by Cookie Curci

Carefully closing the door of her beloved American house behind her, she set out down the road to the Del Monte cannery with a new resolve, a prayer in her heart and her rosary beads in her hand.

That day, a brand-new foreman was on the job. Maria told him of her plight and he took sympathy. Antonio Dinapoli saw the bright spark of determination in her eyes, and he found her a place in his line of cannery workers.

Cannery work was laborious and tiring. In the winter, an icy chill crept in through the cracks and crevices of the old brick building. In the summer, workers sweltered from the noisy machinery's steam and heat. But Maria worked on. She earned five cents for every bucket of tomatoes she peeled, but it was enough to pay her debts, feed her three children and keep her family together. The new foreman, a widower with six children, was moved by Maria's determination and motherly loyalty. In time their friendship grew into love and they married. More children arrived, bringing the total between them to 11. Tony and Maria purchased a fruit orchard in Almaden, and raised their big family and grew prolific crops of prunes in the rich soil of the valley.

Throughout her life, Grandma Maria Carmela Curci-Dinapoli held on tightly to the dream she'd sought as a young girl arriving in America. With faith and tenacity, she hung on tightly to her children as well. She worked to make her dream a reality for herself, her children and her grandchildren.

To this day, the imprint made by my immigrant ancestors continues to anchor me to this beautiful Santa Clara valley while at the same time their lofty and inspiring dreams continue to give me my wings.

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