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What was your mom like when you were a child?
“My mom died when I was a young kid, so I don’t have as many memories of her as I would have liked. What I do remember is that she spent a lot of time with me when she could, and she was very attentive to me.
My mom’s family was from Putnam, CT. She met my dad when he was working in a diner on Main Street in Putnam. Since she lived right on Main Street growing up, it was easy for her to get to the diner.
My mom’s family was made up of her and her three brothers: Joe, Frank, and Andrew. Mom was third in line: Andrew, Frank, Arlene, and Joe.
Andrew was a bus driver for the city of Worcester, MA. He was very reserved.
Joe was a state trooper who never arrested anyone. He was too nice of a guy and he always felt bad for others, so he made it through his whole career without making an arrest. I can remember riding in his police cruiser, sitting in the front seat with him as he drove me around showing me the sights.
Mom’s brother Frank went to Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA. He joined the FBI after graduation but didn’t love it. He went into the field of education, even teaching and coaching football at Holy Cross for a while. He ended up as a superintendent of schools in Wallingford CT.
I have memories of my mom bringing me places when I was young. She always brought me to the movies on Fridays. Unfortunately, my mom had an undiagnosed leaking brain aneurysm and was bedridden for a whole year before she died. The aneurysm caused her to suffer from high fevers. I used to walk to and from school, and I remember getting my mom something to eat in the morning before I went to school, then coming home at lunchtime to make lunch and eat with her in her room. My dad ran a diner and catering business and worked all hours, and my brother was older and was pretty much never around.
So my memories of being young are mostly of me and my mom together, and then me on my own. When my mom died I was alone – I was like a cork bobbing in the ocean with no direction.”
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