Darin clan in 1959

Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zodan aka João Baptista Darin in 1945 (on the left) and in the mid-to-late 1950s. 

Marília's geography

We lived in a wooden plank house of 2 bedrooms on rua Mato Grosso, 393. Grandfather's house was on rua Campos Salles, 350; it was on the other side of town, but it wasn't too far; actually 11 blocks away, even though it seemed far because one had to climb a hill, descend it and climb it again. We always walked to Grandpa's. We went up and cross Avenida República, rua Pedro de Toledo, rua Nelson Spielman, then turn left towards rua Paraná, turn right and cross the railway line until we got to Avenida Sampaio Vidal, which was on top of the hill. 

After entering Avenida we walked past rua Arco Verde, where the Post Office stood, walked another block where wondrous Art Deco Cine Marília reigned supreme, turned right into rua Campos Salles and descended the hill, past rua 4 de Abril, rua São Luiz, rua XV de Novembro, at the bottom of the hill. From the bottom it was only half-a-block up when we got to Grandpa's house, rua Campos Salles, 350 which was on the right side.

Our Grandfather's house 

My Mother (Yolanda Darin Amorim) used to visit her Father Giovanni Battista Darin at least once a fortnight so that house became part of my own upbringing. I used to like going there for the house was always filled with guests from various parts of town sometimes even out of town for the Darin Family grew larger by the 40s and 50s with 11 children having got married and had a lot of children of their own which were my cousins. Some of my cousins were already adults and had children themselves like Moacyr Dutra married to Zefa and Ivo João Darin who had 3 or 4 children even though they lived far away in São Paulo city.

In 1951, when Marco was 80 years old he was submitted to a successful prostate surgery in Campinas-SP. Rosa, his only not-married daughter had accompanied him on the trip by train having been guests of Joana Uccella & her husband Victor Caroni. Joana Uccella was loosely related to him as she was the youngest daughter of Angela Nani, Giovanni's mother-in-law, who had re-married (Luigi Uccella) and had a few more children from the 2nd marriage. Victor Caroni worked for Cia Paulista de Estrada de Ferro, a branch of São Paulo Railway, built by the British when they set up Santos-Jundiaí Railway in 1867. They lived in a house coupled to a bar where they sold 'pastéis' and other delicacies. While they were Caroni's guests Rosa Darin used to help Joana with frying stuff and keeping the place clean.

Giovanni lived most of the 1950s in good health until he had a stroke in December 1958. He then took to his bed. He developed bed sores for staying in bed for too long. Maria Redondo told me in 1997, Giovanni sometimes left his bed and walked to the kitchen to have his dinner. After the stroke he developed a habit of dragging his feet. Marco Giovanni once made fun to Maria saying that if she ever heard the sound of someone dragging his slippers after he died it surely would be his ghost. He had been down but not out. 

Every now and then Mother & we visited Grandpa's after having our lunch at 11:30 am. Mother used to like to mingle with her sisters and occasional brother in the afternoon. Sometimes they all listened to a soap-opera broadcast by powerful Radio Nacional from Rio de Janeiro-DF. Cuban author Felix B. Caignet's 'O direito de nascer' (The right to be born) ruled the radio waves from 1952 through 1954. While Mother talked with aunts Rosa, América, Nina, Maria, Angela or sisters-in-law we kids played with our cousins in the large backyard which contained a chicken coop, orchard and a beautiful vegetable garden. 

But the real exciting visit was on Sunday nights. That's when we had the chance to meet all our uncles, aunts and cousins. We usually arrived at Grandpa's a little before sunset. Rua Campos Salles came alive with the First Presbyterian Church all alight for their Sunday worship and just across the street, at 350, our Grandpa's house was also alight filled with sons, daughters, in-laws, grandchildren and great-grand-children. 

Sometimes we arrived a little later so we had to go through a 'Polish corridor' of sorts. We entered the house through the living room but all the action happened back at the kitchen which was the largest room in the house. Rosa Darin & Maria Redondo, the women from the house, placed chairs with their backs to the wall so the whole place was 'covered' with people on all 3 sides; the fourth side stood a great big red stove made of cement with a hot coffee pot always ready to be served to those who just arrived or those who wanted a 2nd or 3rd cuppa.  

What I call 'Polish-corridor' was the routine we, poor kids, had to go through as soon as we entered the kitchen. We had to kiss the hands of every aunt & uncle who sat at the chairs which was not a really pleasant activity. Especially when our older cousin Moacyr Dutra used to play a trick on us. As Moacyr was already in his 30s, we, innocent kids thought he was our uncle, instead of our oldest cousin. So many a time I kissed his hand which he allowed and thought 'quaint'. He smirked with pleasure for he had duped me. Moacyr actually had a son called Junior who was only one year younger than I. We had other cousins in their 30s too but they were civil people, not as rogue as Moacyr, and left us alone.

 Giovanni Battista Darin's death on 28 August 1959

As we have previously seen, the Darin clan had a major disruption on 25 May 1934, when Erminia Billò died of hypertension aka high blood pressure. 

25 years later (a quarter of a century) on 28 August 1959, Erminia's widower Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zoldan known in Brazil as João Baptista Darin died of natural causes. 

My Grandfather was revered by all and sundry especially by his offsprings. It was a great commotion when he finally died in the early hours of 28 August 1959. His death was expected so the whole family was aware it could happen any time. Dr Catalán had warned the family that his heart was rather weak and it could stop beating any time. On that Thursday night he had asked his eldest daughter Maria Darin Dutra to stay overnight but she refused. As Marco died at 3:00 am of that day, there was plenty of time to notify relatives and in-laws both near and far. 

I remember waking up in my bed on the morning of 28 August 1959. It was still dark, it must have been 5:00 am! The sound of the motor of a vehicle woke me up. It was my uncle João Batista Darin who had driven across town to tell his baby sister Yolanda, that their father Giovanni Battista had (finally) died in the early hours of that day. That was to become one of the longest days in my whole life for soon we were on our feet to see how things progressed. I had turned 10 three months before and was a solid young man coursing the 3rd year of Elementary Education at Grupo Escolar Thomaz Antonio Gonzaga.

Telegrams were sent to São Paulo, where his oldest son Rissieri Darin lived with wife Elisa Surian and their only surviving child Ivo João Darin. 

Telegrams were also sent to São José do Rio Pardo-SP, where his only living sibling Marianna Darin lived with her adult children plus his Billò in-laws. Marianna Darin (86) would live 8 more months dying on 11 April 1960. 

A telegram was sent to Parapuã-SP, where daughter-in-law Corina Lopes lived with Wandyr and Wanda Darin. 

28 August 1959, a Friday, turned out to be one of the longest days of my life. We must have left our house on Rua Mato Grosso at 6:00 am. Mama said we children, Fernando (13), Myself (10) and Maria Lúcia Martins (9) didn't have to go to school which was always cause for happiness. We directed our feet towards rua Campos Salles, 350, which would take us 25 minutes to reach it. 

When we arrived at Grandpa's house his body had already been laid out in a coffin surrounded by four great candlesticks already lit. As it was common then with middle class families, a great yellow brass crucifix fixed on a round metal sheet imitating radiating flames stood near the head of the deceased. It would have been utterly sinister if we, children of 9 or 10, weren't used to attend funerals regularly. But me and Maria Lúcia had a penchant to enter any private house open to the public whenever there was a funeral in the neighbourhood. 

I remember we cried our eyes out when we saw dearest Grandfather's face in the coffin. Looking back at that particular day, I guess it was the saddest event in my whole life for we cried many a-tear! But being children, after 5 minutes we were outside, on the side of the brick house talking to whoever listened to us. We always had something to do... go and visit the hens with their ckicks and sometimes a turkey which would respond to our calling with a gobble-gobble. 

funerals mostly took place in a family home, with family members performing all aspects of after-death preparation of the body, to present the deceased to visiting friends and family in the home.

Weddings after the Funeral 

Beatriz Scarpetti married Francisco José Almeida on 17 December 1959, a Wednesday, at Santo Antonio's in Marília.

Wanda Darin married Lauro Miotto on 29 December 1959, a Tuesday, in Parapuã-SP. 

Marco Giovanni Battista in Santos-SP where he visited his eldest son Rissieri Darin who lived in hired-quarters with his wife Elisa Surian and their only child Ivo João Darin. This is obviously a clipped photo of Marco in Santos. I found out Octavio Darin was on Marco's right side and has been excised by someone who bore a grudge against him. Now, have a look below which is the back of the picture:

Someone wrote: 'Retrato do meu querido Pai, tirado em Santos', which means: Portrait of my dear Father taken in Santos. I kept on thinking whoever the person who expunged Octavio from the picture might be. At first I thought it might be a daughter of Marco's, based on the writing 'my dear Father'. I thought of all 6 daughters but couldn't agree on anyone. Then I thought it could only be a male child and after going through a few names I guessed it must have been João Baptista Darin. Especially when I remember I got this picture through Rosa Darin who lived with her brother João all her life.

Betty Scarpetti holds Paulo Roberto (born in 1952) next to the Darin Patriarch sitting on his sparkling living room. Note the portrait of Alécio Scarpetti, Betty's older brother on the left.