Life History of Lois Rotella

11. Share a story about one of your siblings.

I have two brothers and no sisters. My older brother Tom was much older than me. He was 12 years older than me. It really wasn't till my mom died that I became closer to him. He didn't live near by but we would converse with each other. He had a wacky sense of humor. He also enjoyed his grandchildren and his one great grandchild before he died. My younger brother is closer to me. Sometimes he drives me nuts but most times we have fun together. I especially remember are vacations together. Something always happened to us that we would laugh so much about it after would. One vacation we took was the was to Washington DC in April before he married. Something happened to the car driving down, The hotel room had a water leak, it snowed and we wanted to see the cherry bloom trees. With all that we had a great time laughing. We are still very close today. In January of 2004 when I needed him to come to the apartment when our father got sick, he came after working all day and stayed into the late evening. We talk on the phone or on the computer.

12. Did you have a favorite pet while growing up? Tell us about your pet(s). If you didn't have one what did you wish for?

They only pet we had when I was a child was gold fish. We would win them at school fairs or street fairs. Most of the time they didn't last very long. Either we feed them to much or didn't clean the bowl. We did get a siamse cat when I was an adult. We named her Cleopatra. The family entered her in a household pet show and she won three ribbons. Cleo loved to hide on us. We had to be careful about opening doors because she would charge in the closet or out the door. I miss her very much. Our other cat was a gray cat named Misty. Misty love to jump up and look you in the eye. She was very funny. She waited at the door when i was coming home and then go to sleep when i got home. I think she thought we were her children. I miss her very much also. Right now were have no pets in the house.

13. Did you haver a favorite family vacation? Tell us something about it.

Most of the time my Father couldn't go on vacation when we younger. When I was growing up we would visit and stay with my Grandmother(Lucinda Bentley Gagne) in Schuylerville, NY. We would see our Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. We had fun. The 2 most memorable vacations were when we older. One time my Father was able to go with us and we went to Washington, D.C.. We visited all the museums and also the White House. We really had a great time together. We were most impressed with the White House and Arlington Cemetery. The next vacation it was just my Mom, my younger brother and myself. We went to Hawaii for a week. My 2 nieces were born in Hawaii. We never got to visit them there when they lived there. We saw so much including a volcano. That trip was very memorable for sure

14. Do you follow any religious beliefs? Tell us about your church.

I was baptized as Catholic. I also went to catholic school from kindergarten to 12th grade. I do follow the catholic beliefs. I also like learning about other religions. I must admit that I am not really a practicing catholic. I miss the latin mass and such.

15. Do you collect anything? Tell us about your collection or favorite item.

I do collect something. I collect Dolls. I was started on my collection by my mother for my 13th birthday. She said I was too old to play with dolls so I got special dolls. I think my mom like the idea also. I have dolls from Tiawan, Russia, Mexico and others places. I also have Madame Alexander dolls and Efannbee Dolls. My latest collection is Marie Osmond Dolls and Special Barbie Dolls. I really enjoy looking and decorating with them. My nieces all say who is going to get them when I pass away. I told them they can divide them among themselves. Photos of Dolls 1, Dolls 2, Dolls 3

16. Is there someplace you lived that you especially liked or disliked and why?

I have live in only one place and that is New York City. I have enjoyed living here. I also sometimes dislike living here. There is so much to see and do in NYC. There are museums, theatres, places of interest like the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and many more things. It is very easy to get around too. I can go be bus or subway and never have to have a car. The city is very vibrant whatever the weather. You can eat any type of food. I have visited many places but there is no place like home even in bad times.

We shop for grocery by taking our shopping cart (like a upright wagon with 4 wheels). to the stores. I have one supermarket near me about 2 blocks away and their is 2 more about 8 blocks away. We also have a green market that sells fresh produce, flowers and other things in a park(Union Square) every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on good weather days.

I am enclosing a picture of thing like you see at Times Square in NYC.

17. Tell us about your mother, do you have a special memory of her?

My Mom was my best friend. She encouraged was kids to do what we wanted to do or respect that that we may not know what we wanted to do. She also expected us to do what was expected of us. She made sure we finished school. She loved to travel. I remember several trips we took. The one that sticks most in my mind was our trip to Hawaii. We had such a good time. She also was close to her brothers and sisters. I think the only thing that bothered her the most was that she lived a distant from them. I think the crafty things I do is from her and the interest in the family(genealogy) was encouraged by her also. She was a special Lady.

18. Do you have strong political feelings? If so, do you have any idea where you got them? Or if you have no political persuasions, how come?

As far as my political thoughts are is complicated. I am not a one party member. I prefer to remain independent. I believe the partys are to strong and indendpent thoughts are hard to creep into them. I don't vote party but for the best candidate of my opinion.

19. How has music influenced your life, do you sing, play an instrument or have a favorite song?

I wished that I had the talent to plan a musical instrument. I love music. I play all kinds of music. I have no favorite kind. I listen according to my moods.

I like country, rock and roll, jazz and comtempory. I love the music from the forties. I think I heard it when my Mom and Dad listened to it.

20. Do you have a school experience that really stands out in your mind, either good or bad?

I really don't have any special moment in school that stands out. What I remember the most was my High School graduation. It was very special because I worked hard and my family was there.

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