Paul Luvera Journal

 I was going through the wonderful Anacortes Museum (https://www.anacorteswa.gov/333/Museum) photo collection and was reminded of my own life growing up in Anacortes. I was reminded of the lines from Lewis Carroll's classic book Alice in  Wonderland. Alice asks the White Rabbit, "How long is forever?" The White Rabbit responds "Sometimes just one second." In my case, while the events may have happened a "forever" ago, in my mind it seems like just yesterday. For example, I clearly can see what is…

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My daughter Susan luvera Chiabai has written a self published book: Dear Nick – Letters From the Edge. She explains the title by saying that the contents are letters to her brother Nick which she says were written during bouts with insomnia in the early morning hours, but not actually mailed. The contents deal with her experiences from the year 2000 through 2012 involving her children and family. Her description of life with her husband Ron over 26 years and…

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My grandfather, Nicola Luvera died in Anacortes on Independence Day, July 4, 1956 after living more then ninety years. My chief regret is that he spoke no English and I spoke no Italian so we never had a real conversation – only through my father's interpretation. Dad believed our family should speak English because we lived in America so my sisters and I never learned either parent's native language. My grandfather's story is one of courage and determination. After working in…

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My father in law, Hollis Barnett died on March 22nd 1990. He was a unique and wonderful man. You can read about his extraordinary wife Betty Barnett and more about this couple whoI grew to love. https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2010/03/i-write-this-in-memory-of-my-wifes-father-hollis-hall-barnett-whodied-in-puyallup-washington-on-march-22-1990-at-the-a.html Hollis Hall Barnett died in Puyallup, Washington at the age of 83. Hollis was born in Buckley, Washington on May 3, 1907 and spent his younger years at Mt. Rainier National Park where his father, Herman "Herm" Burke Barnett, was a National Park Ranger….

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My maternal grandfather Peter (Petar) Babarovich was born April 12, 1861 in the village of Splitska on the island of Brac in the Adriatic Sea. He died in Anacortes, Washington March 5, 1935. I was born 12 days after he died. It must have have been a very difficult time for my mother, to lose her father and then give birth to me. Babarovich. He and my grandmother had seven children all of whom, except my mother, Mary, who was…

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 On February 27, 1981 Lita Theresa Barnett and I were married at our house at 2727 LaVenture Road in Mount Vernon, Washington. It was a day to remember not just because of the romantic significance, but the Keystone Kops circumstances surrounding it as well. What? you don't know who the Keystone Kops were? They were famous in Max Sennett's silent comedy movies of 1912's involving a bunch of incompetent police clumsily racing to the rescue, but always making things worse.  The similarity…

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I was born eight two years ago today, on Thursday, February 21, 1935, the youngest child of my parents Paul and Mary Luvera. My sister Phyllis was the oldest and Anita was the middle child. I was born at the small hospital in Anacortes, Washington. In dad's book, An italian Immigrant's Journey, he says he had a bet with his friend Rex Stevenson that the baby (me) would be a boy and Rex said it would be a girl. The…

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Two members of our family died on the same day, but  years apart  and in different places. My paternal grandmother, Phyllis Flippa Luvera, born in 1870 died in Anacortes on December 20, 1946, My wonderful mother in law, Elizabeth (Betty) Barnett was born in 1910 and died in Pierce County December 20,  1985. Nonna Luvera, dad's mother, was an Italian grandmother who looked and sounded like what an Italian grandmother should look and act like. She spoke no English, but she…

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Today is the anniversary of the death of my father, Paul Nicholas Luvera Sr. Born on March 25, 1898, he died in Anacortes, Washington on November 4, 1990 at the age of 92. I've published details of his extraordinary life many times. See  https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/11/dad-1.html for a complete history of his life.   Dad was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy, the son of Niccola and Fillippa Luvera. His father and oldest brother left for Canada where they worked for the Canadian Pacific Railroad installing tracks until they earned…

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