Junior Golf Tournament 1957 Washington Park

                                 I played in this tournament in 1957. This is a picture of the start of the 
                                 tournament with Uncle Mike and I'm in the stripped shirt. Great times.

Esther & Dante's Life Celebration Gathering

Saturday, May 20, 2017, the family gathered to celebrate the long, cherished, and remarkable lives of our dear departed loved ones, Esther and Dante Renzoni. Though the weather was cold and dismal, the spirits inside the Reef Point Restaurant banquet room were warm and inviting. Family members from all generation braved the bad weather to renew old acquaintances and most of all share stories about Esther and Dante.

My first stop was to give my cousin Rita some pictures my mother Adeline gave me for her. Among them, some precious pics of us as children. For some months our two families lived one on top of the other in a two-flat home on Hamilton Street, just a few blocks from Kelly's Corner. Rita amazed me with the details she remembered going back all those years, in particular about a blind neighbor girl Rita was desperate to Helen-Keller communicate with. Rita and I were best buds growing up!

Next, I sat down with Billy Bencriscutto and Mary Pulda. Also at our table was the long-time caregiver for Esther and Dante at their assisted living facility. She share intimate details about their last days and hours with us. When Fred Bencriscutto join our table the discussion shifted to our fathers' faithful WWII service, Santo, who took part in the Battle of the Bulge, Fred, who was a guard during the Nuremberg Trials after the war, and Louis, who was a radar technician in the Navy in the Pacific.

A number of family "treasures" were on display. The above painting was an airloom that was once featured in Grandma and Grandpa Bencriscutto's home, and was later kept by Esther.
 
This LaFamiglia blog, of course, was the result of Uncle Fred's passion to see the family thrive and connect--his legacy before he passed. In his memory, then, I submit this blog post and hope that other family members will add to it with pics and other stories.

LaFamiglia!

My trove of treasure intensley felt.

Mike Bencriscutto Junior Masters 2014

The premier junior golf tournament started by Mike Bencriscutto continues it's tradition:

http://journaltimes.com/sports/golf/racine-county-golfers-make-their-statements/article_d4e50421-b236-58e4-a78a-79b27ad6c1f0.html

Roma Lodge History Project

My cousin, Bruce Bencriscutto, contacted me via email about spending some time with Rick Bonanno, current president of Roma Lodge, and the subject of our Bencriscutto Family Directory blog came up in connection with his wish to develop a more thorough history of the early days of Roma Lodge.

To that end, I set up:

http://lafamiglia2014.blogspot.com/p/roma-lodge-history.html

Any blog administrator or visitor to the blog can post stories in the page or in the comments section if you can add anything to this archive which will hopefully grow over time and become a resource fo Rick's efforts to compile a Roma Lodge History!

Reconnecting the Family

Hey all Bencriscutto Family Members . . .

It's been about a month since Uncle Fred's "friendly ghost" started jabbing me on the shoulder, reminding me that I'd promised him to continue his Bencriscutto Family Directory project that he started before he died. Fred Jr. and I have split up the family, each reaching out to find members who will help admin the blog. To date we have 6 admins and 6 invites to join the blog, so we're making progress!

Reaching out to family members to set up the current Web 2.0 Wiki version of the directory, I've found that many of you are already connected on Facebook. I just mention it because I hope that those of you who become blog administrators not only update contact information, but add Facebook links and take the time to write your family history stories to add to those already in the blog.




Best Blessings to All . . .

Ric