Blessed Birthday to our Uncle Comillo Morelli dcd 1968

   

  Our Uncle Comillo Morelli was a very special human.  He was our Dad's sister Etta Maxine's husband.

  He was born 20 May 1908 in Petaluma, Sonoma County, CA.   I had the privilege of knowing his parents and most of his Grandparents. One in particular  Granda Ricioli.

  Comillo and Etta had 3 boys, Robert, Donald and Michael. I grew up with the older boys. Mike was born quite some time later. I had the joy of babysitting Mike.

  Comillo's parents were: Amedeo Morelli born 19 Jan 1880 in Cevio, Switzerland his wife was Irene Mattei b 6 Feb 1883 in California and  both died in Sonoma Co., California.  He 11 May 1951 and I was almost 11. Irene Mattei died 22 June 1968, also Petaluma, Sonoma Co. CA.  

Remembering them with fondness.  His demeanor was so different from his wife's.   Grandma Irene was very very formal and prim. He was what I called human. Even though I was small, I was for ever
having Grandma Irene, telling me to set down and be quiet. She was raised, children were to be seen but not heard. I learned to go to our house when she showed up because otherwise we children would be setting in chairs not even able to speak to each other.

Some of her family that lived near were not that way.  But it comes back to me often.  He was polite and friendly but we seldom seen him. He would go to the barn or cattle pens with his son.

 We moved from Wyoming to California so Dad could help milk the cows because the war kept taking his workers off to war. Dad was color blind so they wouldn't take him so, with Mom's health and Uncle Comillo in need of help we left Wyoming and came to Petaluma, CA to live.

Uncle Comillo had a dairy ranch that became well known in the Dairy Industry. Ollimac Dairy.
The boys helped with daily chores as did  Aunt Etta and me as a tag along.  Loved to feed the calves, and Don  later had some really cute Banties as a project for either school or 4-H.  He had several varieties of them. Some only 2 or 3 inches tall and some about 6 inches tall.  They were many colored but unique when he was school age and up.

Bob worked with the calves and feeding and watering. Gathered wood, and assisted in the Dairy Barn as he grew up. Don did the same over time. Both went to college and served in the service of their country as did their DAD prior to his marriage to my Aunt.  That is how they met.

Bob was 5 years older than I and Don was 2 years older than I.

Two of Comillo's brothers served during the WAR. One used to buzz the property if he had a chance and would wave the wings to tell us hi.   Maybe both did but I recall one definitely did. They were
Alvin and Vernon Morelli.

Aunt Etta met Uncle Comillo at the AFBase in Cheyenne, Wyo where she was living when he was stationed there.  Her Mom lived in Cheyenne, as did two of her sisters with her. Muriel and Bethel Jones.

Uncle Comillo loved to tease me, when he would eat his favorite cheese as a snack before going to milk in the afternoons.  We used to share snack with them: Mom, Dad, Aunt and Uncle and boys if they were around.  Because they milked about 2 pm or 2:30. It would not end until about 7 or so.
You had to milk the cows, clean the barn and the milk room and prepare for the 2:30 am next shift.
So generally it was cheese and crackers or cheese and crusty bread.   Uncle had a mustache,  and sometimes the cheese would get whiskers on top of his lip.  Since he loved it he did not notice sometimes the extra.   He always gave Aunt and  I a hug and kiss before going out the door.

 He tried for years to have me taste it saying it was mild just smelled that way. I so remember the fun we had when I would back away instead of wanting kissed.  Aunt Etta finally told him it was when the cheese was in mustache I backed away.

The funny thing was, many eons later in the late 1990's I went to lunch with a friend and we had a French salad for lunch.   Pear and Gargonzola.  It was tasty to my shock.  Funny how the nose made it smell different.  I realized after ordering it was his cheese.   I am glad I did, "Uncle it was as you said".  I shared this story with her and she said her first was a waning experience also. But she had eaten it for years.

 We loved when birthday's rolled around for him and my Dad and my other Aunt.  We many times shared them all together in the 1950's and later.  Aunt Etta grew strawberries, We supplied the cream and  the other Aunt provided either the biscuits or I made Dad's favorite Chocolate cake from the Hershey Can.  WHY because Aunt Ruth Hoffman Feil ( Mom's baby sis) 18 May, Dad 19 May and Uncle Comillo was 20 May.   It was double awesome if it fell on a weekend where everyone could get together and share a day.

I so miss our getting together with family and with friends.

My Uncle worked hard and diligently all his life, was hard for him to  drop work and share time. He laughed hard and enjoyed company.  I still see when his eyes would sparkle with happiness.

We lost him with cancer while my own family was in Hawaii so I was not able to go to  his services.
Amazes me as to how often that family comes to mind.  But they were our only family in California for more than 9 years.

A fun thing Bob, Don and I used to do was go to Granda's (Uncle Comillo's Grandmother)  in early fall and help her make the cough drops for the family for the winter.  We picked the greens in the landino (Lawn area) and she boiled them in water and added sugar after taking the greens out. It had to come to a hard boil.
She dropped them on waxed paper we put butter on, small spoons full. After set she would cut them and then we wrapped them. She then put in gallon jugs for each family of her's. We were always included in that family.

This beloved woman died 15 Oct 1960 in Petaluma, Ca   I would visit her when in High School after school weekly when I could. She was more than 100 when she died. Granda was Matilda Traversi born in Italy, when married had to leave most of the wedding items behind to expensive to ship but she brought her feather bed she made for their wedding with her.
I have one pillow left she made for each grand when they tore the bed apart. Feather bed pillow.
She remarried to Achillie Ricioli after  Amedeo Morelli died.  Amedeo gave us a ride in the back of the car where the trunk opened to set in to His place  about three miles from his sons. I have never forgotten that event either.  He complimented us on our doing such a good job. I suspect he was afraid we would jump about and fall out.

Bob or Don do you remember?  I have so many more stories I am going to share. Like when Don and I went to the dam to check the pollywogs and when telling me I was a sissy and a girl, which landed him in hospital. Not my intent and when Don dared me and he landed in the cactus.

Love you guys always.  Mike being born later missed a lot of fun.  Your family needs to hear some of these stories so they know you did have a loving family and fun along with work.

More to come.