[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 142 (Wednesday, November 19, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1639-E1640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING RAFFAELA CICARELLI ON HER 100TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 19, 2014

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to rise today to 
wish Raffaela Cicarelli a very happy 100th birthday! Rae, a cousin of 
my mother Luisa, has been a very special part of my family's life and 
today she joins my mom as a centenarian!
  Rae's story is like that of many others of her generation. Born in 
Amalfi, Italy in November of 1914, her father left Italy for America 
when she was just a toddler. At the age of five, she, her mother and 
her uncle traveled to America to join him. Her family settled on 
Wooster Street in New Haven, Connecticut. Along with my grandparents, 
her parents ran Canestri's Pastry Shop above which both families lived.
  Rae received her education at Dante and Columbus Schools in New Haven 
and when she was old enough to work, she was employed by Strouse Adler 
located in New Haven, making garment labels for brassieres and corsets. 
She worked at Strouse Adler for thirty-two years. And, much like my own 
mother, after working her day job, Rae would come home and work at the 
pastry shop as a sales person.
  At just twenty-six years old, Rae married in St. Michael's Church in 
the heart of Wooster Square. After her wedding, she and her husband 
settled in a home on Lighthouse Road

[[Page E1640]]

and lived there for thirty-one years. She raised three children, two 
sons, Anthony and Albert, and one daughter, Joanne; and today she is 
the proud grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of another eight. 
After her husband passed away in 1979, Rae moved to Quinnipiac Avenue 
to live with her son.
  When Rae was young, she enjoyed basketball and baseball. At 100 years 
young, Rae enjoys doing word search puzzles, and watching and listening 
to her television. She is involved in recreational activities such as 
exercise groups, special events, entertainment and playing games such 
as Bingo, Pokeno, trivia, Five-Card Bingo and more. She is very active 
and recreates independently, praying the rosary, and reading prayers 
daily.
  Marking decades of hard work, this occasion reflects an important 
milestone in Rae's life. Over the years, she has witnessed remarkable 
changes and extraordinary progress--indeed, she has lived through some 
of the most exciting times on our nation's history. I am honored to 
call her family and very proud to stand today to wish Raffaela 
Cicarelli a very happy 100th birthday! My very best wishes for many 
more years of health and happiness.

                          ____________________