By Neil D. Garguilo, La Nostra Voce 

My father, Michael, was born in Brooklyn in 1919 to Anielo and Theresa Garguilo.  My grandfather owned a small fruit and vegetable store and he always provided for the family.  Michael grew up during the Depression, where the little extras were few and far between.  For lunch, my grandmother cooked leftover vegetables in olive oil and garlic, then poured it over some stale Italian bread.  “It was so good,” he exclaimed.  I just shook my head.

This article first appeared in La Nostra Voce, ISDA’s monthly newspaper that chronicles Italian American history, culture and traditions. Subscribe today.

My father dropped out of school after the eighth grade.  He was very smart, and I always said with more education he “coulda” been somebody.  He was amicable and outgoing, he worked in the shoe manufacturing business, and he moved up to second in command as the factory foreman.  He eventually left the industry and bought a small luncheonette on the corner of our street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  It was a gutsy move to leave a steady job and go into business at the age of 40, but that was my dad.  They didn’t call him “Mikie Bull” for nothing.  He was doing well until injuries he sustained during WWII finally caught up with him.  He fell ill, sold the business, and passed away at the age of 60 on Dec. 31, 1980.

Although not part of D-Day, Mikie Bull joined the 29^th Division’s effort in taking a vital port located in Brest, France.  He was severely wounded with parts of a bullet lodged in his lungs until the day he died.  In the end, my father taught me how to enjoy the big — and little — things in life.

Here are four of them:

1. When I was young, he introduced me to culture via the great Italian singers of his day, from Mario Lanza to Frank Sinatra. I can remember as if it were yesterday: him going over to the 1960s RCA Victrola and placing down an LP of Lanza singing Christmas carols. I always got a few laughs as I belted out the tunes at our kitchen table.
2. My father was big on education; he was very proud of both my sister and I for graduating from college. We both did well in life, and we passed our academic principles on to our children who are all college-educated.
3. My father always supported us when we were involved in sports and extracurriculars. He never missed a football game; it felt like he was playing alongside me.  I did the same with my children.
4. My father taught me to be patriotic. He was a member of the Catholic War Veterans, Fr. Georgio Post 389.  He was the commander there for one year, and he was a lifelong member.  I still remember watching old war movies with him on our little black-and-white TV. He would subtly teach me the value of duty to our country.

Dad, how I would love to talk to you again and tell you how proud you’d be of our family.  I would quietly whisper that you were “correct” about the issues we used to disagree on.  I would say “I love you” and I’d wish you a Happy Father’s Day. God bless you Papa, and God bless all the good fathers on Sunday, June 19.

Father’s Day 2022 Tribute Wall

We asked the ISDA community to send pictures of their padri and nonni for Fathers’s Day. We received scores of wonderful photos, and included them in the post below: