Celebrating the Life of a Dear Friend: And St. Mary's Was There

Words have escaped me as of late. Perhaps it is because I am consumed with sorrow. My dearest childhood friend has gone to Our Lord. Christine Marie teRiele Ross fought long and hard and now she is at peace. I am relieved that she is no longer suffering. However, my heart aches at the loss her family is feeling. She and her husband Dave have been married for 45 years. I was honored that "Chrissy" asked me to be one of her bridesmaids at her wedding. At the time, I was in Spain and I was not able to get back in time which I regret, but God's Will be done.

It all started in kindergarten with Mrs. Robinson at the Central School on Champlain Avenue. Tony Bevilacqua, "Bones", was recalling that when I met up with him at the funeral. Tony lived on Champlain Avenue same as I did. Then, we went to Saint Mary's School which was literally in my backyard. In fact, my grandmother owned the property that the school was on. I think they rented it for a dollar a year.

Note I wrote over 60 years ago to my childhood friend

In first grade, Sister Mary Mark gave me a small white statue of the Pieta. I remember Christine admiring it. She wanted to make a trade. She had a holy card. We made the trade.

Then, one day, Christine decided that she wanted me to ride the bus with her home from school. Her family lived on Warner Hill Road in a little red house. It was on the outskirts of town. Christine assured me that it would be okay. Thus, I rode the bus with her that day.

We picked apples from the nearby orchard. Afterward, her father drove me home with a bag of apples in tow.

Christine's father's family came over from Holland after the war. Christine was proud of her Dutch heritage. She reveled in telling me stories such as how her father sat on the milk bucket as though it were a commode so that the Germans would not steal the family's milk.

I used to spend the night at her family's home often while growing up. They lived in practically every house on the Fort Road. Indeed, some of those houses are purportedly haunted. Soldiers were hastily buried on the properties. Christine and I used to dig for artifacts. We would find beads and arrow heads, blue glass bottles and all sorts of interesting things. This was after she fetched the eggs for her mother.

Her mother made the best chocolate cake with these eggs. She used that Hershey's recipe which incorporated mayonaise. We always had "cheerios" for breakfast. I recall Christine saying,

"Mom, you better give Virginia more Cheerios because there is only one and it is drowning in her milk."

I was glad to get more cereal too. Only sometimes, when there was no chocolate cake, Mr. teRiele would tease me and ask if I would like dessert. When I acquiesced, he would announce, "Well, there is no chocolate cake!" Then he would laugh. He would do this on a regular basis.

"Tilly", Christine's mother used to wash her dishes with Octagon. She saved the yellow plastic bottles for us to make crafts with. She had Elmer's glue and a jar filled with buttons. There were bits of red gingham fabric too. I made a pig out of one of these bottles. I often find myself in the soap aisle in the store looking for Octagon. They came in yellow and pink bottles. It is hard to find today though I did manage to find a bottle not too long ago at Chanatry's.

Speaking of dishes, Tilly got a new set of Corelle dishes back in the early 70's. They were supposed ot be breakproof. Well, didn't Jeanne decide to put this to the test. She hurled a plate at me, "Here Virginia, catch!" Only to have it break to smitherings.

Chrissy's family also lived along the railroad tracks behind Fort Ticonderoga. Her paternal grandparents lived adjacent to the row of little white houses at the Fort farm. Her father was a gardner at the Fort. He was also a farmer, and he painted houses. He used to give my mother fresh liver so that she would have iron rich blood.

Well, I remember one Saturday being down there at their row house. It was a cold snowy day. Tilly was scrounging change from a jar so that all the kids would have 50 cents to go to see the movie 'Bambi' in town at the State Theater. I never knew anyone who loved Disney movies the way Chrissy did. Indeed, later in life, Chrissy and Dave would take their family to Disney World in Florida. This annual reunion satisfied her childlike wonder and that which she instilled in her beautiful daughters. They, like their mother, have big hearts and vivid imaginations.

Speaking of pigs, Christine's father was raising a pig. Jeanne named the pig "Irma" which was actually Jeanne's first legal name. They were at the old Murray house at this time. This was just above the house before the original Fort entrance. Jeanne, Chrissy's older sister grew very attached to this pig. Her father was butchering it. Jeanne was very upset. I can still see that pig hanging from the front porch rafter.

My sister Annie was always at the teRiele house too as she and Jeanne were best friends. Sometimes my other sister Lizzy would be there too.

One time Jeanne played a trick on me. She told me to go in a room upstairs. "I am here Virginia - over here." Her father had just gotten out of the shower! Jeanne was dying of laughter when I discovered this as she sent me to the "wrong room". Her father had a nickname for me "Sneaky Peek".

My first time on a horse took place in the pasture at this house. I was sitting bareback on the horse, and he took off like lightening. Thank God I had the presence to duck, or the branches from the tree in the center of the pasture would have had my head.

Mr. teRiele was an usher at church. When I did not have any babysitting money, he would enjoy embarrassing me by shaking the collection basket in front of me.

As we grew, there continued to be sleepovers at the teRiele's house. We would play board games, hide and seek, tell ghost stories and one time we had a beauty pageant. That was when more classmates were there. I used my sleeping bag as a makeshift gown. We would all do a catwalk on top of the picnic table. I can still see Roslyn Stanley's reaction.

We shared our LP's from Newberry's. Some of us would sing. Chrissy's cousin Shelly had a nice voice. I can still hear her singing that Michael Jackson song 'Ben' that he sang to his rat! It was Michael Jackson's first solo hit.

We also did imitations. Mary Jo Reale liked my imitations that I had on my cassette recorder. I taped the characters from 'The Walton's'.

Christine had a phenomenal sense of humor. Prank phone calls were the thing back then. Chrissy would dial a number, and disguise her voice, "Bob's Billiard, we stack them and you whack them." or "Is your refrigerator running? Well, you better go catch it."

I remember Chrissy's brother Timmy bumping his head. Chrissy was scared seeing all the blood. Her little brother had to have stitches.

Chrissy was a hard worker. She worked at "Bunny's" after school and in the summer in addition to doing her chores around the farm. I picked strawberries at Densemore's one summer and then when I was going in tenth grade, I worked at Fort Ticonderoga selling ice cream cones.

We graduated from Saint Mary's in 1973. We loved our time there and, as often is the case, we probably did not realize how much we loved it until we left it. We mourned it even more, when sadly, one day, it was closed.

All the church socials would take place in St. Mary's gym though. There would be spaghetti suppers that Babe Smith headed. Cake and brownies dusted with powdered sugar were for dessert. They usually took place on Holy Thursday before the Vigil Mass.

There were school concerts and plays that were held there. Our church celebrated the feast days particularly, those honoring Our Blessed Mother. There were events held in the basement of the church too. I remember a Tin Pan Alley night - with food and entertainment. I can still see our neighbor Mrs. Malaney singing. There used to be CYO dances held there. There did not seem like there was so much activity after Vatican II. I mean, we went to our CCD classes at our former Alma Mater. Father Salmon took a group of kids to Glens Falls on a roller skating trip one time.

Thankfully, today, things are in full swing thanks to Sister Sharon. My sister Karlene also does a lot in keeping the parish alive and well. There are May Crownings. Karlene continues to teach Catechism as does Tommy Jebb.

We went to high school. We swam at the Ti Beach. One time, Chrissy and a whole group of friends went to swim out to Turtles' Rock. "Come on Virginia!" She exclaimed. I was too embarrassed to admit that I was a poor swimmer. It was over my head, and the water was wavy that July day. I barely made it, but by the grace of God, I did make it.

When I turned 18, Chrissy wanted to honor my birthday with my first taste of liquor. Eighteen was the legal age then. There was Seven-Up and something else. She poured libations as we sat in the sand not far from where Mr. Baker's camp boys swam. I rode the bus home from the beach and I was dizzy. I went to bed when I got home - sicker than a dog.

Then we would lector on the altar together at church. Only one time, I read the instructions that Father Salmon had printed out: "Be sure to read after the prayer intercessions...." I was reading aloud the instructions when it dawned on me, that I was to only read about praying for the sanctity of life. I was mortified when I realized this, and I broke out into uncontrollable laughter. Chrissy was right beside me - laughing alongside.

We laughed together and we prayed together. She even gave me the chance to work in her floral shop. Chrissy was very creative. I always was in awe of her imagination. She decorated her father's hay wagon for the Fourth of July parades. It was usually a Dutch theme and it usually took first place.

Besides our 8th grade class trip, we took the bus up to Montreal another time to Brother Andre's Oratory. We sang all the way home. Chrissy loved the songs from 'The Sound of Music'.

Chrissy was generous in the way that my niece Susan and my Aunt Mary are. She never counted the cost and she gave and gave. When my brother Karl died, she came over to Grampa's house with a huge bag of groceries. When my brother Thomas had knee replacement surgery, she made him a potroast dinner. When Annie was recuperating from a surgery, once again, Chrissy came through with a potroast dinner. In fact, Chrissy taught me how to make potroast. Thanks to her, my pot roasts are her trademark tender.

Chrissy was there for me when I entered religious life. Uncle H.G. hired Bill Hogle to drive his van with all the family in it down to the Bronx. Chrissy helped me move in. She unpacked and she even made the bed up for me. I remember that the late Cardinal O'Connor was very taken with her. He loved her spirit. Chrissy bestowed a beautiful ceramic Crucifix which hangs in the refectory there to this day.

Later, when His Eminence died, Chrissy went down with me for his funeral at Saint Patrick's Cathedral. We both looked at each other as my friend Helene's cell phone rang during the Service.

Chrissy has been there for all the milestones in my life. She was more than a friend. She was like a sister to me. She gave me the honor of being her middle daughter Katrina's Godmother. She helped with my auction when I was raising funds to join 'Up With People'. She was a bridesmaid when I got married. The bridesmaids wore Black Watch tartans over their shoulders. Chrissy knew how I always loved plaid. Many of her gifts to me had plaid on them. She also gave me many gifts made by her own hands. I have a prayer shawl, a hand crocheted blanket,and her beaded pictures of Our Lord. She gave me an Adirondack wood burning with our family name etched on it. She framed our wedding invitation. There are countless, thoughtful gifts and gestures that remind me of my friend's talent and goodness.

Every time I came to town, Christine put the kettle on. Everyone was welcome at her table. She put on wonderful Fourth of July gatherings. However, even when she was weak and tired, and in pain, she still rose above herself to share a meal.

Chrissy volunteered and later worked at the ARC of Essex County. It was natural for Christine to welcome these folks, that others in society might overlook, at her table. One in particular, was my Aunt Betty. Christine was so kind and good to her. Christine would drive her down to the Roma in Whitehall and treat Aunt Betty to a spaghtetti dinner. Aunt Betty loved babies and Chrissy would share hers with my Aunt - making her feel very special.

One time, Chrissy called up Wendy Shaw. Told her to meet her at the Montcalm Manor where they would make rootbeer floats for the residents.

On this day, Wendy flew up from Florida to honor her friend as they both have fought this battle.

Chrissy's brother Peter flew in from California. Dave's brother Rob flew in from Colorado. Michelle Espinola drove over from New Hampshire. Renate drove up from Boston.

Many folks came from near and far. There was a good representation from the LaPointe family I am proud to say, and Saint Mary's was there.

 Many of her classmates from Saint Mary's came because they all were touched by her life: Denise, Julie, Valerie, Elliott,Mary Jo McAllister, Tony and Peter, her cousin Shelly and my brother Henry. Loretta, Renate and Mickey came from our high school class of 1977. Lynn would have been there if it had not stormed the previous day. Our renown English teacher, Mrs. McKeown, was even there. This is remarkable because she herself is undergoing treatment.

I would recount the story of riding the bus with Christine one last time. Her eyes opened. She tried to smile. She heard and she knew who it was.

Christine Marie teRiele Ross

On this day, I donned my plaid, Royal Stewart, scarf. I read once again on the altar, only this time, I was not laughing. I read from the Book of Proverbs 31:10-31 about a woman of valor:

Who can find a woman of valor......who stretches her hands out to the poor, she reaches forth her arms to the needy.

Christine's devoted husband David found this treasure in his beloved wife. Indeed, we have all found this if we have been blessed enough to know her.