Today is my Grandpa John DiLallo's 92nd birthday...Amazing huh? I am blessed to still have my grandparents!
My Nana turned 93 on October 15th and they celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary on October 30.
My Grandpa has outlived all seven of his brothers and sisters and my Nana actually still has one sister living in Montreal.
Her sister is 102.
Grandpa was born in 1914 in Campobaso, Italy. He came over through Ellis Island in 1921 and only finished to the third grade before going to work in his family's store in Montreal. He and my Nana, along with my dad, my aunt Louise and Uncle Albert, moved to Santa Ana California in 1957 where they bought their home for $7,000. Grandpa was a milkman for Adohr Farms for 30 years. My sisters and I used to go on his route with him sometimes. We drank lots of chocolate milk out of ice cold glass bottles.
Nana and Grandpa lived on their own--and he drove!--until about a year and a half ago. They did yardwork, made trips to Costco and cooked big Italian meals for friends and family until they just couldn't do it anymore. Today, they are in a board and care in Mission Viejo... we visit as often as we can. It's definitely not the same as coming into their home which was so often filled with the delicious aroma of roasted peppers!
Grandpa still loves to tell the story of "coming to America", loves to sing songs and insists that "he tells the jokes"...
He actually didn't look very good tonight. We couldn't even get him to sing his monkey song...
But he did tell me that I need to find a nice Italian man.
Love you Gramps...
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