A Loving Tribute to the Life of Pasquale “Pat” Ierubino
If Pat had not been so shy and humble a man, there are several things that would have been known about him. If you read his obituary, you would have learned where he lived and worked, and for how long he did both. You might have noticed that he was born in Europe in 1914, the year of the inception of World War I, and that he will be buried the day before the 57th anniversary of the dramatic conclusion of World War II at Hiroshima. (After September 11, Pat wondered if his final exit might occur during the year of the outbreak of a third world war. Instead, he died in peace and without suffering, as was his wish.)
If you read his death notice, you also would remember his wife, Nancy. And, if you knew him well, you would know that his devotion to her was lifelong, as he visited her gravesite almost daily in the nine years since her death. But there are other things about him that few people would ever have discovered.Pat was a master of ingenuity, who, if afforded the same educational advantages as his daughters, could have possessed the wherewithal and the confidence to see his simple ideas transformed into worthwhile inventions used to solve everyday problems. Probably none of them would have revolutionized the world, but each one did, in fact, help eliminate a few nuisances in his personal life. One such invention had to do with a 1948 Buick he owned that came with an ignition key but without a key to unlock the car door. In order to gain access to his vehicle---while at the same time discourage any would-be thief from possible entry---he devised a simple wire configuration that was close to invisible, yet enabled him to lift the car door button from the outside with nothing more than a gentle tug.
Another clever design was borne out of the necessity to prevent multitudes of pigeons from leaving their regular “deposits” on his beloved balcony outside his apartment. With a complex network of household string wound around a few nails along the railing, he created a humane way to let the birds know that once they made their landing, it might not be so easy to take flight. The tangled web he wove made it difficult, but not impossible, for the birds to extricate themselves from the intricate meshing. The birds got the message, and he got his pristine balcony back.
As a teenager in his small town where modern electrical wiring was a rare commodity, he used his natural engineering skills to rig an electrical system installed in his aunt’s home that remained intact, and he was able to view his handiwork during his first return visit there more than 40 years later in 1971.
Over the years there were several other small inventions Pat conceived for the simple purpose of making life a bit easier, but none of them matters as much as the amount of time and attention he gave so generously to family and friends, and perhaps no one was more the beneficiary of his infinite patience than his cherished granddaughter, Gina. By age three, she was keen enough to recognize that she had, at her disposal, a tireless and willing participant who was game for any playtime activity she could concoct. Who would have thought that a man 65 years her senior could claim the role of the ultimate and ideal playmate of her entire childhood. What a Papa.
Although he feigned ignorance in the culinary arts during his 46 years of marriage to a woman who was indeed a very fine cook, Pat, all the while, must have been secretly observing at close range all the techniques of the trade. After Nancy passed away, he developed his own flair for food preparation to the degree that family and friends often preferred his cooking to their own, and he was only too willing to oblige by offering certain meals that have since become known as Pat’s specialties.
Another little-known fact about this man who received far less than a formal education was that he could write the most eloquent letters in his native language to his family abroad and write just as beautifully and flawlessly in English. Never was there a misspelled word or grammatical error, and that is pretty remarkable for a man who arrived on these shores at age seventeen during the Depression when employment, not education, was the most anyone in his position could hope to attain.
While most of Pat’s original family remained in Italy, there were his wife’s nieces and nephews who loved him and adopted him as their own blood, always maintaining close contact with “Uncle Pat” until the end of his life, not out of a sense of duty, but rather out of respect and admiration for someone they simply loved to be around, and the feelings were mutual. What better testament is there to illustrate how blessed he was to have held so prominent a place in the lives of so great a number of relatives and friends, and how fortunate we all were to have known this kind and gentle soul.
We will miss him and remember him always.
In loving memory from his daughter, Nancy Richard
Pasquale Ierubino, 88 of Medford, died Thursday, peacefully in his home following a brief illness. Born in Castelbaronia, Italy, he was the son of the late Raffaela and the late Gisa (Cellesi) Ierubino.
He was a Medford resident for fourteen years formerly of East Boston. He worked for forty years as a Department Manager for Stop & Shop Grocery Stores, he retired in 1976. Late U.S. Army Veteran of WWII.
He is survived by predeceased wife: Nancy (Lembo) Ierubino daughter: Adele Barnett Fairfax, VAdaughter: Nancy Richard Peterborough, NHgranddaughter: Gina Richard Brattleboro, VTsister: Emanuela Gliatta Foggia, ITALYSeveral Loving Nieces And Nephews
A funeral mass will be celebrated Monday at 9:00 AM in St. Raphael Church, 514 High Street, Medford with the service celebrated by Rev. Kevin G. Toomey. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett. Visiting hours Sunday from 7 - 9 PM at the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main St., Medford.