Adele Annesi

Adele F. Annesi
Beloved mother, family member and friend Adele F. Annesi passed peacefully from this life Tuesday, April 21, 2020, at the Genesis St. John Paul II Center in Danbury, CT.
Born and raised in the village of Castelvecchio, Italy, Adele lived by the motto that no matter the cost, people should never give up and should fight for what they believe in. Until her passing at the age of 98, Adele, a World War II survivor and a woman of independent spirit, lived by these ideals.
Adele first arrived in the U.S. on May 17, 1949. She planned to be in the country only long enough to help her father, Ferrante Frattini, get back on his feet after devastating losses in the Great Depression. But it soon became clear that Adele's father, whom she hadn't seen since he left Italy when she was three, also leaving his wife of only four years, Antonia, and an infant son, Cleto, was ill and needed extended care.
Adele's father had come to the U.S. in 1924, planning to stay just a few years. Then in 1929 the stock market crashed. While he had regained some financial footing by working as a stonemason, after 22 years he deeply missed his family and wrote home saying, "Even if it's only for one day, I want to see someone from my family." Having broken her engagement and finally able to leave home, Adele replied in kind. "Even if it's only for one day, I will come."
On May 14, 1949, an excited young woman of 28 sailed into New York harbor. From the deck of the steamship, she spied her father, whom she recognized only from photos. From the ship's rail, she threw him a package she had protected since leaving Italy. Half of a lonsa, an Italian version of American bacon, went sailing shipside in greeting.
After arriving in Ridgefield, Adele settled into her new environment. Although happy to be reunited, her father had difficulty accepting her as an adult. The shock would take time to overcome so Adele applied for a visa extension. The first letter of appeal was sent on her behalf to John Lodge of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In November 1949, Adele's father was hospitalized. Although Adele received the first of several extensions to her temporary stay, her desire to provide ongoing companionship for her father became her primary goal.
In May 1950, Adele's cousin Nancy Servadio requested a second extension with the help of prominent Ridgefield resident George Rockwell and Senator Brien McMahon. With McMahon's help, Adele received another six-month extension. But the extensions seemed only to postpone her eventual deportation from her father and the country she had come to love.
In spring 1951, Adele's father still needed stability, but the law mandated that anyone seeking permanent residence or citizenship and had exhausted their stay had to leave the country and reenter then apply for a permanent residency visa. Adele didn't feel she could leave her father even for a short time so Senator McMahon conveyed the situation to the officer in charge of the U. S. Department of Justice in Hartford, CT.
Although there seemed no way forward, officials reviewed Adele's case. Senator McMahon worked to pass a bill through Congress allowing Adele permanent residence. Rockwell added a character reference, but the bill didn't make the legislative docket. McMahon promised to press for early consideration of the bill during the next session.
In winter 1952, the Immigration Department conducted a formal inquiry and filed an official report stating that Adele had violated the 1924 Immigration Act by remaining in the country. A warrant was issued for her arrest, and deportation became a real possibility
In an effort to intervene, Nancy Servadio wrote to Senator McMahon. His response came the next day. The report was unfavorable; the committee had not acted on the bill, and on March
17 the bill was postponed indefinitely. McMahon immediately requested reconsideration, and the chair of the Senate Judiciary advised him that the request would be granted.
Finally, on July 5, a telegram arrived from McMahon in Washington, DC, saying that Private Relief Bill S. 1479 had passed the House the day before. On July 15, 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed the bill into Private Law 883, stating that Ms. Frattini "shall be held and considered to have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence." Ten days later, Brien McMahon, previously considered a presidential hopeful for the Democratic Party, died of a spinal ailment.
In 1955, Adele married John F. Annesi, whom she met while working as a seamstress at his tailor shop in Ridgefield. In 1957, they had a daughter. By January 1960, the family was living in Long Island, NY, and Adele finally received her certificate of naturalization with a letter of congratulations from Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. Reflecting on these efforts and on her distance from family over many years, Adele remained satisfied with her decision. "This country offers everything, then and now. If you don't want to go to school, go to work. There's always something to do if you want to and never give up."
Adele F. Annesi would have been 99 on June 7. She is survived by her daughter, Adele M. Annesi. A memorial service will be announced at a future time. Offerings can be sent to the Genesis St. John Paul II Center, Recreation Department in Memory of Adele Annesi, 33 Lincoln Avenue, Danbury, CT 06810.