4 Messages

1. Loretto Circosta on October 15, 2019 at 10:14 pm

   Dear Brother,

   Today you have traveled to be with our beloved Mother and Father,
   though they didn’t expect to see you so soon. The Holy Mother heard all our prayers for you to find peace.

   As mommy would always say, for forgiveness, love and peace of the heart pray to the Madonna, and you’ll have all.

   Know that through your suffering you left us a great message and a deep love of family.

   Yesterday your Son and Daughter and their spouses, along with your beautiful grand children were with you. Also your brothers and sister, with their spouses, were by your side which gave you the peace and strength to travel on your final journey.

   Your loving brother, sister in law Donna, niece Meaghan, nephew James bid thee farewell but never to be forgotten.

   Thank you for the memories and the lessons.

   Know you will always be in my heart.

   Your Loving Brother

   LORETTO,

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2. Bruna Monaco on October 16, 2019 at 12:42 am

   Melissa Our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to you and your family. May the beautiful memories of your father bring you peace and comfort at this time of much sadness.

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3. Anne Serheniuk on October 16, 2019 at 2:09 pm

   My deepest condolences to the Circosta family and friends, I will always remember Gino as a gentle soul and and always ready to show his albums of many many pictures of his family, he was very proud of each and everyone. He smiled from ear to ear talking about all the children.
   RIP Gino you will be greatly missed by family and friends. God Bless.

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4. Rose Marie Camire on October 18, 2019 at 9:44 pm

   A Tribute to our dear cousin Gino.

   Since I can’t be with you all, I wanted to share my thoughts.
   It’s with a very sad and heavy heart that I write this to you and your families…our heartfelt condolences to everyone who knew, loved and was touched by Gino.
   “A cousin is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost..” ~ Marion C. Garretty
   As a child, we have memories of when my dad had his 2 week vacation in the summer, it meant “road trip to Canada”. It was the only time we could get to visit our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Living in CT made it difficult for us to get to Canada, so we looked forward to that “long trip” with no AC in the car, just windows rolled down, sandwiches and cold drinks and we were off.
   We’d leave as early as 3am- roll out of bed and into our dad’s car: he wanted an early head start so as not to hit any traffic. Off we went.
   We looked forward to those trips. They meant seeing our family… yet being somewhat in the dark because our Italian, oops, no, our “Calabrese” was nowhere near fluent, actually it was pretty bad: my brother and I could understand everything but to respond? We depended on our parents and all of you, our cousins to be our personal translators. There was a very tiny bit of jealousy that I harbored that (my cousins) could see our grandparents anytime …that you all could understand and speak Calabrese their native language and at times the best my brother and I could do was smile, nod politely and kiss everyone was always the best response. But you all took care of us.
   We’d arrive and wait to see whoever came home first from Christie Pits Park where you went swimming…
   then I recall listening to CHUM, your radio station of choice. So many memories, not enough time to share. But the absolute best was being with all of you and though we didn’t see one another often, we didn’t skip a beat.
   Gino spent a few weeks in the summer of 1964 with us and we actually went to the World’s Fair in NY. We had such a great time. We spent the whole day looking at exhibits, went on rides, eating all types of foods and treats…it was the best.
   I also recall during that summer, we had gone shopping to a department store that had a Pet Department that sold pets, goldfish, mice, hamsters, etc…
   Well, Gino saw the ugliest iguana you ever saw. “Uncle Sal, could I please have that”? “Please. Please Uncle Sal? I promise to take care of it.”
   So you guessed it, we walked out with this bug-eyed ugly looking lizard-like iguana. We bought a square rectangle glass fish tank and Gino was a happy kid. (Even though my mom wouldn’t allow it in the house for fear of it escaping out of the tank) it lived outside along the side of the garage. We had a fun summer that year and I even got used to that ugly looking reptile that made my cousin so happy.

   As we got older our trips to Canada became fewer. But, that didn’t stop Gino from making trips to CT to visit. And of course the family dinners were plentiful, my dad’s homemade wine, everything from soup to nuts, and having the aunts, uncles and cousins join us rounded out the evenings. Gino loved being with family and when he’d visit us here in CT, he always made us feel special. We laughed, shared stories and enjoyed our times together.
   Years go by and we find ourselves now getting older and our lives were different. No internet back in the day. No cell phones, texting…we relied on writing letters to one another and by the time they arrived by pony express, whatever we wrote was old news: but it was still exciting to see the postmark, “Canada” on that envelope.
   The unexpected passing of our dad shook the family. It was devastating to everyone who looked up to him with respect and such love and admiration. It was a difficult time and your support and love was so appreciated.
   Then we’d visit Canada for weddings and different occasions with our mom and it just wasn’t the same… but you all rallied around my mom and us and did your best to make us feel “extra special with extra love” if you thought you already hadn’t done so. They were sad/happy visits and we got to see you all.
   I remember one time Gino taking me shopping: he said he needed to get a few things and asked if I’d like to go for the ride. Well, Gino walked out of the store without a single purchase for himself, but made sure I had shopping bags filled for me and our family. He loved making people happy in any way that he could.
   In April of 2018 we traveled to Toronto for opening day of baseball. Of course we spent a few days with family and we were treated to a huge family Easter gathering. When we visited Gino, knowing how much we loved our Yankees, he made a point to talk to us about baseball, among other things. Never complained about not feeling well, instead he would ask how everyone else was. It was never about him or what he was going through; rather he wanted to know what was going on in our lives and our family. He managed to put a smile on his face and even laughed as we talked about things that happened when we were younger.
   I found that later in our years, our conversations revolved around our grandchildren: and when Gino spoke of his grandchildren, I could sense over the phone and could hear it in his voice: I imagined his eyes would just light up and his smile couldn’t have been wider or more proud. He loved his family. Family was so important to him and reminiscing and talking about those memories gave him so much joy.

   We don’t have any answers as to why some people have more battles and sufferings to endure than others. Gino certainly had his share and then some. The few times I was able to talk to him from the hospital, he never spoke about what he was going through, rather than, “How was I? And be sure to give everyone his love”. And that was Gino.
   So now our dear Gino is at peace…no suffering or pain, just eternal rest. He was welcomed with open arms and hearts by his Lord, his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and so many that he mourned at their passings. He must be sitting among them, smiling and sharing all the family memories he took with him to keep forever.

   At family funerals here in CT, Jimmy’s uncle, Father Mark Hyde, Salesians Don Bosco, would always end the funeral mass with this reading: I thought it fitting for Gino: though he was taken too soon from all of us, he completed his job. God was pleased with his life and he needed him. Not so comforting to all he left behind, but Gino’s faith and our faith, we must pray to try to accept and believe:
   “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of thy lord”.
   Matthew 25:23
   Dio ti benedica mio caro cugino, riposa in pace. Non sarai mai dimenticato e sarai sempre nel mio cuore. Ti amo sempre, caro Gino.
   God Bless you my dear cousin, rest in peace. You will never be forgotten and you’ll always be in my heart. Love you always, dear Gino.
   Love,
   Rose Marie Camire nee Murdocca
   Connecticut

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