VALDEMAR DARIN (uncle) (1921- 1994)

Valdemar Darin as a boy in Marilia; Valdemar as a teen-ager.

Valdemar, his father Giovanni Battista, sister Rosa, brother João Baptista & Joly their beloved bitch.

the three youngest Darin kids: Rosa (1915), Yolanda (1919) & Waldemar (1921).

Valdemar as a young man.

Valdemar Darin, sister Rosa & Joly the beloved little bitch, the family's pet at front-garden gate on rua Campos Salles, 350.

Valdemar was the only athlete in the family. He ran in competitions around Marilia.

Valdemar was 23 years old in 1944 - third on the right crouching.

Valdemar Darin was the baby-child of a large family. He was born in São José do Rio Pardo-SP in 25 April 1921. He was child number 13. His oldest brother Americo had been born in 1897, some 23 years before. He had 6 brothers and 6 sisters, even though the oldest had died in infancy.

When Valdemar was 6 years old the family moved to Marilia-SP so one could say Valdemar was raised as a true Mariliense. He went to school at First Group on Avenida Sampaio Vidal and later as a young man started working for the Pedutti brothers at Cine São Luiz and Cine Marília as did 2 of his older brothers, Octavio and João Baptista.  

The Darin brothers worked either at the film projector or at the door collecting tickets of those going in to watch Shirley Temple or Jeanette McDonald's movies.

1939 - calçada em frente ao Cine São Luiz, na rua 9 de Julho. Note o filme 'Rebecca of the Sunnybrook Farm' com Shirley Temple. 

Cine São Luiz - all Art-Deco - showing a Marx Brothers' movie and 'The adventures of Frank Merrywell' a 1936 serial.

Valdemar was the only Darin kid who had an interest in Athletics so he did a bit of track-and-field. Actually the guys only ran sprints in town and cities of the area like Baurú and Rio Preto.

In 1941, Valdemar served in Army in Quitaúna, São Paulo.

Valdemar met Maria José Nobrega aka Zezé, in 1946. She was an elementary teacher from Amparo who was working at the public school system in Marilia in order to get higher in her career. According to Sueli Darin, their daughter, Zezé was outraged when watching a musical flick at Cine S.Luiz the operator cut the scene where they sang 'Babalú', a very popular Cuban hit then. Zezé went up to the booth to complain. She was taken aback when she realized the operator was a very good looking chap. From then on it was just a matter of time until they got involved.  They got married on 6 September 1947, and Valdemar left Marilia for Amparo for good.

Waldemar Darin.

Waldemar Darin - 24 October 1945.

Waldemar Darin.

Valdemar Darin & Zezé Nóbrega hold their son João Baptista - Amparo-SP 31 July 1949. Zezé was pregnant of Suely then.

Valdemar & Zezé's 2nd child was a girl: Sueli Maria.

Dermânio da Silva Lima 1918-1959

Dermanio arriving at the finish line.  

On your marks, get set, go!

Dermanio excells at athletism in Marilia in the 1940s.

Three instances of the brilliance of Dermânio, Valdemar's mate who worked for the Pedutti brothers too.

Dermânio da Silva Lima was born in 17 May 1918, in Catanduva-SP. His father Joaquim Azevedo Lima and mother Raulina Rosa Lima moved to Marilia in 1927, the same year Valdemar Darin's family arrived in Alta Paulista [Paulista Highlands] as the region is known.

Dermanio started working for Emprêsa Theatral Pedutti that owned both Cine São Luiz and Cine Marilia besides dozens of movie-theatres in cities throughout São Paulo state.

Dermanio won his first competition in 1938 when he ran in the Corrida Volta de Marilia. In 1946 he was the Brazilian champion in Porto Alegre, following it up with a good position in the South American Championship in Santiago, Chile. In 1947 he ran in Rio de Janeiro-DF.

Besides working at Cine Marilia, Dermano was the organizer of the athletics department at the Pedutti Company. It was maybe through Dermanio that Valdemar got interested in athletics as there was no precedent in his family.

foto de Dermânio aparece em revista especial do 'Correio de Marília' em 1948.

As the Pedutti brothers needed to travel constantly they bought a Bonanza plane and Dermanio became the pilot of the company which had its headquaters in Botucatú-SP. 

 

On 19 April 1959, as Dermanio negotiated his plane on a regular taking off from the Campo-de-Marte airport in São Paulo something horribly wrong happened: the plane hit a near-by building and exploded in mid-air killing himself and Abraão Maluf and Sérgio Cavalheiro, two detectives from the technical police who Dermano was taking to Tupã-SP.  

I can still remember Dermanio's funeral. The wake was held at his family home at rua Paraná three blocks away from rua Mato Grosso where I used to live as a child. I was 10 years old in 1959 and still remember the huge commotion Dermanio's death caused in Marilia.

ROSA DARIN 1915 - 1996 (aunt)

Rosa Darin

My dearest aunt Rosa Darin was born at a rural property called Fazenda Nossa Senhora d' Apparecida do Rio Verde, in the municipality of São José do Rio Pardo-SP, on 22nd July 1915. 

Most of her life though her birthday was celebrated on the 24 of June, Saint John, the Baptist's feast day. I don't know why that happened and now it's too late to ask anyone. I remember going to her birthday parties when we still lived in Marília-SP, in the 1950s. Some time in the 1970s she needed a copy of her birth certificate and when it finally came from São José do Rio Pardo, to everyone's surprise her birthday was not at Saint John's as previously thought but a month later. After all, Rosa never was a Cancerian, she was a Leo, which makes more sense for those who know Astrology.  

In November 1927, when Rosa was 12 years old she moved to Marilia-SP with mother, father, 6 brothers, 5 sisters, a brother in law, two sisters-in-law, a few nephews and nieces, not to mention an uncle (Francesco Apolonio) and three cousins with a wife and child.

Rosa never got married. She had a few boy friends though; some of which she never failed to mention their names even in the 1990s when I made a point of talking to her about her youth. Among her more serious boy-friends I could mention Kaneno, who was a 'nissei' who adored her. I don't know why they never tied the knot but I may surmise that it must have been something related to race relations.

Rosa kept house for her old father until the end of his life. Rosa also helped raise a lot of her siblings' children notably João Baptista Darin Filho's son and 2 daughters.

Rosa was considered by many as a 'hoarder' and some criticized her for stashing 'useless' paper in suitcases and bags. Well, due to Rosa's 'hoarding' habits I was able to find out where the Darin Family originates from. Searching through Rosa's papers I found out her João Baptista Darin's real name was Marco Giovanni Battista Da Rin Zoldan, who was born in Vigo di Cadore, in the province of Belluno, in Italy.  If it wasn't for Rosa I would probably never have known it.

Rosa was a deeply religious woman until the last days of her life. She attended Mass almost daily. On Mondays she attended the 2:00 pm Mass at Marilia's Cemetery. I used to accompany her there  when I visited Marilia in the 1990s and after Mass we would visit sundry graves and auntie Rosa would tell me about their past lives.

When Rosa Darin died in 1996, I was living in Sydney, Australia. My cousin Hermina telephoned me to tell me the sad news and I made her promise me she would not chuck out the papers and photographs Rosa kept all her life. And here are some of the trove Rosa left us: 

a holy-card with Rosa's handwriting stating: Fazenda Apparecida do Rio Verde - março de 1925 - she was 9 years old then.

 Luiz Darin's Driver's License - 26 August 1928.

Marilia was a smaller place than Campos Novos Paulista, in 1928.

This probably 1928; a 13-year-old Rosa Darin is on the left; I was told the boy wearing a cap on the right is Valdemar Darin who would be 7 ears-old then. The house was on Avenida Rio Branco; they moved to Rua Campos Salles not too long after this. 

  Luiz Darin ten years later in 1938 holding his son Wandyr; beside his wife Corina Lopes.

Same day in 1938 - proud aunt Yolanda Darin & uncle João Baptista  holding nephew Wandyr; Waldemar is on the background on the left. Rosa Darin is on the right, cut out of the picture.

Casa Riopardense was the hardware-store Giovanni Battista Darin opened on the corner of rua São Luiz & rua Minas Gerais (later rua 9 de Julho) when he arrived in Marilia in November 1927.

5 August 1959 the Catholic Church promoted the 'Enthronenment of the Sacred Heart' - which was basically the blessing of this picture stating the names of those who lived in the house. A priest helped by altar-boys and other parishioners would go into each Catholic household and bless the holy picture with frankincense and some prayers. It was a big event in Marilia that took a whole week to cover all the suburbs in the city. I remember we would eagerly wait for the procession to get near our house and once they'd left, we, children followed them like the Pied Piper of Merlin and enter other people's house to snoop!

pedra fundamental da Igreja de São Sebastião - 13 March 1960.

after so many years they finally open Colégio Cristo Rei in 1967.

Francisco Vidrik was Mr. João Baptista Darin's business associate for some time.

Sebastiana Macera's good-bye to Mary's Daughters Holy Union in 1936 in order to marry Octavio Darin, Rosa's brother. As one can see Rosa kept the holy card for 60 years.

Pascoal Macera & Adelina Giovanni Macera's 50th wedding anniversary in 1951.

Domingos Macera was married to Nina Darin, who died in 1972; tio Mingo died 9 years later in 1981.

Maria Macera was Mingo's oldest sister. She'd been married to Augusto Vieira who was João Amorim's boss at a shoemaker's shop.

As Rosa Darin was a Santo Antonio parishioner she was used to father João Baptista Toffoli activities. This was January 1949, the year I would be born.

Rosa Darin em 1990, still living in Marilia-SP.

Rosa Darin & Luiz Amorim AKA Carlus Maximus in 1990 at her house on rua 9 de Julho, 2008.

Rosa Darin in 1990.

Rosa preparing lunch. She usually took her own time, but lunch was ready by 11 o'clock.

America Darin, Luiz Amorim & Rosa Darin in 1990.

This was the last time I saw my aunt America Darin; she died later in the year. After America's death on 11 March 1990, Rosa was the last member of the Darin family left in Marilia. From such a large family that pratically grew along-side Marilia it was almost unbelievable that Rosa was the last remaining member.

Rosa Darin died on 29 June 1996, a cold night. She was 80 years old and almost reached her 81st. According to accounts she died peacefully in her sleep in her own bed, in her own bed-room. She used to pray to have a 'quiet death'... and that's what she got it in the end. God bless her soul!  

Rosa Darin in a post-tinted black-and-white photograph.

4 shots of life in Marilia in the mid-1970s. Rita de Cassia Batista, her mother Maria Redondo (holding her granddaughter Ana Paula), Yolanda Darin (holding Herminia's son Rodrigo) and her sister Rosa Darin.

Clarice Sanches, Octavio Lignelli & cantores

Clarice Sanches recebendo algum prêmio nos anos 50; Wilson Matos segura o microfone da Radio Clube de Marilia.

Clarice Sanches acompanhada de Octavio Lignelli - o outro cantor deve ser Francisco Santos.

'Flor do amor' guarania written by Octavio Lignelli was the best selling 78 rpm recorded by Clarice Sanches & Francisco Santos.

'Minha vida em suas mãos' was the flip side of 'Flor do amor'. Note that this disc was made in Nova Iguassu, Estado do Rio de Janeiro. 

 'santinho' da missa de 7o. dia do falecimento de Clarice Sanches em 28 Junho 1971.

Nelson Gonçalves se apresenta em Marília, tendo Octavio Lignelli e seu regional acompanhando. Note Fausto Canova, 2o. à esquerda.

Octavio Lignelli & Ângela Maria, cantora-sensação dos anos 50.

Um jovem Octavio Lignelli com Francisco Alves, o maior cantor dos anos 30 & 40.