ABOUT

Carmela Lina Carruba-Toscano Anselmo

 

August 23, 1896, to March 24, 1988

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Carmela was our paternal mother, grandmother, and family matriarch. She was born in Sutera, Sicily in 1896. She lived a very full life. She and her younger sister Norina, left Sicily November 19, 1919, and arrived in Birmingham, Alabama February 2, 1920. She and Norina were not allowed to enter through Ellis Island due a diphtheria outbreak there.

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She married Joseph (“Papa Joe”) Anselmo December 6, 1925. They have three children, Nicolina, Pauline, and Cesare. Eleven (11) Grandchildren Twenty-one (21) Great Grand Children

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Carmela’s son Cesare (Chez-a-rey), a.k.a. “Andy”, has two sons, Joseph and Paul.  Mother Dorothy was paralyzed in an automobile accident in 1963, requiring an extended hospital stay. Joseph and Paul lived with Carmela during this time, and she became a tremendous influence on their lives.