Grampa and Grandma with Cuzzin Grady. They resskewed Grady
when some bad beans dumped him by their house.
Grampa has great big hands, but he is furry gentle wif them and all kitties love him.
Here he is wif Buddy one Christmas when we all stayed wif him and Grandma.
And me (Finny) working in the workshop wif Grampa when I lived wif him and Grandma
while Mom sold our house in Charlotte. Grampa always took me wif him to get the male efurry day
and I efen got to help him make wooden stuffs in the workshop!
John
lived next door to my sister Marjie in Glen Head, NY. I met John once
or twice "over the fence" - saying hi, borrowing sugar, neighborhood
get-togethers, that kind of thing. The main thing I remember about him
is that he would always be out playing in the yard with his kids Jake
and Ella anytime I visited. John was very devoted to his kids, his wife,
his mom Elizabeth, brother Joe, sister Sheila and their families. 
John
was a great athlete who loved to run, bicycle and swim - he competed in
triathlons on a regular basis and enjoyed sharing his training
philosophy with others. He helped Marjie with her cycling when she was
getting ready for the MS 150 Bike Tour and an amateur team triathlon
that she took part in. Marjie said John didn't understand the kind of
mental blocks that held her back from getting up a hill - he just
charged on up, knowing he could do it! The first time Marjie went riding
after John's death, she took on the toughest hill in town - and made it
up for the first time ever -- because she knew that John was there with
her, helping her up the hill with a strong hand on her back.
The
John Paolillo Scholarship Fund Memorial 5K race/fundraiser was held at
the Glenwood Landing Fire Station. Hundreds of local friends and
families, as well as firefighters from John's old stations in Manhattan
and Brooklyn, ran or walked the route that included one tough hill, some
beautiful scenery, the high school cheerleaders and athletic teams,
water stops, and lots of fun.
