Posted by Ginger Moreno on November 05, 1998 at 16:43:42:
My earliest recollections of Aunt Donna were of a vibrant lady who loved to laugh and have fun. It seems to me that from the time Imet her she always wore her hair just about the same - pulled back with just the slightest hint of bangs, and always permed. I remember how she would chide me about my straight hair, and I told her that when I was a little girl my mother gave me a Tony every month - and I hated it! I vowed, at that point, never to perm my hair again - and to this day this is true!
She would laugh at that story and still told me to have a "body wave" - then we would both laugh. The remembrances of her are not tempered by time - but heightened. I will never forget when I was in boarding school (yes, again!) In my second year of high school (in Syosset, Long Island) and she and Uncle Tony invited me to stay the evening on Friday (he would pick me up at school and then Dad would pick me up at his house on Saturday morning.) The weather was really dicey and Uncle Tony was worried it would snow that evening. I was just enjoying the ride and the knowledge that Aunt Donna was preparing some (as our Uncle Tony called it) "Beefy, Beef Stew." On a day like that day I knew it would hit the spot. There were other culinary surprises that evening (blueberry muffins, apple pie with vanilla ice cream) and I think we had hot chocolate while watching television. I was very proud because, except for their wedding picture, mine was the only other picture on top of their TV.
That evening I saw a side of Aunt Donna that has stayed with me forever. She was laughing, joking with Uncle Tony, Uncle Tony was joking with her, however, they did not exclude me like many adults did in the "50's. They had me in the kitchen helping take the blueberry muffins out of the oven and I also helped to wash and dry the dishes.
Sometime in the very early morning hours I heard such roaring wind that I got up to find out what was happening. To my surprise (I was a kid, after all), and enjoyment, it was snowing so hard you could not see outside except for the falling snowflakes. It was beautiful! I remember thinking, "well, Dad won't be able to make it in this weather.."
The next morning the lovely aromas of coffee, baked goods and bacon filled the air. I woke up to hear both Aunt Donna and Uncle Tony laughing. Well, being the inquisitive child that I was, I went into the living room and found them standing in front of the door - well, the door was open and they were really standing in front of a wall of snow that completely covered the door frame. Uncle Tony thought we could try and push it out of the way. No such luck. He tried the garage door. It was so stuck Uncle Tony was afraid he would burn the motor out on his opener. So Uncle Tony did the next best thing - he jumped out of one of the side windows! All of a sudden we heard this laugh mixed with some unmentionable spanish words - he told us that the whole front of the house was covered ceiling to floor in icy snow!
I remember Dad calling and telling us that they could not come (Surprise!!!) I remember Uncle Tony telling him that I was no trouble and that they were going to put me to work clearing the snow. Of course, the only way in and out of the house was through that side window! What an experience. We finally had to go to the store down the street - walking - after all, Uncle Tony's Oldsmobile was going nowhere!
Because of these very nice memories, I found it very hard to write the following. It seems that when Uncle Tony passed away, my Mom and a lawyer friend of hers (Susanna Marquez - somehow related - many times removed to my father) found this obscure law about siblings being able to inherit monies if the deceased left no will. I will interject here that most of these obscure laws were put into effect by the old Governor of Puerto Rico Munoz Marin for his own purposes - and believe me - there are many of them! Anyway, be that as it may, my Mother took the ball and ran with it. When she informed me as to what she was doing, I was appalled! How cvould you? I asked. "He would have wanted it this way", she said. I tried to reason - but logical reasoning was not a part of my Mother's makeup. God Rest her soul - she was very illogical at times!
My heart went out to Aunt Donna, who had never hurt any family member in her life, and here was her sister-in-law demending money from her husband's inheritance. My Mom talked with many members of the family, and finally got Titi Rafa on her side. When Frankie and I spoke to Aunt Rafaela during our stay in Florida, she seemed somewhat sheepish about the incident - and she changed the subject immediately. Frankie and I were stunned when we heard that Aunt Donna passed away shortly after the final papers for the inheritance were signed.
So, yes, this is a tribute to our Aunt Donna, and to the fact that her family (the ones in Michigan) completely ignored her wishes to be buried next to her loving husband. They whisked her off to the land she had left many, many years before - but her happiness stayed in that little island in the Caribbean with a husband few got to really know as well as she.