that Joey worked as a dealer at the Barbary Coast in Las Vegas, Nevada. Joey said that he liked his job there, but he wrecked his car in Vegas and came back to Pueblo. Joey lived in Las Vegas for about four years.
"To the degree that you believe in something is the degree it will affect you," Joey now presents some of his philosophy of life. "The 'mal occhio' (bad eye, evil eye) is the same way," says Joey who admits that he believes in it, but has never had it. Following my questioning about the mal occhio, Joey and I get into one of our "deep" discussions … philosophical and spiritual.
"Before a child is seven years old, that child needs to be protected. Values need to be set. After age seven, you are who you are," Joey share another bit of his philosophy. I began thinking about my early years. I thought about my parents, and I asked Joey what he remembered about my mama and daddy … his Aunt Dea and Uncle Tony DiSipio.
"Aunt Dea was apple pie! She was beautiful! I miss her, " says her nephew Joey who went up to speak at her funeral mass in November of 1998. Joey, one of seven nephews who were all Pall Bearers, loved his Aunt Dea very much. "She was a sweetie … and a hard worker!"
"The one memory of Uncle Tony, your dad, that stands out is I remember seeing him walk with his lunch pail. He kept the yard at 716 Elm street spotless. He loved his house and his yard. He was a hard worker," Joey remembers.
Now, I ask my Cousin Joey to describe the qualities of his mother and father, Sarah and Mike Coffee, who make their home on the south side of Pueblo on Farabaugh Lane. "My Mother is Warmth, Beauty, Fortitude and Love. My Dad is Protector, Strength, Words and Guidance."
I mention that it was Uncle Mike, Joey's father, who guided me to the DiSipio graves in the old part of Roselawn Cemetery. Uncle Mike honors the Dead. He visits and prays at the graves of our family member who have gone on before us. He does not forget them. Aunt Sarah is a nurturer and giver of love. She is a gracious hostess to anyone who is at her home. She makes sure that
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you eat! And she makes the BEST meatballs!
"You're a good combination of both of your parents," I recognize the same qualities in Joey and I that he attribute to his parents. "I see you as a very Spiritual Being, Joey."
"We weren't raised to be wolves," Joey assesses our family upbringing. "We were raised to be more like sheep. Gentle. Our family is a gentle people. At times we seem fractured as a unit, but the fractures don't run deep. We carry pretty heavy Karma, as a family. But we all have a lot of blessings. Our Christian values drive us all."
"Catholic schools made me a good person. I'm glad I went to Catholic school," says Joey who attends St. Paul's Catholic Church in Pueblo West. "Just two or three weeks ago, Chris and I took up the 'Gifts' (Bread and Wine)."
Joey, who likes talking about old times, graduated from Pueblo's Central High School in 1971. Early in Joey's marriage, he bought the house at 732 Elm Street, returning yet another time to that nostalgic old neighborhood holding so much family history! He sold the home after a few years. A special furniture keepsake from Grandma and Grandpa Passanante's house at 736 Elm Street is a coffee table with colored inlaid wood. Joey and his family have used that memento which Joey still has.
Reading and writing are two of Joey's interests. "I like Thomas Clancy," says Joey who has a preference for fiction. "Just so it's interesting!" Joey goes to the Abruzzi Internet website on his computer to research his Dorazio family history, He has done some DiSipio research for me, too! "A priest from Civitella (Messer Raimondo), a village in the province of Chieti and the region of Abruzzi in central Italy has offered to do research for me," states Joey who adds that he has a translator on his computer so he can send messages in Italian!
"Our ancestors came to America, the land of opportunity. Our family as a whole unit came from TWO different parts of Italy … Abruzzi and Sicily. Basically peasants with very little education, they were all hard workers, setting good examples for our work ethic."
Joey concludes, "Most of all, above all else, we are good people. Good people with Christian values."
BIRTH
17 Dec 1976
Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado, USA
DEATH
3 Sep 2000 (aged 23)
Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado, USA
CARL MICHAEL COFFEE, JR.
December 17, 1976 - September 3, 2000
Monday, September 4, 2000, "Pueblo Chieftain" Newspaper:
Carl M. Coffee Jr., 23, a Pueblo resident, passed away Sept. 3, 2000.
He is survived by his parents, Carl and Patty Coffee; sisters, Shannon (Tony) Villalpando and Stacey Coffee; niece, Rylie Villalpando; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Coffee and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Walton; aunts and uncles, JoAnn (Ward) Johnson, Joe (Christine) Coffee, Paula Coffee, Jerry (Patricia) Coffee, Theresa Coffee, Mary (Steve) Latino, Nancy (Jim) Simonsen and Sue (Frank) Farmer. He is also survived by numerous cousins.
Carl graduated from South High School in 1995.
Member, I.B.E.W. No. 12 and was a third year apprentice, and would have been a fourth year apprentice.
He enjoyed fishing, playing pool and horseshoes, and hanging out with his friends. His family and friendships were highly valued. Carl spent many years with his dog "Girl" roller blading to the park and the river.
He will be sadly missed by the many lives he touched with his great sense of humor and caring heart.
Rosary recitation, 7 p.m. today, funeral Mass, 10 a.m. Wednesday, both services at the Shrine of St. Therese.
At his request, cremation.
Those who wish may make contributions to the charity of their choice.
A special thank you to Lori Pfannenschmid for your support and being the giving, caring person that you are.
PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Sunday, December 17, 2017:
IN MEMORIAM
Carl Coffee Jr. To lose a child, alters your life FOREVER, for grief forces you to see WHO matters, who NEVER did, who WON'T anymore, and who ALWAYS will. Blessed to have been graced by our son's heart. Happy 41st Birthday Love, Your Family.
IN MEMORIAM Carl Jr. Remembering your on 42nd Birthday. The Coffees and Richardsons. PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Monday, December 17, 2018.
IN MEMORIAM Carl Coffee Jr.
Family is a circle of love, not broken by the loss of Carl but made stronger by his memories. He doesn't just cross our minds, he lives in them. We will always be Dad, Mom, and Family to him in heaven. Happy Birthday Love, Sadly missed Your Family. PUBLISHED in Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo, Colorado, Monday, December 17, 2018.
IN MEMORIAM
Carl Coffee Jr.
Our minds still talk to you, our hearts still look for you,
and even though we can no longer see you with our eyes,
or touch you with our hands,
we will feel you in our hearts
forever.
Happy 43rd Birthday
in Heaven.
Loved and missed,
All Your Family
Published in The Pueblo Chieftain on Dec. 17, 2019.
IN MEMORIAM
Carl J.
1976 - 2000
Today we fondly
remember the sweet
child you were and
the good man you
were becoming.
Forever in our hearts.
The Coffee and
Richardson Family
Published in The Pueblo Chieftain on Dec. 17, 2019.
NOTE: Following Interview of Joseph Anthony D'Orazio Coffee, UNCLE of Carl Michael Coffee, Jr. INTERVIEW by First Cousin Pauline Annette DiSipio, 2001, Pueblo, Colorado:
Page 1 of 13 Interviewer: Pauline Annette DiSipio
NOTE: Amended Spelling: D'Orazio
INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH D'ORAZIO-COFFEE - 2001 – Pueblo, Colorado
On October 4, 2001, at the Jubilee Inn in Pueblo, Colorado, My Cousin Joey Coffee and I met to talk about his D'ORAZIO-COFFEE family who lived on Elm Street.
A page from the Pueblo City Directory in 1943 showed that a "Joseph Coffee" was living at 1034 Elm Street. That Joseph Coffee was Joey's grandfather, after whom he was named. Joey is Joseph Anthony Coffee.
The D'Orazio-Coffee Family originated in the village of Civitella Messer Raimondo, province of Chieti, and region of Abruzzi in central Italy. My Grandmother Concetta DiSipio was a D'Orazio before she married my Grandfather Angelo. Not only are Joey and I related through our mothers, but we may also be related through our fathers, who could be cousins. Joey's Grandfather Joseph came to America in the early 1900's. Lucy D'Orazio (later O'Dorisio), who was my father Anthony DiSipio's Baptism Godmother, was Joey's Grandfather D'Orazio's sister.
"I can remember my Grandpa (D'Orazio) Coffee!" says Joey who is happy to have known his grandfather. "He had huge hands and big fingers! He worked as a truck driver at the mill."
That last statement reminded me for a moment that "Uncle" Dominic Luppino was also a truck driver at the mill, and that he and Grandpa Carlo Passanante, who worked as a mason at the mill, were paesani from the Old Country and came to America AND Elm Street in that first decade of the 1900's, seeking employment at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation (steel mill) in Pueblo, Colorado.
"He used to like to tease people!" announces Joey, who describes his Grandfather Coffee. "He was ornery, and his nickname was 'Buckshot'!" It was in the early 1900's when Joey's Grandfather Joseph D'Orazio (Coffee) arrived in America.
"When my Grandpa Coffee was younger, he used to box!" Joey adds, "Not professionally, though." I bet those big hands came in handy for that, I thought to myself. I mentioned Joe "Awful" Coffee, the famous boxer, but Joey said that he was not related. Joey said that he thought that the famous boxer was Jewish. I had recalled reading an article a few years back in the Pueblo paper stating that his name was "made up". Joey now tells me that his grandfather and his "Uncle Pete", also an amateur boxer like his grandfather, were friends of Joe "Awful" Coffee.
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When I heard the name "Pete Coffee", I was glad I could ask Joey some questions about him. "When people discover I'm related to the Coffee Family, a lot of them mention a 'Pete Coffee', and I don't know who that it," I search for an answer from Joey. "Can You tell me about him?"
Pete Coffee was Joey's grandfather's brother. "Uncle Pete had a bar in Bessemer," Joey begins. "It was called 'Pete Coffee's', I think, and it was located where the Klamm's Shell is now (424 West Northern Avenue). Uncle Pete had a pool hall and bar there."
I had heard that Joe "Awful" Coffee had a bar in Denver in the thirties and forties. It was designed like a boxing ring, ropes and all, and there were signatures of boxers in the bar.
Joey continues telling me about Pete Coffee. "His name is listed on the wall at Gus's Tavern on Elm Street, He is named as one of Pueblo's old-time bar owners who passed away." Joey says that he doesn't, however, have any personal memories of his Uncle Pete Coffee.
Recalling a gravestone at Roselawn Cemetery in Pueblo, I mention the DORAZIO-COFFEE (D'ORAZIO-COFFEE) name etched into the stone. "When was your family name changed to COFFEE?" I question Joey about a name change.
"Uncle Pete changed the name from D'Orazio to Coffee, and my Grandfather Joseph Coffee kind of went along with it," Joey answers and then tells of possible reasons. "It (name change) was probably so that the Italian family would assimilate better into American culture. Also, there was discrimination against Italians at that time." Joey cites yet another possible reason, ""They probably wanted to give up their old life, which wasn't too good." Dropping their old name was like having a "clean slate", I concluded. ("Tabula Rasa" is what I call a clean slate.) There were several Italian and Sicilian families who changed their names.
"I have a copy of the documents. The name was changed from D'Orazio to D'Orazio-Coffee! So, I can legally use the D'Orazio name!" Joey now states that the D'Orazio name was not dropped! "I've thought about using the D'Orazio name," says Joey, who is proud of both names.
Joey has a story that his mother Sarah Passanante Coffee tells him about the D'Orazio-Coffee name change. "When my mama was about twelve years old and living at 736 Elm Street, she asked her Mama Paolina Passanante why that family up Elm Street (Coffee Family) changed their name!" Joey then tells that his mother ended up marrying one!
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Michael Joseph Coffee, Joey's father, was born May 23, 1924 and grew up on Elm Street along with his brothers Angelo and Joe and his sister Rose. They were born to Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee and Anna Ricotta (D'Orazio) Coffee. I think I recall Uncle Mike Coffee telling me that his Mama's family came from Calabria, Italy. I may be wrong, if my memory is not serving me correctly.
Anna Ricotta was born on a farm in Pueblo in the late 1800's. "She was a first-generation American," announces Joey, who remembers two brothers of his Grandmother Anna … Uncle Ralph Ricotta and Uncle Jerry Ricotta. "Uncle Ralph used to bring us chocolate at Easter. And wooden Dutch shoes. He was single or divorced. He was a good man," Joey has pleasant memories of his grandmother's brother. "My brother Jerry," says Joey, "was named after my Grandma's other brother, my Uncle Jerry."
In an obituary for Mrs. Anna R. Coffee, who passed away at "St. Mary-Corwin Hospital October 7, 1980, following a four-month illness", it also stated that her husband Joseph D. Coffee, Sr. preceded her in death in 1962. Her three surviving sisters are named as Mrs. Rose Vergilio, Pueblo: Mrs. Angelina Comnillo, Denver; and Mrs. Theresa Krajacic, Pueblo. Anna Ricotta Coffee was active in the Ladies Fidelity Lodge, as stated in the obituary.
First-born of Joseph and Anna Coffee was Angelo Coffee, "My Uncle Ange always drove a Cadillac! He sold stuff for awhile and then started the C&O Manufacturing company," Joey shares some memories of his Dad's oldest brother. "My Uncle Angelo Coffee and my Uncle Aldridge O'Quin, who was married to my Aunt Rose, started C&O Manufacturing. It stands for Coffee and O'Quin," explains Joey who goes on to say that C&O Manufacturing still exists. "It's on Pueblo Boulevard, and my Aunt Rose still goes there, part-time."
"My Uncle Ange's first wife was Alma, and they had Patrick and Diana," says Joey. Both Pat and Diana have passed away. I told Joey that Diana Coffee and I were both flower girls when Michael Joseph Coffee married my mother's sister Sarah (Rosaria) Passanante on June 5, 1948. I can still picture Little Diana in her flower girl dress. She looked like an angel. She passed away at an early age, on the brink of becoming a young woman.
"Arvella was my Uncle Ange's second wife, and they had Monty and Greg Coffee." Monty and Greg both passed away. Gregory passed away, as stated in his obituary, at age 42 just last year, April 23, 2000. His brother Monty preceded him in death as did his half-brother Patrick Coffee and his half-sister Diana Coffee. Dee Holmes and Becky Martino are listed as surviving half-sisters. Gregory is survived by his mother Arvella I. Coffee and his son, Duran Coffee (Denver), as well as "numerous aunts, uncles and cousins".
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After Angelo Coffee and Arvella divorced, he and Ann Corsentino shared their lives for a period of time. "Bunny" and "Bo-Bo" are Ann's daughters. There may have been another companion for Angelo D. Coffee before he passed away in 1974 from heart disease.
It was in 1951 that Joey's Uncle Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. passed away, but Joey never knew his Uncle Joe Coffee. Joey was born two years later on October 11, 1953. Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. and Mary Yengich married and had two children, Mary Jo Coffee and Ray Coffee, both raised by their Aunt Rose and Uncle O'Quin, who also had their own children Dennis and Ronnie O'Quin. The cause of death for Joseph D. Coffee, Jr. was complications from purpura. Ray lives in Alabama, and Mary Jo is married and lives in Denver.
Rose (D'Orazio) Coffee O'Quin and Michael Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee are the two surviving offspring (God Bless You Both!) of Anna Ricotta (D'Orazio) Coffee and Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee, Sr. Rose's husband Aldridge B. O'Quin has passed away. Dr. Ron O'Quin is a pulmonary specialist in Seattle, and Dennis O'Quin runs C&O Manufacturing Company in Pueblo.
My Uncle Mike and Aunt Sarah Coffee have seven beautiful children (God Bless!) and Joey is one of them! There are also several grandchildren. It was on September 3, 2000 that their grandson Carl Coffee passed away, a very sad time for the family.
The oldest of the children of Michael Joseph (D'Orazio) Coffee and Sarah Passanante (D'Orazio) Coffee is JoAnn Marie Coffee Johnson who is married to Warden Lee Johnson. They have three children: Ward, Jr., Sarah Rose and Marc Jeffrey. JoAnn is manager and part owner of "Trips R Us Travel Agency" in Pueblo West, where she uses her knowledge, expertise and experience, love of people, as well as her college degree in travel and tourism. In the last year she took a trip to Sicily with her mother and father.
Second-born is Carl Michael Coffee who is married to Patty Walton Coffee. He is an electrician at Adams Electric. They have three children: Carl Michael, Jr. (passed away); Shannon who is married to Tony Villalpando and they have a daughter Rylie; Stacey Lynn Coffee of the family home.
Joseph Anthony Coffee ("Joey") is third-born. He is married to Christine Finch Coffee. They have four children: Michael who is 19, Tony who is 17, Daniel who is 15, and Angela who is 14. When asked how he and Chris met, Joey answers, "We met at my cousin Jack Passanante Jr.'s spring break party." Joey, who makes his home in Pueblo West, works at Matrix Logistics in Fountain, Colorado in Inventory Control. He just celebrated one year there. He had worked for almost fifteen years at Target warehouse.
Page 5 of 13
Dr. Paula Kay Coffee was born next. Paula is a dentist in Parker, Colorado where she is raising her two daughters, Emily and Allison Denny. Paula is versatile and a hard worker, having performed hard labor several years ago at the CF&I!
Paula owns the dental building in Pueblo West, where Dr. Paul Hennegan has his dental office in Suite A; Paula's sister JoAnn Coffee Johnson has her travel agency in Suite B; and her sister Mary Coffee Latino has "Krazie Kiln" pottery studio in Suite C!
Gerald Lee ("Jerry") Coffee is married to Pat Thiessen Coffee, and they have two daughters, Krista and Katie. Jerry is an electrician at Main Electric, and Pat works for Pueblo County offices. They make their home in Pueblo in the county.
Theresa Ann Coffee is a dental hygienist in Parker, Colorado. She has done some great work on my teeth, which sparkle at each cleaning! She is single.
Youngest in the family is Mary Catherine Coffee Latino who has Krazie Kiln Shop in the Pueblo West building at Hahn's Peak and Joe Martinez Blvd. She has two children, Steven and Elizabeth Latino.
On October 11, 1953, Joseph Anthony Coffee was born to Michael Joseph Coffee and Sarah Passanante Coffee. Although he was born in a hospital, his place of residence at 736 Elm Street makes him what I call "an Elm Street Baby"! After a few years on Elm Street, his family bought a house at 623 West 15th in Pueblo, where they lived for some years to follow. Joey's early childhood memories are those of his friend Matt Wilcox, whom I remember as a little red-headed kid. Joey mentions Dave Speken, father of Sally. Sally and Joey's sister JoAnn were friends. Joey said that there weren't any Speken kids his age when he lived on West 15th. I have West 15th memories of hot dogs, your dog Penny, you and your Superman cape!
When his family visited 736 Elm Street (Grandma and Grandpa's house) while he was living on West 15th, Joey has a memory of some of the renters at the Passanante house. "They had just come from Italy, and they lived upstairs at Grandma and Grandpa's. Their names were John and Lena Abbate and their son was Joe." I tell my Cousin Joey that I remember Joe Abbate as a classmate of mine when I attended Keating Junior High School (1957 – 1959).
Thinking about Keating, I share one of my memories with Joey. "I was in a school musical, called 'H.M.S. Pinafore'. There were sailors, cousins and aunts. I was one of the sailors. I did the Hornpipe dance with three or four other 'sailors', and I wore your Dad's Navy white bell bottoms that he wore when he was in the service in the 1940's!! And they fit! … A little tight! Uncle Mike's authentic
Page 6 of 13
Navy bell bottoms!" Joey, who admitted that he had never heard this family story, stated that he has his Dad's Navy uniform. "It's either my Dad's or my Uncle Joe Coffee's."
About three years ago, Joey's dad gave him his accordion. "I haven't learned to play it yet," says Joey who may still learn. Joey remembers when Grandma and Aunt Rena Capozzola went to Sicily (with Auntie Anna Luppino and her daughter Catherine "Rena" Luppino). It was in 1958, and Joey was five years old. "They brought back my brother Carl an accordion, and they brought me a wind-up toy … a cat or a mouse! I was hurt!" Joey gets in touch with those early feelings of disappointment.
Uncle Mike (Joey's father) saw to it that Joey got an accordion! "My dad loves to barter," Cousin Joey describes one characteristic of his Daddy. We both agree that he is good at it! And he is generous, too. "My dad has had some health problems," Joey takes us into the present a moment. "But he is recovering well."
After West 15th Street, Joey's family's next move would take him back to 736 Elm Street at Grandma and Grandpa Passanante's house, where many more precious memories were made! That was about 1958. "We lived downstairs at Grandma and Grandpa's house," remembers Joey. "Grandma and Grandpa lived upstairs, but Grandma would come down every morning and cook for us! Grandma made fried bread or biscuits (biscotti) or she would go out in her garden and cut asparagus and make omelets!"
Joey says that Grandma Passanante went to school in Sicily until she was in the third grade, and that is where she learned math. I told Joey that his Mama (my Aunt Sarah) let me copy a picture of Grandma's school class in Sicily. Grandma is pictured with one of her hands on her hips. And Joey and I remember many times Grandma standing with both hands on her hips! She always had an apron on unless she was going to lodge.
Joey's memories of Grandpa Passanante are similar to mine. "I can remember Grandpa sitting in a chair. He was sick then." But, there were the earlier years when Grandpa walked to work at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation. And he tended a big garden on Elm Street. There was a time that he made wine. He was active in men's lodges in those earlier years, before Parkinson's Disease disabled him.
Grandpa used to sleep in that little bedroom off the front room," Joey tells about our Grandpa Passanante. "That was before my brother Carl and I slept in
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that room," Joey recalls his sleeping arrangement in the late 1950's and 1960's at 736 Elm Street.
"And my Dad had his vacuum shop where Grandma and Grandpa's Passanante Grocery Store once flourished. My Dad's business was called 'A&G Vacuum Shop'. The 'G' stood for 'Garone'," remembers Joey. I remember that Aunt Sarah did a lot of phone work for Uncle Mike in his business.
"Then my Mom got a job at the Pueblo Army Depot when I was twelve. That was about 1965," says Joey. "But that was until she got pregnant with my sister Mary, who was born in 1967." It was in 1975 or 1976 that Joey's mother would return to work. She worked in "work study and financial aid" at the University of Southern Colorado where she received an Outstanding Woman Award.
"My Dad got a job at the mill where he worked as a scale mechanic. Another one of his jobs was at Crews-Beggs. He sold and repaired vacuum cleaners for them." It was after this job that Joey says his dad had his own shop for awhile. "Then he went to work at the Pueblo Army Depot." He has since retired.
Now remembered is a photo of Grandma Passanante, my Mama DiSipio (Joey's Aunt Dea), Aunt Sarah (Joey's Mama), Joey and me holding up our coffee cups at the kitchen table and toasting! That was how it was! We would sit and talk a lot! Or play cards! Sometimes Grandma would tell stories from the Old Country.
Joey now tells a story that we both recall …
"Story of the Werewolf in Sicily"
"In Sicily there were people who would have 'fits' when the full moon came out! They were called werewolves! During these 'fits', they were dangerous and would attack people!
One night a man told his wife to turn off all the lights and lock the doors and NOT open them to anyone, even him! He went out!
The next day he returned. And when he yawned at the kitchen table, his wife saw a piece of material (fabric) between his teeth!"
A second story is recalled by Pauline …
"You Oughta See My Molars!"
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"There was a tiny baby on the street in Sicily. The baby seemed to be about a month old. A passerby looked at the little baby and noticed teeth as the baby was crying!
'How can you have teeth?!' The passerby queried.
The baby replied in a deep loud voice, 'You oughta see my molars'!"
A third story is recalled by Pauline …
"Let Us Play with Your Baby, Or Else!"
"A couple moved into a house where a baby was born to them. During the night the couple would hear the baby laughing. When they went to check on the baby, they discovered that the baby had been moved from its crib to the cellar.
This happened several nights, and each time the couple, puzzled and upset, returned the baby to its crib.
One night a dream came to the couple, who had decided to move from the house. In the dream they heard these words … 'If you move away and don't let us play with your baby, something bad will happen to your baby!' The spirit-elves gave the couple a warning!
The couple did not take heed. They moved away. And their baby became deformed."
That third story always saddened me. The baby was innocent, yet received a "curse" as a punishment.
Coming over from the Old Country were customs and a culture passed down from our grandparents and their ancestors. On June 26 (25), 1910, Paolina Luppino and Calogero (Carlo) Passanante were united in Holy Matrimony at Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Pueblo, Colorado. Joey stated, "Grandma made Grandpa marry her BEFORE she came to America." And, because Grandpa was in Pueblo working at the steel mill (CF&I), Grandma was married in Italy by "proxy" first, with someone standing in Grandpa's place.
A Catholic upbringing is cited as an important part of Joey's life, helping to make him the person he is today. At age five, Joey started first grade at St. Pat's. "I didn't go to kindergarten. I started right into first grade. But, I cried and cried! I didn't want to go to St. Pat's! I wanted to go to Assumption School!" Joey tells about a feeling he had at that young age of five. "It was either Kaye's or Connie's wedding (1958). I was in that Assumption Church hall, and I knew THAT'S where I was supposed to go to school!" That was probably my sister Connie DiSipio's wedding on September 6, 1958.
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Seeing that he was very unhappy, Joey's parents put him in Assumption School. "I was happy from then on!" remembers Joey. His memories of his teachers are pleasant positive ones. "There was Sister Mary Elizabeth. And Sister Titus in second grade. Miss Kordick, a lay teacher from Connecticut, was my teacher in third grade. My sixth grade teacher was Sister Gertrude, and my eighth grade teacher was Sister Elizabeth. All at Assumption!" Joey recalls going to church every morning before school.
From about age seven or eight until about age twelve or thirteen, Joey wanted to be a Catholic priest. "I had great teachers! Great priests! Father John Powers, a great man." We remembered that Father Powers had died in a plane crash, possibly coming back from Ireland. "There was Father John O'Flaherty and Monsignor Holland. Good men! Good teachers!" Joey made his First Holy Communion and Confirmation. His Confirmation Sponsor (Godfather) was his Uncle Aldridge B. O'Quin.
Joey's Baptism Godfather was his Uncle "Slew" Carl Passanante.
In ninth grade, Joey went to Roncalli and was taught by all "Brothers". When I asked Joey why he decided not to become a priest, he answered, "I decided that priesthood wasn't for me. I wanted kids, a family." And Joey is a good father. I know.
One of Joey's good friends at Assumption and all through school was Ron Alfonso. "Jim Toribio was my friend, too, and now his son and my son Daniel are friends," says Joey. Now Joey names Mike Marcovecchio, who lived on Routt, as another one of his childhood friends at Assumption Catholic School.
Some of Joey's friends in those early years on Elm Street were Louie Dionese, Rick Sagona, cousins Tommy and Jack Passanante, Jr. and Nathan Youngblood. Nathan lived on Abriendo, the next street over from Elm. "My cousins, who are the Luppinos, Benskos and Nicky Rusovick (Nicky lived on Van Buren) were more of my friends. Davey Dionese told me the 'facts of life' on Grandma's front porch!" Joey recalls this memorable occasion.
"When I was eleven," Joey has another memory, "Gary Sagona and Frankie Cirullo called me over. They were on Box Elder, and I was on my bike. They dared me to ride my bike off a six-foot wall. I got clobbered! But, I didn't let them know!"
"My Cousin Jack Passanante, Jr. went to Jefferson School, in another neighborhood, but he'd always come over to Elm Street." Some of the games the Elm Street neighborhood kids played were 'Ditch 'em' ( a game that is like 'Hide 'n Seek'). We played 'Kick the Can', too. A pastime recalled by Joey almost
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got him in big trouble once … throwing eggs at cars! "I hit a police car with an egg from the top of Grandma and Grandpa's store! I hid. They never found me!
"I remember when everybody thought I was 'lost'!" Joey smiles as he begins telling another story. "My family looked everywhere for me! I was about eight or nine at the time. I was over at the Alessi house on Elm Street. Their granddaughter Karen Hoyt and I were reading 101 Dalmations together!" Joey said that he and Karen were in third grade together at Assumption School. "I got in trouble for not letting anyone know where I was. It was 10:00 at night, and I was still over at the Alessi's! Mr. and Mrs. Alessi were good people!" The Alessi home was at 805 Elm Street.
Some other Elm Street neighbors Joey especially remembers are Snuzzy Dionese at 802 Elm Street and "Aunt Nellie" and "Uncle John" at 735 Elm Street. Nellie Hinds Hunyadi and John Hunyadi (spelling variations may be Hunyada, Huniady, Hunuday) wanted to be called "aunt" and "uncle" by the neighborhood kids. And they were! They didn't have any children of their own, but they had all of us!
It was either John's mother or Nellie's mother who lived with them at their home on the upper corner of the 700 block of Elm Street, right across the street from the Passanante Grocery Store. "I went to school with Gary Hunyadi who lived on Washington," remembers Joey who adds that they were a nice family.
Next, I ask Joey how he got the nickname "Spider". "On summer nights we used to play around the neighborhood. I was a little kid then, and I used to wrestle around with Donnie Luppino," Joey begins telling how he got his nickname. "Donnie and Donna Luppino … Donna was so pretty … were twins and our third cousins who lived on the 800 block of Elm Street. I used to hang on Donnie," Joey continues with his story, "and I wouldn't let him go! 'You're like a dang spider!' Donnie would say to me! And that's how my nickname started!" Great story!
"Mikey Uhal used to call me to come out to play." Joe has a recollection of one of his special friends. "He was TALL! And he used to carry railroad spikes in his pocket!" Mike was a special part of our growing up years on Elm Street. "He was a nice guy." Joey has good memories of his friend.
"Rick Sagona, Louie Dionese, Louie Sciortino, my brother Carl and I played baseball in that empty lot that was across the street from your house." Joey tells me about a pastime enjoyed by neighborhood kids for a very long time! "We were upset when they started building Brothers Plumbing (owned by Angelo Brothers) in the empty lot! They took our baseball field!" D&D Electronics is there now, a business owned by the Drobnitch Family.
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Joey now has a not-so-pleasant memory associated with that empty lot. "Nathan Youngblood and my brother Carl and I were in that empty lot. They had just started digging for Brothers Plumbing, and we were playing there. Nathan got a big boulder and threw it up in the air! At this point, both Nathan and Carl warned me about the big rock! 'Look out!' they both yelled. "So, I ran about twenty yards, put my head down, and the boulder hit me in the back of my head! I was right in the line of the rock! If I had just stood still, I would have been all right!" Joey went to the emergency room.
There was really a neat trick that Joey did that no one else could do! He could WALK on his HEAD! Joey tells me that he can still do that! I remember his head scooting along the ground! "I can remember standing on my head in the middle of Elm Street, stopping cars, and asking them for money! I got five bucks one time!" Joey says that his mom put a stop to his dangerous antics and money-making acrobatics when she found out about them! He was about six years old then.
Though Joey has memories of the Dump, he didn't spend a lot of time there like the earlier and older neighborhood kids (and adults!) did. "Jimmy Lucero lived near there. He was one year older than me. 'Kiko' Lucero was my brother Carl's age."
"I remember crying when you wouldn't let me go in the funhouse in your garage," Joey now directs a memory to me. That "funhouse" was more of a very dark ghost house! There was the "devil's beard" (a hairbrush), a cup of blood (beet juice), and the devil's wife's dress (some rag)! Joey's brother Carl Michael was beating a drum in the corner of the ghost house. I was making strange noises and guiding the neighborhood kids on their little tour, which did scare quite a few of them.
I told Joey that he was just too young at the time, and I didn't want him to have any bad dreams and wake up screaming! As an added feature of the funhouse, I placed empty pop bottles lying flat, close together on the garage dirt floor so that the kids could "roll" on them. As it turned out, one of our older cousins, Carl Jess Passanante, was just too big to "roll" and ended up crushing the bottles! When my Dad saw all the broken glass in his garage … well, you can imagine!
Joey remembers when Grandpa Carlo Passanante passed away. That was the same year that his Grandpa Coffee passed away, 1962. "I remember the 'visita' that people made for Grandpa Passanante. I was about nine years old," says Joey, who does not remember a "wake" for Grandpa in the house at 736 Elm Street. He thinks that was about the time that they quit having dead bodies in houses.
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It was in the late 1940's, after World War II, that Joey's Grandma and Grandpa Coffee left Elm Street to live on Pitkin Avenue in Pueblo. "I remember my Grandma Coffee always feeding us when we would go over there, On Pitkin, she had Sunday dinner which was spaghetti and 'Italian fare'. She and my Grandpa Coffee lived on Pitkin until he died in 1962. Then my Grandma Coffee moved in with my Aunt Rose O'Quin on Lake Avenue. My Aunt Rose took care if her until my Grandma Coffee died in 1980.
Joey's Uncle A. B. O'Quin died of cancer in the late 1970's. It was during that time period that Joey worked as a dealer at the Barbary Coast in Las Vegas, Nevada. Joey said that he liked his job there, but he wrecked his car in Vegas and came back to Pueblo. Joey lived in Las Vegas for about four years.
"To the degree that you believe in something is the degree it will affect you," Joey now presents some of his philosophy of life. "The 'mal occhio' (bad eye, evil eye) is the same way," says Joey who admits that he believes in it, but has never had it. Following my questioning about the mal occhio, Joey and I get into one of our "deep" discussions … philosophical and spiritual.
"Before a child is seven years old, that child needs to be protected. Values need to be set. After age seven, you are who you are," Joey share another bit of his philosophy. I began thinking about my early years. I thought about my parents, and I asked Joey what he remembered about my mama and daddy … his Aunt Dea and Uncle Tony DiSipio.
"Aunt Dea was apple pie! She was beautiful! I miss her, " says her nephew Joey who went up to speak at her funeral mass in November of 1998. Joey, one of seven nephews who were all Pall Bearers, loved his Aunt Dea very much. "She was a sweetie … and a hard worker!"
"The one memory of Uncle Tony, your dad, that stands out is I remember seeing him walk with his lunch pail. He kept the yard at 716 Elm street spotless. He loved his house and his yard. He was a hard worker," Joey remembers.
Now, I ask my Cousin Joey to describe the qualities of his mother and father, Sarah and Mike Coffee, who make their home on the south side of Pueblo on Farabaugh Lane. "My Mother is Warmth, Beauty, Fortitude and Love. My Dad is Protector, Strength, Words and Guidance."
I mention that it was Uncle Mike, Joey's father, who guided me to the DiSipio graves in the old part of Roselawn Cemetery. Uncle Mike honors the Dead. He visits and prays at the graves of our family member who have gone on before us. He does not forget them. Aunt Sarah is a nurturer and giver of love. She is a gracious hostess to anyone who is at her home. She makes sure that
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you eat! And she makes the BEST meatballs!
"You're a good combination of both of your parents," I recognize the same qualities in Joey and I that he attribute to his parents. "I see you as a very Spiritual Being, Joey."
"We weren't raised to be wolves," Joey assesses our family upbringing. "We were raised to be more like sheep. Gentle. Our family is a gentle people. At times we seem fractured as a unit, but the fractures don't run deep. We carry pretty heavy Karma, as a family. But we all have a lot of blessings. Our Christian values drive us all."
"Catholic schools made me a good person. I'm glad I went to Catholic school," says Joey who attends St. Paul's Catholic Church in Pueblo West. "Just two or three weeks ago, Chris and I took up the 'Gifts' (Bread and Wine)."
Joey, who likes talking about old times, graduated from Pueblo's Central High School in 1971. Early in Joey's marriage, he bought the house at 732 Elm Street, returning yet another time to that nostalgic old neighborhood holding so much family history! He sold the home after a few years. A special furniture keepsake from Grandma and Grandpa Passanante's house at 736 Elm Street is a coffee table with colored inlaid wood. Joey and his family have used that memento which Joey still has.
Reading and writing are two of Joey's interests. "I like Thomas Clancy," says Joey who has a preference for fiction. "Just so it's interesting!" Joey goes to the Abruzzi Internet website on his computer to research his Dorazio family history, He has done some DiSipio research for me, too! "A priest from Civitella (Messer Raimondo), a village in the province of Chieti and the region of Abruzzi in central Italy has offered to do research for me," states Joey who adds that he has a translator on his computer so he can send messages in Italian!
"Our ancestors came to America, the land of opportunity. Our family as a whole unit came from TWO different parts of Italy … Abruzzi and Sicily. Basically peasants with very little education, they were all hard workers, setting good examples for our work ethic."
Joey concludes, "Most of all, above all else, we are good people. Good people with Christian values."
