I held dad’s hand there in the hospital and reminisced. Steve was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 1, 1906, the second of five children. His father and mother, Vincent and Marion Badalamente, emigrated from Sicily in 1898. Steve was a great storyteller and often talked of his early years growing up in New York during the depression and the many jobs he held to earn money to help support the family, ranging from standing inside steel tanks holding an anvil-like object against the inside seam as the tank was riveted from the outside (dad called the job, ‘bucker-up boy’) to unloading boxcars of 100-lb sacks of potatoes. He was 12 or 14.The family moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1921, where Steve met and, after a two-year courtship, married Nella Nelli, who was to remain his wife until her death of congestive heart failure in November 2005. During the last years of her life, Steve was Nella’s primary caregiver, demonstrating in addition to his deep and abiding love for her, strength and endurance that were truly remarkable.Steve was an avid fisherman and when he could get time off during the season he’d take off for the High Sierra’s and fish the many pristine lakes and streams in the high mountains. Eventually, the whole family got involved and even after the kids were on their own, Steve and Nella continued to enjoy fishing together, often traveling and living in Steve’s Clark Cortez Motor Home. Steve was an excellent driver and drove his “rig” all over the place, including Manhattan, with Nella sitting nervously by his side expecting the huge vehicle to scrape the sides off the buildings they passed.After 70 some years in California, Steve and Nella moved to Washington in 1994 to be close to Richard and his family. Steve was very taken with Eastern Washington’s orchards and vineyards and became passionate about gleaning fruit. After growing up in a home where, as he put it, “an orange was a treat split five ways,” he couldn’t stand to see fruit go to waste. Steve’s silver 1983 Chevy Station Wagon with Steve behind the wheel and Nella in the passenger seat was a familiar site in the cherry, peach, and apple orchards during the summer and fall. The neighbors in the Canyon Lakes Village where Steve and Nella lived seldom wanted for fresh fruit.Dad died June 10, 2006, at Kennewick General Hospital as a result of the injuries he sustained in the auto accident. He was 100 years old, a man full of vitality, who inspired others with his generosity and love of life. To say that the life of a man 100 years old was cut short sounds absurd, but certainly in the case of dad, it is true.Of course I think of dad and mom every day, but on Father’s Day I am especially mindful of how lucky I was to have such a great dad. And I miss him even now.Love you, Dad.
I held dad’s hand there in the hospital and reminisced. Steve was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 1, 1906, the second of five children. His father and mother, Vincent and Marion Badalamente, emigrated from Sicily in 1898. Steve was a great storyteller and often talked of his early years growing up in New York during the depression and the many jobs he held to earn money to help support the family, ranging from standing inside steel tanks holding an anvil-like object against the inside seam as the tank was riveted from the outside (dad called the job, ‘bucker-up boy’) to unloading boxcars of 100-lb sacks of potatoes. He was 12 or 14.The family moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1921, where Steve met and, after a two-year courtship, married Nella Nelli, who was to remain his wife until her death of congestive heart failure in November 2005. During the last years of her life, Steve was Nella’s primary caregiver, demonstrating in addition to his deep and abiding love for her, strength and endurance that were truly remarkable.Steve was an avid fisherman and when he could get time off during the season he’d take off for the High Sierra’s and fish the many pristine lakes and streams in the high mountains. Eventually, the whole family got involved and even after the kids were on their own, Steve and Nella continued to enjoy fishing together, often traveling and living in Steve’s Clark Cortez Motor Home. Steve was an excellent driver and drove his “rig” all over the place, including Manhattan, with Nella sitting nervously by his side expecting the huge vehicle to scrape the sides off the buildings they passed.After 70 some years in California, Steve and Nella moved to Washington in 1994 to be close to Richard and his family. Steve was very taken with Eastern Washington’s orchards and vineyards and became passionate about gleaning fruit. After growing up in a home where, as he put it, “an orange was a treat split five ways,” he couldn’t stand to see fruit go to waste. Steve’s silver 1983 Chevy Station Wagon with Steve behind the wheel and Nella in the passenger seat was a familiar site in the cherry, peach, and apple orchards during the summer and fall. The neighbors in the Canyon Lakes Village where Steve and Nella lived seldom wanted for fresh fruit.Dad died June 10, 2006, at Kennewick General Hospital as a result of the injuries he sustained in the auto accident. He was 100 years old, a man full of vitality, who inspired others with his generosity and love of life. To say that the life of a man 100 years old was cut short sounds absurd, but certainly in the case of dad, it is true.Of course I think of dad and mom every day, but on Father’s Day I am especially mindful of how lucky I was to have such a great dad. And I miss him even now.Love you, Dad.