My beloved Grandmother. Born in the village of Serrastretta, near Calabria, Italy, she emigrated to the United States with her husband, Raffaele Molinaro. They lived for a few years in New York, finally settling in Baltimore, Maryland, where they operated a small confectionary store.
Widowed at a young age, she supported her children by continuing to operate the store, which was known by people in the neighborhood as "Monair's" because they were unable to remember "Molinaro." Mother of 5 children: Raffaele, Jr. (who died in 1923 when he was a young child), Louis (deceased), Rose (deceased), Frank (deceased), and my mom, Mary, who died in March 2024. Grandmom now has all her children with her.
Over the years, her store became known as "the penny candy store." All of my friends were jealous because my grandmother had a "huge room full of candy."
Grandmother was fiercely protective of her family and animals, especially cats. My mother still talks about the time, many years ago, when she found that someone had put turpentine on her cat's bottom. She tracked down two neighborhood kids, and proceeded to smack them with her broom, telling them to "go tell your mother where I live." She may have been petite, but she made up for it by being feisty.
Grandmother loved to go camping. My parents would drop us off at Skyline Drive and we would spend the week camping. She would get up very early in the morning to go blueberry picking, and then would make blueberry muffins on the campfire. I have never had a blueberry muffin as good as those from the campfire. She also baked pies on the campfire.
Grandmother was a devout Catholic. I can still see her sitting in her chair in the kitchen, reading her prayer book, which was written in Italian. On Sundays it was my job to help her light candles for all of the people she was praying for. I still light a candle for her when I make it to Mass.
So many wonderful memories to choose from. Two of my fondest memories: just the two of us sitting in the kitchen, after the store closed, drinking tea; and, having her make me "spaghetti soup," which was my favorite.
She was simply the best grandmother I could ever hope to have.
A special "Thank You" to my cousins, Jana and Gary, for sponsoring grandmother's site.
My beloved Grandmother. Born in the village of Serrastretta, near Calabria, Italy, she emigrated to the United States with her husband, Raffaele Molinaro. They lived for a few years in New York, finally settling in Baltimore, Maryland, where they operated a small confectionary store.
Widowed at a young age, she supported her children by continuing to operate the store, which was known by people in the neighborhood as "Monair's" because they were unable to remember "Molinaro." Mother of 5 children: Raffaele, Jr. (who died in 1923 when he was a young child), Louis (deceased), Rose (deceased), Frank (deceased), and my mom, Mary, who died in March 2024. Grandmom now has all her children with her.
Over the years, her store became known as "the penny candy store." All of my friends were jealous because my grandmother had a "huge room full of candy."
Grandmother was fiercely protective of her family and animals, especially cats. My mother still talks about the time, many years ago, when she found that someone had put turpentine on her cat's bottom. She tracked down two neighborhood kids, and proceeded to smack them with her broom, telling them to "go tell your mother where I live." She may have been petite, but she made up for it by being feisty.
Grandmother loved to go camping. My parents would drop us off at Skyline Drive and we would spend the week camping. She would get up very early in the morning to go blueberry picking, and then would make blueberry muffins on the campfire. I have never had a blueberry muffin as good as those from the campfire. She also baked pies on the campfire.
Grandmother was a devout Catholic. I can still see her sitting in her chair in the kitchen, reading her prayer book, which was written in Italian. On Sundays it was my job to help her light candles for all of the people she was praying for. I still light a candle for her when I make it to Mass.
So many wonderful memories to choose from. Two of my fondest memories: just the two of us sitting in the kitchen, after the store closed, drinking tea; and, having her make me "spaghetti soup," which was my favorite.
She was simply the best grandmother I could ever hope to have.
A special "Thank You" to my cousins, Jana and Gary, for sponsoring grandmother's site.
