A Mother’s Day Reflection: Jennie Pezzetti
The lady pictured above (circa 1946) is my mother, Jennie Pezzetti. You would never know it by looking at her, but my mom was one tough woman. Born in Clinton, IN (Feb. 13, 1923) to Italian immigrants, the small family moved to Cle Elum, WA where they cultivated a small farm for many years until moving to the Bay Area in the early 1940’s. My aunt refers to her sister as their father’s only son, because my mother did all the farm work: milking, bailing hay and tilling the land with a two-furrow plow! Even so my mom always said that her happiest days were spent on the farm with the animals, picking wild mushrooms and spending time in the hills near her home. Her connection with Cle Elum remained strong even though our family moved a number of times over the years (Reno NV, Burburnett TX, Layton UT).
This is a picture of my grandparents: Guiseppe & Giovanna Pezzetti at the farm in Cle Elum, WA.
Shortly before my mother died in 2004 I took her to her 62nd high school reunion. It was amazing to see some 40+ depression-age elders reunite in a world that is much different from the one they knew in the 1930’s. My mom told me that her family truly was poor in the modern sense: no indoor plumbing, no modern equipment, no electricity, not even a radio. She would occasionally mention that people would be happier if they weren’t chasing after a bunch of stuff they don’t need. Yes, my mom the philosopher.
My mom died on September 13, 2004 at her home outside Sparks, NV. I consider myself fortunate to have called her the Friday morning before she passed away. In true form she told me it was beautiful outside and she was going to spend the day in her garden. A cultivator to the end, she was found that afternoon in her garden, unconscious. She passed away 3 days later at the age of 81. I really miss her.
Jennie (Pezzetti) Lupori
2/13/1923 - 9/13/2004
