Monday, April 17, 2023
Concetta "Tina" Gentile's Eulogy
Good morning to everyone and thank you for being here on this day where we celebrate the life of the person that I knew her to be as, Aunt Tina.
When asked to give the eulogy, I thought to myself, "I just can't leave out any part of her life", but then soon realized that I didn't know too much about her life before I was born. All I know is of the stories that she shared with me and one particular story is of a very special day in her life when she married my Zio Nello. She said, "Not only was it special because it was my wedding day, but also because I had Jerry Vale sing at my wedding." She said he was an up and coming singer at the time, singing in the house band at the venue where she got married and he later went on to become famous. She would tell that story quite often, how he sang at her wedding and she would say, "You know, people paid a lot of money afterwards to hear him sing, but not me. I was one of the lucky ones because everyone wanted him to sing at their wedding but he became too famous."
Another story she would often share was when Phil was born. She told me how happy Zio Nello was because they had a son. As he got older, she said that Phil would love to eat; she couldn't keep up with his eating habits. "Oh boy did Phillip love to eat", she would say. "I couldn't put the food out fast enough for him!" She said Phil's famous words when he was younger would be, "But I'm hungry!", even after he had just finished eating. Many, many years later when I gave birth to twin sons, I remember telling Aunt Tina about a particular doctor's visit they had one day and how the doctor told me not to introduce solid foods just yet. She disagreed and said to me, "Don't listen to the doctor. You feed them that food; they are growing boys for crying out loud! I started feeding Phillip solid foods at five months old. These doctors are full of baloney!" My Aunt Tina was very good at giving advice but she was also very good at showing people many acts of kindness. A fond memory I will share was in 1998, my parents had just left for Italy and I was home with my five month old twins. One afternoon, I received a call from my aunt asking me how I was doing alone with my babies. Without it becoming so apparent that I was struggling that day, I told her that everything was great and that I was just getting them down for a nap. It was a hot summer day so I had my kitchen windows wide open to let the breeze in and all of a sudden heard someone call my name. It was my Aunt Tina and Zio Nello. She didn't want to ring my doorbell in case my sons were asleep. When she came into the house, she looked at me and said, "I know you wanted me to help you but you wouldn't ask me on the phone, so I asked Nello to drive me to your house." Once she got there, one of my sons was awake and she took him from me and went to sit outside in my backyard and told me to go and take a nap. That's just the kind of person that she was.
I also remember in 1987 when I was going to a friend's prom and I went out and bought this beautiful gown that I was so proud of. I only tried it on one time, bought it, brought it home and hung it up in my closet. I took the dress out of the closet the day before the prom, tried it on again and was horrified at the way it fit. I had gained some weight. My mother tried as best as she could to fix the dress with what little sewing material she had at that time but it needed to be re-sewn in certain places. My mother called Aunt Tina and told her what had happened. She told my mom to bring the dress to her house and so we did. She was able to fix the dress and all was great again. Before leaving my home to go to Aunt Tina's with the dress, she told my mother, "When you bring the dress, bring me Orfeo's pants too (my father). I will sew the hem on his new pants." It's stories like these that I remember which I can appreciate so much more today. These are just a few stories that I am sharing with you today, personal stories that I cherish way more than I could have back then. I'm quite certain that everyone in this room has their own story to share about Aunt Tina and how she was always willing to help no matter what. That's what made her so very special.
Unfortunately, on April 7th, we lost our beloved aunt, great aunt, mother, grandmother, mother-in-law and friend. Her battle began last year, in and out of the hospital, but each time her strength would prevail, and we were fortunate to continue our life with her. This last time in the hospital, she fought harder than ever, but apparently God had another plan for her. She had a beautiful, blessed life with my Zio Nello, her son Phil and his family and all of us. Aunt Tina was like a mother to me, and she was also my godmother. When my parents came to America in 1968, it was my aunt, along with my uncle and cousin Phil who helped my parents navigate the ups and downs of their new life in America. Every doctor's appointment, meetings with teachers, you name it, Aunt Tina was front and center with my mother who spoke little to no English, translating and just helping her get through the situation. Her home was always a source of entertainment for everyone, as we often gathered there every Sunday for dinner, her homemade sauce, meatballs, chicken cutlets and my favorite (and Maddy's too), her chicken wings. We were one big, happy family at all of the gatherings (all of the cousins, aunts, uncles and friends). As I got older, my aunt became the reliable person I'd go to whenever I needed confirmation on an event that took place many years ago. She remembered everything, every date, every detail. I spoke to my aunt just about every single day and the one thing I will miss so much is what she would always say to me when we would end our conversations. "I love you" is how she always ended her calls with me and that's what I will miss the most. We lost a beautiful and loving member of our family and I know that my Zio Nello and my parents have welcomed her with open arms into her eternal life with God and her loved ones. We love you Aunt Tina, with all of our hearts,
and you will always be remembered as one of the great ones!! Rest in peace to our beautiful angel in heaven.
