Mel (engineer, RC pilot and father of 2)
What can i say about Mel, he was truly was my partner in crime. I was 4 yrs younger and having Mary between Mel and I, i would follow Mel everywhere and he let me tag along.
We told so many Mel stories at his wedding rehearsal dinner that the family of the bride almost walked out. We had to tone it down.
The famous story was the time we were paying back a neighbor for twisting Mel's arm by lighting a firecracker (M80) in his front yard. I panic and threw it onto the porch. With a loud bang, the man of the house came after us with a shotgun. We ran, but when we got home the man was waiting in the living room with our Dad. OUCH !!
Mel was the best athlete and could walk on his hands and ride bikes backwards. But he would always run out of gas and blow headcaskets of our old Rambler with 200,000 miles on it. My Dad with which ever son was nearby would put in new headcaskets and keep that car running for the teenage sons to drive.
Mel and i went to the same high school St Anselms Abbey in DC. We drove together for 2 years across the town. I also got to practice with his basketball team even though i was only in the middle school. It was great having an older brother around in school.
Mel also gave me the passion to buy a motorcycle. We drove around McLean, Va like we were big shots. He also passed on the paper route to me too.
Now Mel takes care of my son Brandon who studies at MIT (where Mel got his Masters degree) and flies RC planes with Uncle Mel. They have been inseparable these past 6 years. Mel will miss Brandon when he moves to California to get married.
Thanks Mel for all the memories. Thanks for always being there and thanks for getting me and this family involved with the internet it saved my mental mind in Tampa.
Maria (counselor and mother of 12)
Maria will always be my older sister. She is the one that raised me from 5 yrs old to 16 yrs of age. I know she had to constantly get me out of trouble and best of all she fed me all those years. Sorry sis that you had to be a mother to me and Fred when you were so young. I know cooking and grocery shopping are not the most fun things to do when you are a teenage girl.
Mary also drove me halfway to school every morning since Mel had graduated and gone onto college. Many mornings she had to help me finish delivering that newspapers. And she would be the only one at my high school basketball games.
The only story i have about Mary was when she was dating Peter, my teammate at St Anselms. I would be their chaperon to the movies and afterwards they would send me in for some ice cream. I thought they were great guys. Later i found out that they were kissing goodnight in the car while i waited to be serve....lol
Maria and Peter decided to have a large family, as large as God would allow them. They have 12 kids and all very successful in college. Now one by one they are getting married. I suspect that Mary will have 50 grandkids by the time she dies.
That is going to be one hell of a funeral.
When ever i had a bad time raising my 2 boys, all i would have to do is think about Mary and her 12. Any problem i had was very small compare to her and her family.
Mary thanks for always being such a good role model and for having such a strong faith in our Church. And thank you for sharing your children's life with me and my sons.
Big Fred (businessman and father of 1)
Fred was the baby of the family, but God created a Big Man with a Bigger Heart.
It was hard for Fred to stand out with 13 older brothers and sisters. He had to find his own nitch and mainly he did it through playing chess and doing good deeds for others.
Fred is best know in our family for picking people up at the airport at any time of the day. He is also famous for bring water and advil to the famous uncle vs nephew basketball games.
I guess Fred's best story is that he gets to drive famous people around Miami like Jerry Lewis, Paul McCartney and George Hamilton. He has brought Jerry Lewis over by my parents house to take a picture of Jerry with my folks.
Fred has also traveled to Cuba and he is the number one person people ask about.
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