The ANNOTICO Report

To me, one of the MOST important Italian Tradition is The Extended Family,
and the following story is one lovely example of it.

Daily Sun
By Christine Giordano

THE VILLAGES - At 90, Joe Celaschi has found a unique way to show his love
for his daughter. This Father's Day, the two will celebrate how lucky they
are to be in each other's lives.

Father and daughter. Villages residents. Recently widowed. All three terms
apply to Celaschi and his daughter, Gloria Jones, who have forged a
tradition of being a family unit, no matter where they may be.

A Nuclear Family

The tradition began years ago when Gloria was a little girl, and Celaschi's
job as national sales manager for Corning Glassworks required the family of
five to move to 14 different places.

Shuttling about the country was unusual in those days. While most Americans
lived in areas surrounded by rich support networks of extended family, the
Celaschis found themselves very much alone.

But their lifestyle had its advantages.

"Without the support of having extended family in the same town, we learned
how to rely on each other, to depend on each other," Gloria said. "We've
never lost that."

Stereotypes were also flexed. In times when a father's active involvement
in family life was seen as "unmanly," Gloria said, "because we were the
nuclear family, things were a little different."

"When he was home, he was there. Whatever we did, he was there," she
remembered.

Although Celaschi's job caused him to travel and work 13-hour days, Gloria
remembers him being very present for her and her two sisters.

"He just has always been there - always been the strong one," Gloria said.

When he retired at 57, Celaschi bought a farm in Pennsylvania with a horse
for each grandchild. Living an hour away from him, Gloria found herself
getting to know him better.

Twenty years later, he and Gloria's mother moved to The Villages.

The Friendliest of Neighbors

His middle child continued to visit over the years, keeping intact the
family's indelible bond.

"We've just always been close and we always will be close," Gloria said
"It's just like a unit. You don't lose a unit."

Celaschi remembers his daughter falling in love with his new hometown.

"She visited us on vacation several times and they stayed a week or two.
They got a feel for the lifestyle here in The Villages. They liked it,"
Celaschi said.

When it became time to retire, Gloria said she and her husband scoured the
country looking for a place similar to The Villages.

They decided, "There's no place like The Villages. It's so dynamic and so
alive," Gloria recalls.

But two months after Gloria moved into Florida's Friendliest Hometown,
tragedy struck when her mother unexpectedly died.

Living less than five miles away, Gloria swooped in to help her grieving
dad.

"I'd just be there for whenever he needed someone to talk to," Gloria said.
She shared dinner with her father whenever she could, which amounted to two
or three nights a week.

Then, her father found love again by accidentally smashing his Lincoln
Continental into another car and scrupulously leaving his card on its
windshield.

After taking the owner of the battered vehicle to lunch, he paid her for
the damages and found himself enjoying her company.

"Then we had another lunch, another lunch, and a dinner, a dinner," he said
with a chuckle.

His daughter supported his new relationship.

"Life is too short to spend a whole lot of it grieving," she said. "And you
don't have to be by yourself to grieve. ... Having somebody there to go to
dinner and plays with who is not your daughter is probably a good thing."

Tables Turned

In February, father and daughter found their roles reversed.

Gloria's 67-year-old husband died unexpectedly, bringing their 46-year
marriage to an abrupt halt.

At 89, Celaschi found himself returning the favor for the daughter who had
been there for him.

"I don't know what I would have done without him," Gloria said. "He has
been there every minute that I needed him. He's been so supportive - done
anything I could possibly want.

"That's kind of special from your parents anyhow, but at a time when you're
at a loss of where to go, it's guidance and it's generosity of spirit," she
said. "And it's love and it's heart, and I can't tell you enough."

Because her father is her neighbor, he is able to offer his support in the
tiniest of ways, such as finding independent contractors, to the largest of
ways, such as being on call.

"Absolutely anything I ask him to do, he's right here to do it," Gloria
said.

The two maintain their independence, but continue to have dinner twice a
week. Still, he gently lets her know that if she needs him, he'll be there.

"I call her every day," Celaschi said. "I try not to interfere.
Surprisingly, she's handling it very well."

As she gets her affairs in order, Gloria said she is buoyed by her current
hometown, and is discovering a special understanding with her dad.

"There are a lot of things I don't have to say because he knows," she said
softly. "Like how you feel about going through that first holiday by
yourself. He makes sure I'm always included."

A Grand Celebration

When Celaschi recently turned 90, the family celebrated his life. His home
in the Village of Rio Grande filled with 42 people from all over the U.S.
Then a group of 21 that spanned four generations dined out at Lopez Legacy
Country Club - one of his favorite restaurants.

"A spectacular picture taken at Nancy Lopez," said the proud patriarch.
"Everybody's got a smile on their face, and it's just a beautiful picture."

His daughters raised a glass.

"We started with the Italian slogan - Live everyday, love a lot, laugh a
lot, be happy. We ended with Centanni, (which means in Italian) we wish you
100 years," Gloria said.

His Special Day

On Father's Day, Gloria knows she will be counting her blessings as she,
her father and his lady friend return to Nancy Lopez for another
celebratory dinner.

"It's just so incredibly special and wonderful to have your parents be that
long-lived, get along with them and live near them," she said.

"Never take him for granted" is her motto.

"When your father is 90 years old," she said, "Every moment is a special
moment. Every time you see him is a special meeting. Every holiday, every
father's day, everything. I'm very lucky to have him still with me. You
just have to enjoy every minute that you can."

Christine Giordano is a reporter with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at
753-1119, ext. 9071, or christine.giordano@thevillagesmedia.com.

http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/
articles/2005/06/18/villages/villages01.t
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