Born of three Italian lands

My dad’s mother, Maria Colella (on left, above) was born in San Benedetto in Perillis, Abruzzo on Nov. 28 1932. One of three kids— she had 1 brother and 1 sister. Her sister is still alive living in Southern Florida. They were farmers and she met my grandfather, Giovanni Tomassetti while selling a cow. Giovanni was born in Collepietro, a neighboring town, on Sept. 15 1924. He had 5 sisters and 4 brothers. They had four children: Serafino, Nanda, Celsa and Domenico (my father). They moved to the U.S. in May 1966 when my dad was less than 6 months old. He and his siblings had to learn English in school. My grandfather worked as a cement mason here in the states and my grandmother was a traditional housewife— Cooked, cleaned, tended to household duties, etc.