The Malgieri Girls (Sisters)

As described in another chapter, my Great Grandmother Carmina Gisondi Malgieri never came to America but many of her descendants did including her son, Antonio, my Grandfather. Shortly after her son Antonio and Angela Marie Renzi got married in 1905 they came to America. It was during this period that four daughters were born; Anna 1906, Carmina (Carmella) 1908, Assunta (Sue) 1910, and Elizabetta (Elizabeth) 1912. Grandmother Malgieri go homesick for Dugenta and the family visited Dugenta only to be trapped there because of World War I. Consequently, the four "American" Malgieri girls lived their early lives and education in Dugenta. Starting in the early 1920's my Aunt Anna came to America, followed by my mother in 1923, and then Aunt Sue in 1926. Aunt Elizabeth never returned to America because of an illness that occured about the time she would have had the mind to do so. Time passed, she got well, but remained in Dugenta. Within a few years after the three Malgieri sisters settled in America, they each married. And married they were, each wed over 50 years and then some. For some reason unknown to me, the three young Malgieri sisters, Anna, Carmella, and Sue became referenced as the "Malgieri Girls." And here is where the story begins about the "Malgieri Girls." Uncle Pat and Aunt Anna Sterlina lived almost directly across the street from my family for all the years of my youth. Uncle Pat and Aunt Sue Gallo lived on the street behind our home within a stone's throw until I was about in my early teens, then they built a home about two blocks away from our house. Suffice to say, the Malgieri Girls were bound by blood and geography. In total there were nine cousins floating back and forth between the homes of the Malgieri Girls. To the nine cousins, each aunt was a surrogate mother, one we always obeyed. And in reverse, each aunt treated us as adopted children. The Malgieri Girls had remarkable homemaking skills. Each had a somewhat special skill when working with their hands. In fact, it was once written in a local paper that they "had the hands of Angels." Aunt Anna could have been a dress designer. Aunt Sue was good at tatting which is making lace edging as well as doilies. My mother could tatt but she was a knitter. Mother could wipe out a sweater in no time. I have one memory always in my mind of her sitting watching television and knitting. Christmas and Easter are special times in the Italian universe and the Malgieri Girls who although were always good cooks, would present food masterpieces at Christmas and Easter time. The presentation at those Catholic holidays were something like the St. Joseph altar celebrations in South Louisiana. After Mass on Christmas and Easter, the custom in the three Malgieri families was for the father and children of each family to visit the other two families to extend the Christmas and Easter blessing. The mothers stayed in place at home as hostesses. After the cousins got older, we made the visits ourselves. At each visitation the dinner table was already set with table cloths and napkins made by the Malgieri Girls. And when visiting we would be invited to the kitchen to give our approval, a ceremonial gesture. Finally, adding to the profound beauty of the Malgieri Girls was their phenomenal understanding of life. This facit of them was found by the nine cousins later in life, starting in middle school. That's when children begin to become confused about life. This respect for their judgement continued all through our lives. When we cousins discussed something, say that happened at school (we all went to the same schools) the discussion might have ended with one of us saying, "I wonder what the Malgieri Girls would say?" And I confess here. As I grew older, married, had children, there have been decision times in my life when I asked myself, "I wonder what the Malgieri Girls would do?"