One of Donna Klucevsek’s favorite memories of her mom, Tilly Cardinale is seeing her dolled up in a 1960’s shorts romper with white patten leather boots and a hat, ready to jet set to Spain with her father, Tilly’s husband, Joe Cardinale. “My mother was very fashionable,” said Donna.
Tilly met her husband at a newspaper stand in Germany in 1921. He was an American soldier and he was singing at the Army camp that evening. Tilly accepted his invitation to attend. “I fell in love with his singing,” she said.
Three months later, the two were married in Germany. Joe sang, “No Other Love Have I,” to her at the wedding. When they returned to the USA, Joe’s whole family welcomed Tilly at the airport!
The two built a beautiful life together. Joe played the upright bass and sang in a jazz band and worked as a salesman, selling musical instruments. Tilly worked at a sewing factory in Boston’s Chinatown, and soon thereafter, earned her American citizenship.
Together, Tilly and Joe welcomed three children – two daughters and one son. Tilly was a stay-at-home mom. She cooked Betty Crocker American casseroles and made festive German cookies each Christmas. They enjoyed camping trips to Maine and Canada out of their station wagon, as well as entertaining family and friends.
When asked the secret to the success of her long and happy marriage of 65 years, Tilly said, “loving and respecting one another.”
We are grateful to have Tilly at Decatur House and when I told her about her daughter’s memory of her, all decked out in her fashionable outfits, she stated in her heavy German accent, “That just gave me goose pimples, what you just said.”
