Mamie is our first Silverbelle Centenarian! Here she is checking out the solar eclipse with daughter Charron.
Silverbelle Mamie is 100!
by Silverback Stephen
When I met Aunt Mamie she was a sprightly 75, but already the scion of the clan. In addition to being Sandy’s aunt, Mamie is also her Godmother, and the first member of the Scaffidi family that I would meet. She was flying in from Virginia Beach, specifically to check me out. A Godfather … I’d know what to expect. A Godmother? … I had no idea what I was in for. I wanted to make a good impression.
Sandy and I came together relatively late in life. We were in our 50s, and although we were longtime acquaintances, our sudden pairing was a shock to family, friends, and community. I don’t know if coming to meet me (and I assume to judge me) was her own idea or the result of an informal family counsel. In any case, there we were, Sandy and I, awaiting Mamie’s arrival at BTV, the Burlington, Vermont International Airport.
I was nervous, although I now know I shouldn’t have been. Mamie only has one mode and that is to be loving.
She’s not easy to pick out of a crowd, mostly because she is so tiny. Sandy knew what to look for. Before long we found her, collected her bag, and had taken Mamie back to a condominium that Sandy maintained as a second residence in Burlington. Mamie requested a highball, and I was happy to make myself useful. If only I could remember how to make a highball …
Mamie is one of four Scaffidi daughters born and raised in the Italian district of Rutland, Vermont. Unlike her older sister, Veronica (Sandy’s Mom), who broke with tradition by marrying a Hungarian, Mamie stayed within the clan and had married Emmanuel Valleroli, nicknamed “Nanny,”a seafaring man, and spent most of her adult life following him from port to port, station to station. When his career finally ended, they ultimately retired near the Naval base in Virginia Beach.
It quickly became apparent that Mamie had not come to Burlington to judge or to approve of me, but rather to welcome me. There was no interrogation, no raised eyebrows, but rather instant acceptance, and, for me, relief. By passing muster with Sandy, I already had the seal of approval. After a cocktail, we went out to dinner at Bove’s Italian Restaurant, a red-checkered tablecloth family place where everyone seems to be eating pasta and drinking red wine. Soon, we were all with the program, ensconced in laughter and the comfort of family.
The next day we traveled south to Sandy’s domain at The Parsonage on Gilead Brook Road. The featured event was dinner (always!!) where Mamie donned an apron and demonstrated her technique for making the perfect cutlets. I was her rapt student and recorded every step in the process, now revealed for the dining pleasure of The Entire Jungle:
… on Sandy’s notepaper, but my handwriting. The date was March, 1999.
There is one ingredient missing, and it’s the most essential one … whether you make turkey, chicken, or veal, just make sure to pound them thin, and do it with a lot of love. It will keep you forever young.
By the end of dinner Mamie told me about meeting Nanny, their courtship, and even their honeymoon. “I kept a daily journal,” she told me quietly. “On days when we fooled around, I’d put a little happy face up in the corner, and when we didn’t I’d put a little sad face.” Mamie gave me a smile. My guess is that there were a lot more happy faces than sad ones. Had I really met this woman only yesterday?
Alla Famiglia!! (with son-in-law Monty Oakes) Mamie, as always, leads the toast. The Eternal Teenager, here’s Mamie surrounded by her girls, daughter Frankie (left), Goddaughter Sandy (center), and Charron (right). Missing is Susan, Charron’s twin, currently hosting Mamie in Colorado fo The Big Day.