Michelina (Mickey) Forgione

Was born on April 13^th, 1922 in Brooklyn  to immigrant  parents Alfonso and Giussepina Toia, both from Gizzeria Calabria, Italy.  The oldest of three children that included a sister Mary and brother Joe, Mickey grew up fast in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn out of necessity given the times and the era.  Our Lord, Jesus Christ once said that he did not come here to be served, but to serve.  This was Mickey’s mission in life.  As a young girl, the duties of tending to the younger siblings often fell on her lap as her mother and father both toiled in the garment sweat shops that were often populated by Italian immigrants.  Mickey was a smart child and had a thirst for knowledge.  She of course spoke both Italian and English, but eventually taught herself how to read and write Italian so that she could communicate on behalf of her parents with the relatives left behind in Italy and elsewhere around the world who had moved from Italy after World War I.  In public school she would often be called to the Principal’s office to assist in translation for new immigrant families that were entering the school.  She always agreed but insisted that she would only do so if her back was turned away from the Italian parents so as not to embarrass them due to their having to talk through a child.  In those days prior to organized labor and Unions, garment  workers got paid “piece work”, meaning they only were paid by the finished garment.  At the age of 8 years old, her mother used to bring home shirts so that Mickey could help sew buttons on those shirts to help increase the family income.  At this time the Great Depression was taking place and everyone was poor, but some were more poor than others.  Mickey would walk her siblings to school but when it rained they were without umbrellas and without goulashes.   Mickey would always say she hated the smell of wet wool later on in life as it reminded her of those times.  Saturdays in those days meant the house had to be cleaned from front to back because on Sundays usually company would come by for visits as most stores were closed for the Sabbath.  Naturally, mom was always given a job for both cooking and cleaning.  She took special pride in arranging the table for guests and always took notice when a table was beautifully set for company.  When a child reached the age of 16 and the law no longer insisted that children had to be in school, it was off to work full time, especially for girls as grandma considered education a waste of time for a woman who was only going to get married and have kids.  Work, of course was a sweat shop.  Then World War II started.  Work was good but tough as heavy woolen clothing for soldiers was being prepared in the hot summer months.  After the War, things got better, but Mickey, Mary and Joe helped their parents buy a house and vowed to pay it off in full before getting married.  Marriage came with Frank Forgione and then two kids - Freddy and Frankie.  In addition to serving them and their needs as a growing family, she continued to help her mother by assisting in the care of her father who suffered for many years with Parkinson’s disease.  Mickey continued to serve others by always cooking great meals daily and for large gatherings of family and friends.  She eventually went back to paid work and became a school aid in the NYC school system.  A job she enjoyed dearly as she served the needs of the grammar school children for 25 years, which she felt kept her young.  When her three granddaughters, Patty, Chrissy and Jenny were born and as they grew, Mickey received her second chance to serve another generation.  There are so many more stories that could be told about her sharing and giving nature throughout her 93 years of life, but let’s just conclude by saying that if her mission was to serve, then – Mission Accomplished!