Friday, July 24, 2020
Even though we have been preparing for this for over a year, it is still difficult, the loss of my sister Rita.
Last January I wrote a letter to Rita sharing some of our escapades as kids. I always called her Rita, it’s a selfish thing on my part since that was my Mom’s name.
As you know we were a family of eight kids. My memories of we three oldest kids, Marty, Rita and I, are wonderfuI. We were very close as young kids. I remember when we lived on Lake Shore Drive, we wandered all over the north side of Chicago, mostly along the lake. She always had braided hair and being a red head got people’s attention. My Mom kept her as neat as a pin.
We played around Lincoln Park around Belmont Harbor, often banging our heads on the swings in the park and climbing trees, getting all scratched up. We watched the Army set up a gun emplacement overlooking Lake Michigan that later became a Nike missile base. We looked out over the lake to spot Russian submarines.
We also would sneak off to Fullerton Beach to swim, throwing our towels and bathing suits out the door so our Mom wouldn’t know that we were going to the beach.
The day our sister Nicole was born, we had to fight the ice storm on our way home from school at Our Lady of Mount Carmel on Belmont. The wind was so fierce and the sidewalks so icy that we had to double back from Lake Shore Drive to Broadway to get home.
We also would take the bus to downtown and go to the toy department at Marshall Field’s. Then we would walk home to save carfare, all of five cents. Rita was three years younger and never complained. We boys can take credit for her tenacity and endurance as she grew up.
After moving to Larrabee and Armitage, above Gene Butzen’s dry goods store, we would go to North Avenue Beach and the Lincoln Park zoo. In those days there was no fence around the zoo.
We played games and virtually lived in the alleys and yards off of Larrabee. We would hide out in the alley behind Larrabee to avoid doing dishes after dinner. That was my grandmother’s influence giving us little jobs since we grew up with no discipline.
I remember carrying my sister piggy back when she tired out from walking.
The first year on Larrabee, the three of us would take the Halstead street car to Mt Carmel. The street cars were more fun and most of you have never been on a street car. After that year, we went to St. Michaels and walked a half mile to get there.
My sister’s illness was tough and hard on all involved. If there was a good side it was that we could visit over the course of the last year, more than we did for many years. We played Rummikub, I don’t think I ever won. I could pretend that I lost on purpose, but that would be a lie.
My daughter Cybele bought the senior version of Rummikub for us, they don’t call it that, it’s called the “large numbers edition”. That’s marketers for you.
I would get her and Don tickets to the Lyric Opera, she liked the opening night gala, Rita loved to look at everyone’s clothes or their Judith Lieber purses. I didn’t know that those purses existed until she told me.
Don and Rita introduced us to Eataly. Isn’t Eataly awesome, so much to chose from?
Rita was always generous, she took me to dinner for my birthday at one of the upscale restaurants, which meant she had to drive into the city. She traveled to both my daughter Cybele’s and my son, Rob’s weddings. They both very much appreciated that.
I closed my letter to Rita with this little poem by Philip Larkin.
We should be careful
Of each other, we should be kind
While there is still time.
Kindness is the most important glue for all of us, of all people.
I think that it is wonderful that I remember my sister as always being kind.
Thanks and love to all that added to my sister’s life,
Robert
