| Name |
Gloria Julia Casamo |
| Birth |
15 Jul 1929 |
Patterson, Putnam County, New York  |
| Gender |
Female |
| Anecdote |
- "When my mother and I moved from a small rural town in Putnam County to New York City in 1944, I was thrust from the 19th into the 20th century.
Both my parents were born in 1886 in Europe; my father came from Italy at 18, and my mother from Balstad in the Lofoten Islands, Norway, when she was 21. She spoke no English but quickly found jobs with well-known American families. They met and were married when they were 27, and within four years they had three sons.
They lived on East 72nd St., in a fourth-floor apartment. My mother was concerned about a growing family and the hazards of the city. The boys were eager to climb on wrought iron fences, with spikes on top and to rush into the street where there were horses and pushcarts.
Mr. Gaydos, who delivered eggs and vegetables told my parents about Patterson, in Putnam County, and how green and safe it was. So my father decided, after one brief visit, that he would be willing to leave the city until the children were grown. My mother agreed..
I am the youngest of three more children, born in the hamlet of Patterson. There most families had ancestors going back to colonial days. When I learned how to walk the few blocks to the post office, it was my job to pick up the mail when the train came in. Our box was number 347, way down near the end, but my friend's box was number 1 and it had always been in her family.
At first, my father, a designer and custom tailor had barely more than three customers; Dr. Genovese, Mr. Hillary, the minister, and Towner Kent, a lawyer who wore three-piece suits. But he made every suit, coat, pair of knickers and leggings worn in our family and mother knit all the sweaters, mittens and scarves. Soon Mrs. Genovese, Hilda Moline, the school teacher and others began to join the well-dressed.
Our lifestyle was incredibly simple. If you were to look today on Orchard Street, you could still find Ballard's pump that supplied from early to mid-century, many families with drinking water that was carried by pail to their kitchens. Milk came from Rutledge's farm and eggs from the neighbors. Wood was sawed and chopped, and my mother and the younger ones often did the kindling. My father rose early every morning to make sure the house was warm and the stove hot when the rest of us got up.
Like all country boys, my brothers liked to explore, and one day they came home with a packet of old letters they had found in a long-empty house. The envelopes and stamps were faded; the letters had been signed by the Secretary of State. They wanted to know what buried treasure they found. My mother, who had before marriage worked for Sara Delano Roosevelt, decided to return to Hyde Park and offer Mrs. Roosevelt the letters. She had been on cordial terms with Mrs. Roosevelt when she left and had received a package each year with things for the children. So, when I was one year old, Mom and I went to Hyde Park for a visit. Unfortunately, Mrs. Roosevelt was busy elsewhere that day and I didn't get to meet her, but she welcomed the letters and said we should stay for tea and a visit
Many of Patterson's fun activities centered around the church, as the Reverend and Mrs Hillary did not have children and they were always thinking of parties and socials, speakers and concerts, as well as pageants and church activities. Nearly everyone went to the church. I was allowed out one evening a week to attend choir practice and afterwards Mr. Hillary would take us for a ride in his car out along Route 22 and give each of us a candy treat. That was a lot of fun!
The Town Hall offered theatricals, dances and variety shows with local talent. I especially remember a minstrel show. At home we gathered around the radio for Jack Benny, the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts and Jessica Dragonette. We liked to pump the player piano and sing" Constantinople" and many other songs, as loud as we could. You might say that the radio was our concession to the 20th century. We never had a phone until we returned to the city.
My bothers Charlie, Bill, and Johnny (often referred to collectively), left home early for jobs, college, the war and their own families. My sister went to college and began to work in the city. My father took a job during World War II at a huge uniform depot in the garment district and came home on weekends.
My mother decided when I completed 10th Grade, that I was a adult and so on my 14th birthday we moved back to the city and left the town that had physically changed so little since the 1800's."
|
| Obituary |
- Gloria Casamo Mabie. died peacefully Nov. 25 at Calvary Hospital in the Bronx. She was 79.
She was born July 15, 1929, in the hamlet of Patterson, N.Y, the last of six children of Hilda Marie and Anthony Casamo. Mrs. Mabie attended the School of Industrial' Arts and the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. She married Barrie Mabie on June 21, 1952, and moved to Scarsdale in 1959.
Mrs. Mabie was one of the founding members of the Alliance for the Mentally III (ALMI) of Westchester, and of ALMI of New York State, and served as secretary of both for several years. She was a founding member and honorary trustee of the Scarsdale Historical Society and worked on its annual souvenir dinner-dance journal for 23 years. Mrs. Mabie was employed in the science information department of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation for 15 years, and was a member of the Scarsdale Woman's Club since 1978.
Mrs. Mabie was a deacon and 42year member of Hitchcock Presbyterian Church. In recent years; she and her husband taught in the "Living in America" program, introducing American customs and English to area newcomers from all over the globe.
Mrs. Mabie's enthusiastic spirit and creative energy endured throughout
her long illness. She took tremendous delight in her grandchildren's athletic accomplishments, remaining one of the loudest cheerleaders on the sidelines. She encouraged their musical, artistic and theatrical endeavors and beamed during their performances. Her generosity . especially overflowed during holiday seasons, when many feasts welcomed old and new friends and relatives from afar, who could count on sumptuous food, warmth and hospitality. Mrs. Mabie will be remembered and missed by all who knew her.
"She was courageous, kind, gracious and devoted to her beloved family, including the three treasured grandchildren we share;" said Arlene and Robert Fischer. She is survived by her husband Barrie, their three sons and their wives, Barrie and Dede of Danbury, Conn., John and Valerie of Brattleboro, Vt., and Peter and Elizabeth of Larchmont; their five grandchildren, Ian, and Lauren Mabie of Brattleboro, and Alex, Charlotte and Juliette Mabie of Larchmont; her only remaining sibling and older brother Bill Casamo, 91., of Alexandria, Va.; 15 nieces and nephews and a large extended family of cousins in Sicily, Norway, and all parts of the United States.
A wake will be held at Bennett Funeral Home Scarsdale on Friday, Nov. 28, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. A funeral service will be held at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 10 a.m., followed by a brunch.
The family. requests that donations be made to Calvary Hospital in lieu of flowers.
|
| Residence |
Between 1993 and 2008 |
145 Madison Road, Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York |
| Occupation |
2008 |
White Plains, New York |
- Gloria was Science information coordinator at the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation in White Plains.
|
| Reference Number |
1646 |
| Death |
25 Nov 2008 |
Calvary Hospital, The Bronx, New York City, New York [3] |
| Person ID |
I1635 |
Maybee Society |
| Last Modified |
7 Apr 2024 |
| Family |
Barrie Thotrig Mabie, b. 16 Oct 1925, Jersey City, New Jersey d. 27 Apr 2020, Scarsdale, Westchester County, New York (Age 94 years) |
| Marriage |
21 Jun 1952 |
New York City, New York [4, 5] |
- Miss Gloria Jean Casamo, a. former resident of Patterson, was married on June 21, 1952 to Barrie Mabie of New York; The. ceremony was performed in the West End Presbyterian chapel in that city.
|
| Children |
|
| Family ID |
F273 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
7 Apr 2024 |
1929 - 2008 (79 years)
