Dad-Part 4

Mom and dad met in a bar, I believe. They got married on May 12, 1979 about a month before I was born. They got married down at the Niagara River. He inherited 5 step kids whom he treated as his own:
Sal
John
Tracy
Danine
Patti

Mom and dad lived on Coshway Place in Tonawanda, NY for a year before moving to 339 Wadsworth Court in Tonawanda.

Dad worked at A.H. Robins where he was a Pharmaceutical Sales Rep. Some of the big products he sold were Dimetapp and Robitussin. I think we all had our fair share of those meds. They stopped working for me when I was about 10! Dad enjoyed his job. He was a very social person and was great at what he did. He spent alot of time in the car driving between appointments, but he seemed to like it. He would often listen to his jazz tapes or, if he was studying up on a new product, he would tape himself reading info from the manuals. Dad also had to travel regularly for his work. That was always a bummer, but thankfully, they were usually short trips. He was always winning awards for being the top seller in the area. His work kept him sharp. Every time a new drug came out, dad had to read through binders of material on how the drug was made, how it worked, etc, etc. He then had to take an exam before he could sell it. Dad always did well! His job did require a lot of paperwork and extra work. He had a desk in the basement that he worked from. I loved going down there and using all of his multi colored pens and highlighters. When I was a little older, he would let me organize his files or write out receipts for his doctor luncheons so he could get reimbursed. Some of us also remember helping dad fill his samples. He would get weekly deliveries to our house. We would have to put 4 trial size medicine bottles (usually Dimetapp) into a box. He stored everything in his trunk and our garage. He also got lots of goodies-like post it notes and pens that I think we will have forever! A.H. Robins was eventually bought out by Wyeth Ayrest. Things changed when that happened. They weren’t “family people” like Robins. Dad was expected to make more calls, sell more, travel more, more paperwork and….use a computer! It wasn’t even a real computer-just a teeny, tiny laptop type thing. Dad was freaked out and so mad that they were making him use a computer! Everynight, I would sit with him and go over how to use it. It was a looong process! Dad retired from the company around 1997. He worked about 31 years for them. Mom threw him a surprise party at our house. He looked forward to retirement, but it didn’t work well for him. He got very bored, got tired of reading his books, and soon decided to work part time. He did that for a couple of years before retiring for real.

We would often make trips down to Hornell to visit grandma and grandpa. (more about Hornell when I write about them). Dad felt right at home there. He knew everyone and loved to show mom and I where he hung out or tell stories about all the little things in Hornell. It was fun. Everyone in Hornell called dad “Donnie.” I was always confused by this. I asked dad when I was little-“why do they call you Donnie when your name is Dom?? I don’t know!” He said. Grandpa died on August 12, 1988 when mom, dad and I were in Florida visiting John and Jeanne. Here is a memory from Rosalie:

After Grandpa Radoccia died, I took the ride down to Hornell with dad to prepare for the funeral....he smoked a lot. listened to bad radio, didn't talk much, offered me a piece of "Big Red" cinnamon gum occasionally. and just drove. He was about to see his mom and sister...without his dad in the house. As we came closer to Hornell, he offered me a cigarrette; by just jerking the pack upwards until 1 to 2 cigarettes stood up straight out of the pack.....( at the time I smoked occasionally in college, but never in front of him, and I continued to nag him about quitting.....)....but at that moment, I accepted the offer....twice, actually, and we smoked quietly together in the car...no one nagging anyone about anything....just being together...and about to enter dad's childhood home...without grandpa there to welcome us.

Dad was an avid Buffalo Bills and Sabres fan. You would think he was the coach the way he yelled at the TV or while he was at the games. When I was little, I decided to charge him a dime every time he swore. I made a killing that year! He had season tickets to the Sabres for a long time….from way before me until about 2004. He started in the oranges at the Memorial Auditorium, moved to the blues-that’s what I remember-and then in 1996 moved right up to row 5, section 108, seat 18 in the new Marine Midland Arena. I remember dad carrying me into the games until I was probably 10. We only had 2 seats so I’d sit on the stairs or mom and dad’s lap. Sometimes we would go to the Aud Club after the 2nd period. They had GREAT wings!

Dad went to many of the Bills games with friends and family. If he was tailgating, dad always brought stick pepperoni and cheese and of course beer. He would sometimes go to the Bills game with his neighbor friend, Mr. Buhlman. Dan and him got along real well. He had invited dad to go to the playoff Cleaveland-Buffalo game at Cleaveland Stadium on January 6, 1990. Dad was already going with some others. After the game, 6’6” Mr. Buhlman was walking down a stationary excalator when he fell over the side. He passed away instantly. Mr. Sellers, another neighbor, had come over to our house to tell us the horrible news. Dad wasn’t home yet. I remember mom being worried about him-wondering if dad had found out at the game. He hadn’t. When dad arrived, many of the neighbors were at our house. His happy go lucky spirit instantly fell as he knew something was wrong. I remember his face as he heard the news. His good friend, was gone. (insert article)

That leads me to more about our neighborhood. Dad and all of the Wadsworth Court guys, mowed their lawns on Saturdays in the summer. It was a whole day affair. Mr. Buhlman, Mr. Sellers, Mr. Mcninch and dad mowed a little, drank a beer, mowed a little, drank a beer. All day-that’s how it went. They made a tedious chore a social event. We got a pool when I was in 3rd grade. It was a gathering spot for family and neighbors. In the summer, our pool was always open and filled with people. Dad would come home from work and jump right into the pool making one of his famous splashes that threw out so much water that made it necessary to fill the pool up every day. Then, he would attempt to get on a raft. That was always good for a laugh as he would flop around, raft would flip…you can picture it. It was a battle! Grandpa was also good at making the grandkids laugh….and get scared…as he also like to play “shark.”

Holidays were big events at our house. Dad was the turkey carver-that was his job. He always needed nuts at Thanksgiving and fennel at Christmas. Dad sat at the head of the table and gave the blessing before we ate. One Christmas when Oddo's came up, dad dressed up as Santa and spent time with some of the kids on Christmas eve. Gary figured out who it was and said "hi grandpa!"

Dad was good at a lot of things, but 1 thing he was not good at was being handy! Oh how he dreaded putting my Barbie toys together-let alone a bike! If something needed to be put together-mom and I usually left! He didn’t like help and he did like to swear! He knew he wasn’t handy and could take all the jokes that came along with it!