Nina Darin & Domingos Macera

Nina Darin & Domingos Macera.

Nina (Olimpia Darin) said good-bye to her fellow Daughters of Mary on 27 May 1938, a Friday.

... and married Domingos Macera on 31st May 1938, a Tuesday. Zuleide Dutra, Nina's niece is on the left and Lila, Mingo's niece is on the right.

Nina married into the Macera family who came to Marilia from Rio Claro-SP in the early 1930s. Actually, Octavio Darin was already married to Sebastiana Macera, Mingo's sister.

Ariene Herminia Macera was born on 15 March 1939.

Aristeu Macera was born on 26 January 1942.

There's not much I know about Nina's life in the 30s and 40s. My cousin Ivo João Darin (born in 1926) used to spend his school summer holidays in Marilia in the 1940s. Sometimes Ivo even managed to get to Marilia during the July school recess. Ivo said he remembers tia Nina had an operation performed on her in April 1943. That's all he said. No details.

Nina was an almost mythical figure to my Mother, Yolanda, her baby sister. Yolanda worshipped her older sister. Nina had played a motherly figure in her upbringing. Mind you, Yolanda's mother was 45 when she had her and probably delegated most of the tasks of raising an infant to Nina, her 8 year old daughter. 

Nina was the 4th daughter and had a special talent for cooking. When still living the big farm owned by her father in the municipality of São José do Rio Pardo in the 1920s, young Nina took charge of the kitchen, preparing huge pots of coffee for the family and peasants who worked in the plantation.  

Nina had shown a talent to excell in the secrets of cooking and working on a stove that was fuled by lumber chopped in the back yard. Nina was an early leader in the household. Actually, later on Nina made a reputation as the baker of cakes (boleira). She was renowned for her banana-torte and orange sponge-cake.

She radiated goodness. I always looked up to her. To me she was something to be revered. She had been my godmother along with Mingo as a godfather... and I was always secretly proud of that privilege even though tia Nina's favourite nephew was alas not myself but José Carlos Batista, João Baptista's son. Zé Carlos as he was known, spent a lot of time at tia Nina's house on rua Rio Grande do Sul.

Visiting Nina's house on rua Grande do Sul was always a treat for she never failed to offer us cakes and sweets. She never disappointed anyone! Unless she was not home, in which case we waited a while, especially me & my cousin Gabriel on the way home from the Children's Park (Parque Infantil Monteiro Lobato) - and there she came with a big smile on her lovely face. Her hair was already completely white but one didn't think tia Nina was 'old'. She was ageless.

Mingo holds Aristeu: Cleomara poses for the camera; Ariene plays building castles-in-the-sand in 1944.

Lazinho (Lázaro), Odila Macera, Mingo's sister; Cleomara their daughter; Nina, Mingo and their children in 1944.

Aristeu Macera on his first day at school in 1949, with his dad Mingo.

Mingo standing up, fourth man from left, plays with Esporte Clube Comercial de Marilia in the 1940s.

Esporte Clube Comercial - Mingo is in the back row, 3rd man from the right. Sergio Paiva, who went on to build himself a career as a sportscaster in Rio de Janeiro is on the front row, 3rd man from the left in the front row resting his hand on the turf.

 

Domingos Macera in the 1940s; a rare photo of Nina Darin in the 40s; slightly out-of-focus.

Ariene Herminia and her long blond hair; Aristeu just being cool.

Ariene receives the Host at her First communion.

On a hot afternoon in 1951 at Darin's backyard on rua Campos Salles, 350 - Marilia-SP; from left to right: Angela, Rosa, a Macera sister, João Baptista, Maria Redondo holds infant Zé Carlos, Mingo Macera in back, Yolanda Darin, Mr. Giovanni Darin, America, João Amorim in back, Nina Darin on the right. Down on their knees are Betty, Beatriz, Ariene, Fernando Amorim beign held by Grandpa and Luiz Carlos Amorim being held by Edson Scarpetti.

Girls only at the kitchen back door: on top of the stairs Angela & Nina Darin; Yolanda puts her arm around Maria Redondo; a Macera sister in the middle; Rosa Darin is behind America Darin; on the lower step are cousins Beatriz Scarpetti, Ariene Macera & Betty Scarpetti - 1951.

Beatriz Scarpetti holds her nephew Paulo Roberto Camargo, Nina Darin & Zé Carlos Batista, Giovanni Battista Darin, Maria da Gloria Redondo holds Herminia Maria Batista and Betty Scarpetti holds her daughter Mariângela Camargo in 1955. Nina's hair became gray and then white some time around the mid-1950s.

Ariene Macera as a High School student.

This is probably Nina Darin's last photo, here with nephew Zé Carlos Batista. It must be 1971.

The day Mingo died in São Paulo - 22nd November 1981. The burial was in Marilia two days later.