Grandpa Joe was a shoemaker by trade. How my grandparents moved to Quincy, Illinois,
is somewhat sketchy. The fact that they were both immigrants, Santa from Palermo, and
Joe, from, I think, Naples, is a coincidence of major circumstances.
Santa's sister, Katie, was married to Ernest Villimillia (sp). The story goes that Ernie was
actually in love with Santa, but after she turned down his proposal, he decided to woo her
sister Katie. A family verbal tradition suggests that Ernie told Santa, "If you won't have me,
I will marry Katie so I can be part of your family and be near to you."
After a time, Ernie introduced Santa to Joseph Simeone. Grandma claimed it was love at
first sight, and it didn't hurt that he looked quite handsome in his WWI army uniform.
There is a picture of Joe and Santa standing near a tree and they are actually kissing,
probably a taboo for that era. Joe is holding Santa's cheek with one hand and had his
arm around her waist. And Santa looks like she is loving every moment. And Grandpa
Joe was quite the handsome solder!
Of course, there are many other Grandpa Joe stories and I hope to remember many of
them and write about them in the future.
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