A Century of Family - Carollo family honors 'Salena' on birthday Submitted by Larie Tedesco Times Picayune 07-09-2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ The crowd of more than 60 descendants of Andrea and Antonina Carollo silenced as a sleek black car stopped in front of KY's Olde Towne Bicycle Shop last Sunday. Stylishly dressed in a fitted dress and cropped red jacket, Rosalia "Salena" Carollo Fontana stepped out of the car and into the front door of the restaurant where she was greeted with song and a barrage of camera flashes. A wide-eyed Sarah Grace Leonard, who turned 1 on July 1, seemed mystified at the attention fixed on someone other than herself. One day the precious daughter of Luke and Missy Leonard of Birmingham, Ala., will understand the difference between 1 and 100, which Fontana turned June 30, and the deference that comes with that milestone. "I am shocked," Fontana said as flash bulbs continued to spark and family members offered hugs, paying mind not to smudge her makeup. "You're looking at 10 coats of paint," she said with a smile. In addition to toasting Fontana's birthday, the celebration gave those who love her -- including children Lucille Brennan of Slidell, Nina Leonard of Huntsville, Ala., and Luke Fontana; 14 grandchildren; and 23 great-grandchildren with names that include Osterhaus, Bolgian, Haug, Wingerterer, Best and Bayer -- a chance to share stories of the woman most know simply as "Ma Ma." They recalled her love of her husband, Luke, the original owner of the Curve Inn Restaurant in Slidell who also ran the Arcade Theatre with "Ma Ma's" brother, Cy Carollo. Palm Lake resident Curtis Crawford, who joined "Ma Ma's" family when he married Frances Carollo 55 years ago, remembered how much Fontana loved the fish he caught in Bayou Liberty. "You'd think Santa Claus was coming," he said with a hearty chuckle. "And of course she always had to find something to give me -- something she grew or a roast from the freezer." "She has taught me so much -- her character, the way she held herself up through times of tragedy," said Charlotte Carollo of Picayune, Miss. "She has been a strength to me in so many ways." Among those attending the celebration were Fontana's sisters, 88- year-old Sister Mary Ann Carollo, OSB, and 94-year-old Louise Carollo, the three being the last living direct descendants of the Carollos, who had 10 children. Sister Mary Ann was proud, thought hardly surprised, at the thought of her sister turning 100. "Our mother lived to be 99 ½ and our father was 92 when he passed," she said. She credits the family's longevity to "exercise, good food, a terrific religious foundation, and good genes, of course." But Andrea and Nina Carollo's mark extended beyond their progeny. The family also made a name for itself in St. Tammany. After immigrating from Sicily at the turn of the century, the couple made their way to Olde Towne Slidell -- which family members are quick to point out "wasn't old then" -- and subsequently opened A. Carollo's Grocery in the building that now houses KY's Olde Towne Bicycle Shop. "I remember selling cold drinks here when I was 10 years old," said Laura Carollo of Slidell, whose father, Victor Carollo, and his brother, Peter, initially operated the grocery with their father, Andrea. Victor Carollo went on to open Carollo's Grocery in Lacombe and his daughter is now part of the Dunaway family that owns Dunaway's in Slidell. The sentimental attachment the Carollo family members have for the old grocery was the reason KY's owners, Kevin and Linda Young of Slidell, offered their restaurant and the meals the guests enjoyed free of charge to the family for the birthday celebration. "When we first opened she would bring vegetables to us she'd grown in her garden. Honestly, she fell in love with Kevin. She's nice to me," Linda Young said with a grin. Kevin Young recalled that he received a call from Fontana the day after he bought the property in 1991, and that she has been encouraging since the Youngs opened the doors to their restaurant in 1992. "I've wanted to do this for her for years. She's got a connection to this place more than anybody. Her dad was a pioneer in Olde Towne," he said. "Now she's here with her kids and her grandkids. This is how it should be." Mary Brennan of Slidell said the location for the party couldn't have been more perfect. "I can't thank Kevin and Linda enough. They know how important family is," she said. In addition to the grocery, Carollo family members also owned a novelty shop next door to the grocery; the Arcade Theatre, which still bears a tile at its entrance inscribed with the Carollo name; and a gas station in Olde Towne. Much of the family history has been collected by Abita Springs resident Mary Davis who recently published a 143-page "Carollo- Fontana Family History -- 1887-2004" for the family. A copy of the chronicle was donated to both the Slidell Museum and the Slidell Library. Davis was among the guests at Fontana's birthday celebration, snapping photographs to continue her documentation of the expansive family and its contributions to the Slidell community. Mary Brennan praised Davis' efforts and said the book is even more precious to the family since many of the documents used in its preparation were lost to Hurricane Katrina. "It was a godsend," Bennett said. As for Fontana, she understands the importance of creating keepsakes with permanence and has begun learning to type so she can transcribe the journal notes she has compiled through the years to leave for her children. The journal grows at night, when she has trouble sleeping. Her jottings are thoughtful, inspiring, some sad and many humorous: "Try to be a great leader. You are on this earth as everything or nothing out of billions of years. Without something to do there is no life." "Today I have a broken heart but it still beats." "Sorry for all the mistakes -- if I waited for perfection I would never write what I like." "It has been a great gift to do what I want. My life has been a mountain path with lots of rocks; going up, down, forward, and now toward the sun." Photos Family members surround Rosalia "Salena" Carollo Fontana after she arrived at her surprise 100th birthday celebration July 2 at KY's Olde Towne Bicycle Shop in Slidell. Four generations of the Carollo family, some traveling from as far as Canada, Kansas and Florida, came to be part of the occasion. Rosalia "Salena" Carollo Fontana, left, and her sister, Sister Mary Ann Carollo, 88, take time to chat during the birthday celebration.