Sunday, May 12, 2024
Gabe was my grandmother Leilani O’Connor’s companion, and I knew Gabe as a step-Grandfather until my grandmother passed away. I remember their condo / apartment in Ridgewood, NJ. - making sandwiches with Grossinger’s Rye Bread and Hellman’s Mayonaise and Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard, eating “Figgy Newtons” (I couldn’t pronounce Fig Newtons) and the smell of my grandmother’s Prell shampoo and Ivory Soap. My grandmothers oxygen concentrator. And being scared to death one night waking up to a horror movie on TV (the Omen maybe) and screaming bloody murder waking up everyone in the house. I once took a bottle of bubbles and smeared the whole bottle over the front cement stoop, and got caught and I said it was so robbers slip on it when they try to break in. Gabe was always very kind to me my sister Nicole Ardolino, my father Raffaele Ardolino and my mother Noreen “Bingy” Ardolino (nee O’Connor). I remember that my grandmother and Gabe went on vacation to Hershey Park. I distinctly remember swimming in an indoor swimming pool, and the adults have a full size pool and the small children had a small, shallow round pool. I also remember playing mini golf outdoors with them. After “Nanny” - my grandmother - passed away, he married Jan, who was a lovely lady, so nice to our whole family. They visted with us and we did with them a few times, but Gabe moved with Jan and moved on. I believe my sister and my Aunt Missy kept in touch with him a bit, and we learned Jan passed, and then Gabe. My condolences to his sister.
