Ralph Thomas Schiavon (1924 – 1993)
Angelina (Ciliberto) Schiavon (1923 – 2004)
 |
| Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Thomas Schiavon exiting Saint Philip Neri Catholic Church, Chicago. The man behind Angie is her brother, Joe Ciliberto. Angie’s father is on the far right, beaming with pride at his daughter. |
 |
| The wedding took place inside the exquisite Gothic church of Saint Philip Neri, on Chicago’s South Side. |
 |
| The happy couple flanked by their wedding party. Far left, my mother, Joan Schiavon; far right, John Eubanks; second from right, Joe Ciliberto. |
 |
| My mother, at 18 years old, hoped she would catch the bouquet. Her turn – and her prince – would come, but not for another eight years. He was worth the wait. |
My mother’s older brother, Ralph Thomas Schiavon, known as “Tom,” married his sweetheart, Angelina Ciliberto, a lovely young woman from Iacurso, Calabria, Italy, in about 1946.
My mother, Joan Schiavon, was a bridesmaid of honor at their wedding, which was held at Saint Philip Neri Church in Chicago, the family parish. The two of them got on famously. She loved Angie and felt she finally had met the sister she had never had.
Tom and Angie had a long and happy marriage, raising four children and living in the Chicago area for many years. Tom worked as an engineer for the Chicago public schools. He and Angie loved boating and the outdoors and were officers of the United States Coast Guard.
They were my baptismal godparents and were always very loving to me. As I grew up, we spoke on the phone from time to time, and our conversations sometimes would go on for hours. Both of them would be on an extension telephone, laughing and reminiscing about times past and present. They were especially proud of their children and grandchildren and told many a story about the latest visit or accomplishment.
They retired to Knoxville, Tennessee, where Tom died of a heart attack one day as he was working outside in the garden. Angie buried him under a lovely magnolia tree at Greenwood Cemetery in Knoxville. Angie lived another nine years and died in 2004 in Bradenton, Florida. She is buried beside Tom.
Copyright © 2012 Linda Huesca Tully