Lena J. Dattilo

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REMEMBRANCE OF LENA J. DATTILO
Lena Jenny Dattilo was born on August 10th, 1920, and was christened "Antonina Vinzenza Geglio", the youngest of ten children of Pietro and Carmella Geglio, who made their home in Grand Rapids, Michigan after emigrating from the area of Termini Imeresi, Sicily. They came with many others on crowded ships arriving at the United States to be processed through Ellis Island. Lena was the last remaining sibling of her brothers and sisters. Nine of Pietro and Carmella's children survived their births; (birthdates shown); Vincenzo (Charles) 1904, Salvatore (William) 1905, Augusta (Gusta) 1907, Vincenza (Jenny-Zula) 1908, Antonio (Tony) 1911, Anna (Annie) 1913, Maria (Mary) 1916, Rosa (Rose) 1918, and Antonina (Lena) 1920.

As her Sicilian immigrant parents struggled to assimilate to their new way of life in America during the tough times of the Great Depression, the tradition of respect for elder family members by naming their children after them remained, but American "nicknames" crept into their reference to each child, thus "Antonina" became "Nina", and evolved to "Lena" and her middle name "Vincenza" to "Jenny". She attended Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary School in Grand Rapids, as the family retained their traditional and devout faith as Roman Catholics.
Her life as a child was difficult as poverty gripped the country during the years of the depression and in the aftermath of World War 1. Most of the clothing that she wore was previously well worn by her older sisters as funds were very scarce, and jobs were nearly non-existent. Meals were prepared with scarce resources, but the family lived together, crowded in simple housing, and worked together to avoid hunger, and to stay warm in the Michigan winters, and they become productive citizens. During those days when life was so tough, Lena's father Pietro (Pete), worked for the streetcar company in Grand Rapids until the day he was caught as a passerby in the crossfire of guns in a feud between neighboring families, costing him permanent brain damage and the loss of his sight in one eye, leaving his memory and speech notably curtailed. In the aftermath, he took up selling fruits and vegetables from a push cart in the neighborhood streets of Grand Rapids. The unsold old cart stock was utilized by neighbors to brew a "bathtub gin". Lena' mother, Carmella would purchase and dilute this product to sell to the neighbors in pint bottles. As a little girl, Lena's assignment for a time was to quietly deliver the little bottles to the purchasing neighbors, thus becoming innocently and unknowingly employed in the dubious work of a "juvenile rum-runner"

The Geglio family remained close to the "Dattilo" family, all Sicilian immigrants from the "Old Country" whose circumstances settled them in Columbus, Ohio. Some friendships resulted in marriages, but newfound customs resulted in Lena's marriage to Anthony John (Red) Dattilo on June 22, 1940. The newlyweds made their home where the family settled in Columbus, Ohio. Their two children, Anthony Allen was born on October 12, 1941 and Barbara Jean was born on December 5, 1944. Lena was preceded in death by her beloved husband, "Red" Dattilo on April 4, 1980 and her daughter, Barbara on July 1, 2010.

Lena worked hard to help support the work efforts of the family. Red's work often required his presence at faraway locations for extended periods of time which often left her alone to care for their two children, as well as maintaining some employment to help the family with living expenses. During the years of homemaking and raising children, Lena maintained her faith in the Church and served as a chef for the nuns in the convent at Our Lady of Fatima Church and elementary school. During the years that she was able, she was a very active member of the Altar and Rosary Society at Saint Bernadette's Church, helping to maintain the pristine cleanliness and beauty of the church, and providing handmade crafts for fundraising sales for the parish in her continuing service to her Catholic Faith. She also worked for years as a chef for a popular buffet restaurant in Lakewood, Colorado.

When it was learned that Red had been afflicted with cancer in 1977, she became his primary caregiver at their home and during hospital stays , long term chemotherapy treatments and loving care until the day that she and her children held his hand as he passed away in Hospice care on Good Friday, 1980. She preferred to live alone, with untreated knee injuries that she received in falls during the years that she worked at the restaurant. Having been encouraged by two longtime friends who managed a guest ranch in the mountains of Colorado, she and Red worked at a Guest Ranch in the mountains of Colorado as caretakers and book keepers after his cancer diagnosis and recovery efforts. Their time there helped to occupy their time, while enjoying the healing peace and beauty of Colorado's mountains. After Red's passing, Lena preferred to live alone, where she anticipated and enjoyed the daily visits with her daughter Barbara (Mitchell) who lived close by with her husband Charles. She was shocked and saddened at the news that daughter Barbara had been diagnosed with brain cancer that slowly and painfully deteriorated her memory, reasoning, mobility and comprehension. This again, was a multi-years long journey of helplessness and devastation for Lena as she witnessed this transition, never giving up on prayers for healing of her daughter, until she succumbed to her illness in July, 2010.

As her family moved away in the mid-50's to follow Red's work, they missed being with their respective family members, whose homes were in Columbus, Ohio and the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. The move to Colorado caused a long distance disconnect from her sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews who grew and changed with age as they carried on. Her life was lonely of them, save for the occasional contacts by telephone from "home". During the last years of her life, Lena depended upon her son, Tony - her only surviving family member, as her primary caregiver as her mobility and health deteriorated.

Despite health and mobility issues, some of which were cared for by home visiting medical staff, she maintained living in her own "independent living" apartment beginning in 2012, which she maintained as spotless and pristine, never giving up her routine of daily tasks. Her inherent "stubbornness" prompted her to forego the use of a prescribed electric scooter in favor of a walker which she preferred to utilize as she "needed to walk for exercise" despite her several falls that resulted in additional mobility issues and hospital stays. Lena made many friends in her Independent Living apartment complex, developing the reputation of a kind and caring lady for all others including the working staff. One of the medical staff employed there referred to her as "My Italian Grandmother" and treated her as such. She shocked many when she revealed her age as everyone was in disbelief at her much younger appearance, beautiful skin and feisty attitude.
The deterioration of her mobility eventually relegated her to permanent use of an electric powered wheelchair and the search for new residency at an assisted living facility. The search provided frustration as none would accept new residents during the Covid pandemic.

With continued prayers, determination and restrictions of the Covid prevention procedures, she was accepted as a new resident in an assisted living facility in February, 2021. She continued to enjoy the twice weekly non-monetary Bingo games, and despite her insistence selecting two randomly selected cards before each session, she gained an enviable reputation among her community, and was envied as a regular winner of those games. Her new residence provided much better personal care than the independent living arrangements despite the ongoing shortages of staff resulting from the isolation of Covid restrictions and closures of many businesses, churches and other venues that are normally occupied by many people. She particularly enjoyed the Masses offered each Saturday afternoon at her assisted living complex by the priests of St. Dominic's Catholic Parish. As she aged, she remained a "neat freak" in keeping her apartment pristine, spotless and everything in place. She amazed her co-residents with her birthdays and many disbelieved her age, always commenting that she looked so many years younger.

The closing days of 2022 brought the sad news of additional falls in her apartment. One of the falls resulted in her being transported to the Emergency Room of a local hospital, where many tests were conducted, all of which came back "clear", however, her ability to communicate and comprehend was severely impaired. After two days in the emergency department, she was transferred to a well-known rehabilitation facility where further tests and physical rehab efforts were conducted, and pneumonia took its toll. As her condition deteriorated, she was thankful to receive the blessings proffered in her declining health by Father Louis Marrone of her current parish of St. Dominic's Church. With anticipation of her ending journey, she passed away in the early morning hours of January 14, 2023.

Lena is survived by her son, Tony and wife Ellen, her grandchildren, Troy Dattilo (Kim), Timothy Dattilo and Tonya Dattilo Martinez (Ralph), her great grandchildren Scarlette, Alexsandra, Brittney, Kaylie, Garrett, Paige and Carrie, her sister-in-law, Josephine Dattilo, nieces, Joanne Slyman, Jackie Sorrick, and Rita Dattilo of Columbus Ohio. With many thanks to Tina "Marsiglia Giglio" Green, the granddaughter of Lena's brother Tony, who began the genealogy queries and research that prompted the electronic reunion with the "long lost" Geglio family which has proliferated in Michigan, counting near one-hundred nieces and nephews who now regard her as "Aunt Lena". Thanks to her nephews and nieces, Anthony (Tina's Dad), Bonnie, Roseanne, Victoria, Melinda, William and Charles, all seven children of Lena's brother, Tony and his wife, Millie, and so many other relatives of newer generations whom Lena has never had the opportunity to meet, for their contact and cards that she dearly welcomed in her heart as family. Lena was thrilled to have been visited in recent years by her niece Bonnie Geglio Melville, her husband Larry and their daughter Nicole, and her niece Vickie Geglio Hoekstra and her husband Doug.

Despite the loss of many of the abilities that aging, and illness rob from the elderly, Lena always maintained her stoic and determined attitude for that which was routine in her life – neatness, cleanliness in her living and life circumstances, pride in her heritage and incredible love for her family, and an unwavering love, devotion and reverence for God.

Our Catholic Faith teaches us that our belief in God will be rewarded by our being welcomed into the everlasting joys of Heaven, where we will join again with our loved ones in peace, joy and health.