Margaret remembers staying with her brother Steven at Uncle John and Aunt Anna's for a week one summer when they were young. There wasn't a lot to do, so one day they decided to explore the closet in the upstairs big bedroom. It was used for storage, and it was kind of like a "secret closet" because it was never opened when they stayed their in the past. Upon opening the door, they saw staring out at them a portrait of Aunt Anna's father, looking very stern and serious, with penetrating eyes and mutton chop sideburns. It was very scary to them at the time, like "The Picture of Dorian Gray" or something. Margaret says she had nightmares sleeping in that room after that.

Margaret also remembers coming down for breakfast whenever we stayed overnight at their house. The huge kitchen always smelled of coffee, toast, and Pell Mell cigarettes! Another favorite spot was the dining room, with the dark green flowered walls and the Regulator clock on the wall that ticked so loudly. Sunday mornings were spent sitting around the dining room table, reading the Sunday paper. After Mass, of course! When Margaret, Janice, Steven, and Peter were little, they would usually have races around the dining room table, until the grown ups chased them outside! Uncle John's garden was a masterpiece, and Margaret and Steven remember Uncle John letting them pick the strawberries he had grown, and then helping Aunt Anna make homemade strawberry ice cream.

Helen told us the reason Aunt Anna never wore green; she did drive at one time, and was in an accident. She was wearing a green dress at the time, and from then on thought it was an unlucky color! We did love to visit Aunt Anna and Uncle John, listen to Aunt Anna's Irish accent, play in their huge back yard. Pete frequently went to visit Unk after Aunt Anna passed away. He helped him with the yard work, and kept him company, just about every weekend until Unk passed away. Uncle John died suddenly; his book was even still opened to the page he was reading, turned face down on the living room end table. He died in his sleep of a heart attack. Eddie Whitlow became concerned when he couldn't reach Unk by phone, and went over to Uncle John's house, let himself in, and found him.

Aunt Mary Hollenczer
What can be said about Aunt Mary? Aunt May, as she was lovingly called, was everyone's favorite aunt, and I'm sure all of the cousins were devastated when she left us. Her love for all of her nieces and nephews, her outspokeness and sometimes hot temper, mingled with her sweetness and cheerful disposition, will be remembered forever. There isn't enough room on the Web to relay all of the stories we have to tell about Aunt May, but some of our favorite memories will be set down here. One of Margaret Hollenczer Spatafore's favorite memories is going "home" to LI, after moving to Pennsylvania, and the first stop on the trip being to Uncle Jim's store to let Aunt Mary know we were in town. "I can still smell the scents of Uncle Jim's store, whenever I remember those times. We couldn't wait to get to Roslyn, and surprise Aunt Mary in the store. We always left with candy, comic books, and whatever other goodies Aunt Mary lavished on us."

Janice Hollenczer Bernath relates these memories: "Once, when I was very young, maybe 2, I got into Aunt Mary's lipstick, and being so small, could sit upright under her bed, which I shared with her while Grandma was alive, and even later. We had hard wood floors, with only area rugs, so there was no rug under the bed. I created "Art" under Aunt May's bed, and was banished from her room! I was devastated! Dad put a hook and eye where I couldn't reach it, and outsmarted me, too, probably figuring I'd drag a chair over to try to open it! To this very day I remember how furious I was that they'd thought of that! I was finally readmitted to the room, though, so I guess I behaved (mostly) after that. I don't remember the "Art", only not being able to get into her room!

One thing I'll always remember about the summers was Aunt May going after moths with a paper or magazine. Maybe that's where I get my obsession with moths! She always slept with the sheet over her face, too, and I always wondered how she could breathe!
Another thing about Aunt May's room was her nail polish. She ALWAYS had red nails when I was small, and I loved the smell of the polish and remover. I think she'd paint my nails for me from time to time. She had huge hat boxes in her closet, and I was fascinated by them, since I'd never seen them, along with her padded hangers. And her sewing hassock, which she used for her seat at the dressing table. And the perfume atomizers! I'd forgotten about those. I wish I could talk to her about these things now! The mirrored dresser tray, the silver brush and comb and mirror, the jars and other things. I have a dressing table like that now myself, and have had for almost 30 years. I think I miss my childhood!"

Aunt Mary lived with us, or rather we lived with her, Steve, Helen, Janice, Margaret and Steven Jr., on Powerhouse Road in Roslyn until 1954, when we moved to Pennsylvania. Margaret remembers Aunt Mary coming home from work in the evening, with goodies for us kids. "I especially remember her bringing home Charms lollipops, the big ones, with the transparent wrappers. To this day, just seeing one of those brings back pleasant memories". We wanted Aunt Mary to move to Pennsylvania with us, but she didn't want to leave home.

After Steve and his family moved to PA, Aunt Mary went to live with her brother, Joe, his wife Anna, and daughter Carole on Jessica Place in Roslyn. After Uncle Joe and Aunt Anna passed away, and Carole was grown, Aunt Mary moved in with her sister, Agnes, in Mineola, where she lived until her death in 1994. Margaret also remembers this story about Aunt Mary's temperament: "Janice and I were in our late teens, early twenties. We decided to go to NY by ourselves for a weekend. It was the last weekend in November, my birthday, and we took Aunt Mary out Christmas shopping while we were there. I think it was in Mineola, or maybe Glen Cove, but there was a lot of traffic, as Christmas season had begun. Aunt Mary grabbed both of us by the hands, and began crossing a busy highway. She just looked at the oncoming traffic, and said 'You wait for us, we're crossing the street!' She could even stop traffic!"

Margaret remembers that Aunt Mary would come to visit us in Levittown every summer for a week, during her vacation. After her visit with us, she would usually fly down to Florida to visit her brother Mike, and his wife Marie. Margaret particularly remembers the summer that the Disney movie, "Sleeping Beauty", was released.
"Aunt Mary took my brother Steve and me to the Towne Theatre to see "Sleeping Beauty". The day started out rainy, as we waited on Newportville Road for the bus to the Levittown Shopping Center. I remember the sun coming out while we were waiting, and seeing a rainbow in the sky - I even remember what I was wearing! An orange gray & white skort, as the skirt-short combo was called in the early 60s, with a matching white blouse with a coordinated plaid collar. After the movie, Aunt May took us to Woolworth's, where she bought me paper dolls, and Steven a plastic Prince Charming sword. I will remember that day forever, and it's a very happy memory for me. As a result, "Sleeping Beauty" is my favorite Disney movie. I bought the video, on pretense for my daughter, but really because it brings back a happy family memory for me."

More Stories

Steve Hollenczer Stories  Uncle Joe Stories  Uncle Mike Stories

Grandma Hollenczer Stories  Aunt Anna Whitlow Stories  Grandpa Hollenczer Stories

Joe-Joe Stories  Helen Stories  Uncle Pete Stories  Janice Stories    Margaret Stories

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