Thursday, September 14, 2017
Gina DeMartino's long and blessed life came to an end on the morning of September 14, 2017. She spent her final hours at home surrounded by loved ones, as comfortable as she could be passing from this world.
Gina-- known as Mom, or Sis, or Nonna to many of us-- lived her whole life proud of her independence. She knew how she wanted things to be and she made them so. Though her vision was impaired, she never let it stop her, or even slow her down. From crocheting, current events, baseball, baking, music, or neighborhood happenings, Gina knew about it, had an opinion on it, and was ready to give it to you in raw and unvarnished form--good bad or otherwise.
After meeting at a Roseland dance shortly after WWII, Gina teamed up with Lou, her husband who loved her boundlessly throughout their 69 years of marriage. Until the end of Lou’s 5-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease last fall, this dynamic duo traveled, shared meals with family and friends, cooked, baked, handicapped thoroughbred horse races, and generally brightened the lives of everyone they encountered. Their smiling faces were fixtures at celebrations on Easter, Christmas, Chinese New Year, birthdays and beyond; And whether Gina liked the food or not, her joy permeated every gathering. For those who knew Gina and Lou, life hereafter will simply never be the same.
Not only her husband, Gina was lucky to also have a devoted younger brother, four incredibly loving grandchildren, a faithful and steadfast son-in-law, affectionate daughter-in-law, and a son and daughter who would do anything for their Mom. She also had amazing and treasured friends from throughout her life. It's no surprise she was always surrounded by great people, since she always cared for her people with all her heart. Everyone in her circle always knew they had someone who would stick up for them in any situation. To borrow a phrase from Bruno Mars (who, Gina was into before he was cool, by the way), if GIna loved you, she would take a grenade for you. We know; we’ve heard her sing it……
So we invite you all to join us and take a bite of linguine, slice a piece of grain pie, dig into some octopus salad or merluzza aqua pazzo, crank up some Lester Young, Billy Holiday, Michael Buble (or maybe some more Bruno Mars), deal a hand of spite malice, place a 2-dollar exacta box bet, and hug your nearest loved one as tight as you can in celebration of the wonderful life of Gina DeMartino.
