Augustine J. “Gus” Palazzo, <st1:stockticker>DDS</st1:stockticker> (1928-2017)

Fond Memories…“You Got That Right!”

Behind the tear I shed as I remember you, Dear Cousin and Godfather, is a smile that fills, calms, and uplifts my soul. Its source is the wonderful memories that we shared. These memories reflect and are enriched by your sharp intellect with its remarkable recall and quick wit; your natural ability to elicit laughter through jokes and riddles; your love for cuisine and the gusto with which you enjoyed eating, sharing, and sampling it; your enthusiasm for the start of the football season and especially for the yearly Army-Navy Game; your kind and giving spirit; and your sincere concern for the health and well-being of others. Yep, even now I can hear you saying, “You got that right!”

Whether in our homes on Norwood Street on either side of Snyder Avenue every Tuesday or Thursday evening when our families dined together or at Atlantic City in the courtyard at Contadina’s apartment just next door to the Killarney Tavern, on the sandy beach, or in the surf we shared life as one large family. Upon returning home from your tour of duty in Japan you graciously presented me with a pair of silk pajamas. I watched you receive your bachelor degree from Drexel University at Convention Hall and to this day I recall the motivational mantra of the honored guest speaker, namely, “Go West, Young Man.” And though you chose to go north, on Broad Street, you followed your dreams with the determination the speaker had encouraged to Temple University’s Dental School. There you drilled out and filled all of my thirteen cavities. You may not have realized it but with each tooth you taught me the importance of compulsive dedication to learning and to developing clinical expertise, both of which lived on in me throughout my practice of medicine.

Though life’s pursuits and responsibilities caused our lives to diverge, duties and new responsibilities permitted us to reunite. First was the death of your most loved Mother, my Aunt Mary, in December 1995. Next was the arrival of my parents to our home in Arkansas in 2005. Mother’s hearing impairment and difficulty with operating a cell phone provided opportunities for us to speak whenever I answered a call from you or placed one for her to you. My Mother’s funeral in 2014 permitted some quality time together. Thereafter we communicated regularly. Amazingly, your wit, your memory, your love for good food, and your gift for generating laughter never waned despite a hiatus of years and its usual effects on cognitive function. God had blessed you with a truly gifted mind that remained resilient right up until He called you home. Praise His Holy Name for this and for the opportunity He gave me to know you and to enrich my life thereby.  

We are told in Revelation 19 about the marriage supper of the Lamb. What a time of rejoicing that will be when all of the saved in heaven, the church, will be eternally united with their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Loved ones will be reunited there and will once again enjoy the opportunity to dine with each other and with their God. I know of no one else who will enjoy the feast more than you, Godfather. With eager anticipation I look forward to hearing the stories you will tell and to experiencing the laughter with which they will fill us once again.

Till then, Godfather, God bless you with restful peace. Come, Lord Jesus! Amen!

With love, your Godson,

David

(David J. Marzewski, M.D.)