Talk:Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

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[edit] Emidio Piermarini

My Grandfather, Emidio Piermarini. He was born and raised in Pretare, Italy, province of Ascoli Piceno, on March 29, 1917. His family consists of his father, Pellegrino Piermarini, and his mother, Marta Amadio (In Italy the wife keeps her maiden name), two brothers, Federico and Gabriele, and two sisters, Pierina and Fenizia.

     Emidio Piermarini is the fourth oldest child out of the five. He went to school until the fifth grade at the local and only school in Pretare. He wasn’t a very good student so therefore he didn’t like school. Back then you didn’t have to attend school K-12 grades like we do in the present time. They had to tend to the fields and help the family financially; that is why some children dropped out of school. As a youth, my grandfather enjoyed skiing, hanging out with this his friends, and working with his mules and cows. My grandfather was drafted in the Army when he was 19 years old. He was excited to go because, in Pretare, there was little to do; it was a change in everyday life. Being drafted in the Army gave him and opportunity to travel and see different parts of the world. The only part he didn’t enjoy was the fighting. My grandfather didn’t think about serving in the military until he attended camp that prepared him for war. The camp was called “Balilla.” and that’s when he changed his mind about serving.

      When he was drafted the war had not begun yet. My grandfather was called to serve twice. The first time was during a time of peace. The second time was during time of fighting. My grandfather received his basic training in two places. The first time he was in Southern Italy and the second time was in San Severino, Marche for two to three months. After his basic training, he went to Greece to fight. My grandfather was trained for cooking and taking care of the food supplies.

      He was placed in this department because he had experience as a cook. They taught him how to prepare meals for large numbers of people. He made a lot of friends during this time, because, everyone wanted to be the cook’s friend. His day started out by him and his crew preparing the meals for the day. Of course the food was good. My grandfather and his crew prepared pasta, rice, soup, beans, and whatever food there was that he could make a good meal out of. There was really no set time schedule. They arose early and went to bed whenever the job was done. There was no free time for them to do what they wanted.

      The color of my grandfather’s uniform was green. During his military time, my grandfather lived in tents if they were in fields, or if they were in a city in Greece they would take over a building by clearing all the people out and, set up bunk beds. If they didn’t have their bunk beds, they would sleep on the floor.

      The weather was the same as we have in Ohio, hot during the day and cooler in the evening in the summer. During the winter months, it was cold all day and he even saw snow in Greece.

      They traveled by train to the war zone which had sleeping quarters, and he always had his gun with him (My grandfather didn’t remember the dates.) He first arrived in Albania then Kalaba, Greece, where he was stationed with the 313th Regiment Infantry. It was my grandfather’s first time traveling to a foreign country. His first impression was that the city was very poor because the houses were made out of hay and goat dung. My grandfather’s unit was four Battalions large, reinforced by the Black Shirts.

      Battles were going on while the unit was occupying Greece; his unit was considered on the front lines. My grandfather would never see the enemy, but would hear the gun shots. When they shot at them, he heard whistling go by him; they were the bullets. He knew after the shot if he heard no whistling it was bad. It was bad because that meant someone got shot. They would have been wounded or killed.

      My grandfather’s most frightening experience was when he heard and saw the bullets whistling by him. He thought he might get shot. My grandfather’s most exhausting experience was when he was a prisoner of war (POW), and when the allies bombed them. His job was to go and clean up the streets after the allies bombed. My grandfather was very excited when he escaped from the prison camp. My grandfather hid in trees.  While in the trees, they heard gun shots that were different than the Germans.  They followed the gun shots and ran into their allies. My grandfather called the commanding officer by a nickname, “Churchhill.” My grandfather shaved his head really short because it was really bothering him and it was falling out, and it was easier to keep clean. My grandfather served as a support role for other men. My grandfather didn’t keep in contact with any of his old friends since they were discharged.

      There would be times that my grandfather lost friends because they would go into the mountains to go search for the Greek insurgents. While he was a POW he met other POWs, the only news that he heard of was what was going on with the war in Greece. My grandfather saw many weapons such as: machine guns, rifles, and tanks, in and out of action. During war time, the most impressive place my grandfather saw was Volo, Greece, because it was beautiful on the beach, but a dangerous place to be. There were times that they would meet civilians in civilian halls, having a good time, and joking around. They treated people in the military well. A funny moment was when his friends told him to go break up a fight between civilians.

      The only food they ate was the food that my grandfather prepared. My grandfather’s job as a cook was important because if you gave the people good food they would fight well, if you gave them bad food they would fight poorly, also if you gave them good food it would raise their spirits. My grandfather saw Mussolini in Guidonia. On a regular basis my grandfather would receive and write letters to family and friends back home. After the war ended, and after my grandfather went back home by a stock car, he had nightmares of the gun fire and bombings. For a job well done, my grandfather didn’t receive any medals. When my grandfather returned home, there was a party in his honor. After serving his time in the war, my grandfather’s duty was over.

      After getting back to everyday life, my grandfather went back to working on his farm, and also worked for a construction company. My grandfather met his future wife, Rosa, in Italy while she was working in a café/bar shop. After three months of dating, they married on September   , 1961. They have four sons named: Pellegrino, 44, Domenico, 43, Emidio JR., 42, and Serafino, 41. My grandparents have 10 grandchildren, 7 boys and 3 girls. Emidio, 18, Mariette Vittoria, 17, Victoria Marie, 16, Serafino JR., 15, Olivia Marie, 14, Christopher, 14, Emidio Adolfo, 13, Cesare Pellegrino, 12, Pellegrino Stephen, 12, and Domenico Eugene, 7. My grandfather Immigrated to the United States of America in 1954.

     Sadly he died on November 10, 2007. Emidio Piermarini, 90, passed away peacefully and was received in God's loving arms on Thursday, November 8, 2007, surrounded by his loving wife, sons and family.

Emidio was born in Pretare, Italy on March 29, 1917. He was a member of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Akron, Ohio and had a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother. He served in the Italian Army during World War II and was a prisoner of war. After the war, he worked the family land until he immigrated to the United States in 1954. After a short stay with his brother in Leominster, Massachusetts, he moved to the Akron area, staying with his sister's family. He held many jobs simultaneously, saving in order to fulfill his dream of opening his own pizza shop. In 1958, he opened Emidio's on the corner of Main and Tallmadge on North Hill. In 1961, on a trip back to Italy he met and married his wife Rosa. After proudly passing on his business to his sons, he retired and enjoyed spending his time outdoors, woodworking and playing Italian cards. He especially enjoyed returning to his childhood home in Pretare on beautiful Monte Vettore. The years he was able to share with his children and grandchildren were the most cherished.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Pellegrino and Marta; his brothers, Frederico and Gabriele; and his sisters, Pierina and Fenizia. He is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years, Rosa; sons, Pellegrino (Tina), Domenico (Agnese), Emidio Jr., and Serafino (Karen); and grandchildren, Emidio Antonio, Victoria, Olivia, Emidio Adolfo, Cesare, Mariette, Serafino Jr., Christopher, Pellegrino, and Domenico; and many nieces, nephews, and friends throughout the United States and Italy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.66.100.20 (talk) 01:22, 11 June 2008 (UTC)