Mom's 100th Birthday Part 2

In a letter to me from Gloria Klir, dated March 6, 2000, she describes what she remembers about Grandma Pearl and my mom Julia.

NOTE: Gloria (b1932) is the daughter of Rose (b1904) Giunta Kolodjiez. Rose was my Grandmother, Pearl’s (Prudentia) (b1892) Giunta Petorella sister. Julia Petorella (b1916) was my mother. [I have added the bracketed text]

Rose Giunta Kolodjiez and daughter Gloria (Klir)

Dear Sue:

Received your packet with the copies of the photos—I’ll get to that part in another letter. Going from your Christmas card where you asked about some remembrances of your mother, I’ll start there and explain the photos (2^nd letter).

First of all—do you have that sheet your mother made for Bette Cole? This will help you fit some of the people in the photos into where they belong as to relation to you.

Pearl and Dominick Petorella as you know are your grandparents (you may remember Grandma Pearl). They had three girls and one boy. The girls were Millie (Frankie’s mother), Sylvia, Julia and Jimmy. Pearl was my mother’s sister, therefore my Aunt and Dominick my Uncle. Since your mother was born in 1916 and I in 1932, she was grown up when I was little and consequently my remembrances are from that time (with her as an adult).

Julia and Sheppy at 802 S. Western Avenue, Chicago some time in the 1940's

Location of the Petorella Gas Station at 802 S. Western Avenue c 2018. 

They lived at 802 S. Western Avenue in Chicago (Polk and Western). Their house was a two-story on a corner and on the first level was a gas station that Julia’s father and brother Jimmy ran. The family lived on the second floor and on the back porch Aunt Pearl (your grandmother) had flower boxes in which she planted petunias and basil. They also kept pigeons and had a dog named Nellie. In the summertime Aunt Pearl and Uncle Dominick and my family would get together and go fishing at Maple Lake. (My family being Rose, my mother, John, my father, my sister, Grace and my brother Richard (At that time my younger brother was not yet born.) Rose is Pearl’s sister and Julia’s Aunt.) Uncle Dominick (your Grandfather) would go to the market and buy bushels of tomatoes and pickles [cucumbers] and Aunt Pearl with Julia would “can” them and my mother would do the pickles (she made bread and butter pickles) and they would trade off Tomatoes and pickles.

Your grandmother was a very talented lady—she could crochet, knit, make paper flowers and she also did piece work where she would pick up bodices of dresses and sew the beadwork on them. The family attended Precious Blood Church on Congress and Western—the church is still in existence today. When we would visit your grandmother Pearl she would teach my mother new crochet patterns and my sister Grace but I couldn’t learn it as I was left-handed and she said the I did it backwards. Although we all did stitchery and these were our summertime projects and then Pearl and my mother would crochet the lace on stitched doilies, dresser scarves and pillowcases. Pearl also taught us flower making. I don’t know if your mother crocheted or knitted. I don’t remember her doing so but she did make flowers with us.

Julia worked at Superior Products this photo shows Julia in the

center of the photo. Standing on the far left is my Uncle

Korcz, my father's brother-in-law. 

I don’t know where your mother worked but your mother at that time was a very shy quiet person. (Millie was already married and out of the house as was Sylvia.) Your grandfather Dominick died in 1940. Jimmy as you may or may not know got married shortly before he was drafted. He married Betty (had Bette Cole—never saw her and was killed on D-Day in Normandy. Aunt Pearl showed us his Purple Heart and when the war was over had his body shipped back for burial here. (Mt. Carmel Cemetery). He had a Military funeral. Am enclosing a picture of his headstone.

About 1950 Aunt Pearl had a stoke and Julia, in order to keep her home, bought her a TV (we didn’t have one and Julia asked us to keep her mother company so every Friday we would go to their house where we would watch TV with Aunt Pearl and have coffee and cake or pie. [I believe that Pearl liked to play bingo. Maybe that is why she didn't stay home. I do vaguely remember when we lived with us in Hinsdale, Dad would take her somewhere, drop her off, then go and pick her up. I remember wanting to go with her but Dad said it was only for old ladies.]

About this time Julia went to a beauty school, made some new friends who experimented with glam and would go out on Fridays. She met your father and started dating (as you know your father was divorced). They got married and the house on Western Avenue was sold and your father and mother bought a house on the North side and your grandmother lived with them. We visited there a couple of times. I don’t remember who was born first but at that time she had a baby. [I was the baby.]

Don’t have too many more remembrances because we were growing up, my mother was working and your mother was busy with taking care of her family. Your father and mother bought the house in Darien [first address was Hinsdale, IL, then Clarendon Hills and finally incorporated into Willowbrook] (I believe Grandma Pear lived there for a while.) Grandma Pearl died in 1956 so maybe she didn’t. [Pearl did live with us. She had another stroke while pulling us (sister Sharon and I) around the yard in a wagon. I remember her in a hospital bed in our living room. She showed us how to count on one had as her other arm was paralyzed. I was 5 and Sharon was 3.]

As you know your mother and father grew quite a few vegetables. I believe all three of you went to schools in Darien.

I hope this is some help to you. Now I’ll work on the pictures you sent and tell you how these people fit into our family. I am enclosing some pictures of your mother’s headstone and also your grandparents (mentioned the one of Jimmy’s earlier). When I get a chance I’ll ask my husband to drive to Polk and Western to see if the building is still standing and let you know.

Gloria.