Description

Richard Rome
15 hrs
It will soon be Mother's Day. This time of year I always think about and remember my mom, who passed away in 1999, at the age of 83. My mother, Edie Rome, was born in Scranton, PA. She had an older sister, an older brother, a younger brother and a younger sister. My mom was five years old when her own mother died while giving birth to her younger sister. Her father was incapable of raising the children. Accordingly, my mother was placed in an orphanage, along with her two younger siblings. She stayed in that orphanage until she reached the age of 14. Her Aunt Ruth, who was her mother's sister, brought her to her house. My mom had to drop out of school and "earn her keep." She helped with household chores and had a job at the Blue Ribbon Cake Company. My mom had a difficult childhood, to say the least. All of this changed one day, when my dad delivered clothing from his father's laundry and clothing store. He opened the door, saw my mom, and it was love at first sight. When my mom was 24 years old, she married the love of her life, my dad, Earl Rome. My father was the youngest of ten children. As you can imagine, for a shy unassuming young woman, who spent her early years in an orphanage, meeting and integrating herself into such a large family had its challenges. My mom was "up to the task" and soon she was loved by all her new in-laws, their spouses, and their children. My dad started a business, a small grocery store, and my mom, alongside my dad, Uncle Izzy, and Aunt Becky, worked hard to make the business a success. My mom had two children. My sister, Judie, was born in 1941 and I came along four years later. My mother was an amazing mom. Perhaps due to her own circumstances while growing up, she went out of her way to be the best mother she could possibly be to my sister and me. My childhood was "perfect." It was not really, but I do not regret anything. I look back and realize, that although we did not have much money, my sister and I had unconditional love. My sister went to nursing school in Philadelphia. She was homesick and cried on the telephone. My mom told her if she wanted to come home and work in a factory, and give up this opportunity, then be my guest. My sister, of course, stayed, and thrived in nursing school. Until the day my mother died, she did not hesitate to remind people that her daughter was a nurse. Nothing made her more proud. When it was my turn to further my education, my mother took a second job, as a nurse's aid in a hospital. She worked her ass off doing menial labor, but after four years, she saw me graduate from college, debt free, thanks to my mom. Edie Rome was the quintessential grandmother. She loved and adored her five grandchildren and she spoiled them as much as she could My youngest daughter, Ellen, had a special relationship with her "Gramma." That bond was so strong and it remains so, eighteen years after my mom's death. When my dad passed away at the age of 62, my mother summoned the courage and fortitude to reopen my dad's super market, and run the business for 6 months until it was sold. My mom was a widow for 23 years. During that time, she and my Aunt Reva, who was also a widow, became very close friends. There was nothing they would not do for one another. My mom's death was devastating for Aunt Reva. My mother and father were loved by their customers. Even today, every now and then I will run into an old customer of my parents' grocery store, and I always hear how wonderful people my mom and dad were and how much they are missed. My parents never had a lot of money. But, my sister and I wanted for nothing. My dad was the "rock" of his extended family, and took care of his brothers and sisters, as well. Somehow, when I was away at college, my mom would send me an extra ten or twenty bucks because she told me I won the world series betting pool in the store. Every year I won once or twice , although I figured out that my mom used that excuse to slip me a few extra dollars. After I got married, my mom always helped me out with a few bucks for me or my kids. She was generous to a fault. My mom, who started life under a dark cloud, became an amazing wife, mother, sister-in-law, grandmother, neighbor, and friend. She had little formal education but she was a voracious reader. She had great "common sense" and never failed to impart her wisdom to my sister and me. She died in 1999, while recovering from open heart surgery. My sister and I, her five grandchildren, and those who knew her, were heartbroken. Edie Rome left behind a great legacy, full of warm and loving memories. So, as this mother's day is coming soon, I mourn my mother's loss. Yet, I bask in the glow of the warm and loving memories of my mom. She was unique. I loved her, and even after 18 years, I still miss my mom so much. Take care.