There were plenty of memories at the DelFino homestead on 94 Simmonsville Ave. in Johnston this weekend.
The stories of yesteryear were as plentiful as the number of passers-by, many of whom stopped to watch what Billy Gober called “a shame, another piece of history gone” and ladies like Robin Mink Okolowitz said conjured “cherished memories to last lifetime.”
Saturday began, in fact, just like the days of old when family and friends would meet at the DelFino homestead for everything from coffee and donuts to special social and holiday gatherings.
Richard and Deb DelFino turned back the hands of time, resembling the days when the late Marie and Richard DelFino welcomed people to their home, which was once the only house on Simmonsville Avenue.
Sometime around 6:45 a.m., people began gathering at the DelFino’s long-time home located on a small hill at 287 Simmonsville Ave. It overlooks the one-time homestead built in 1870, with fieldstones collected from area farms and occupied through the years by five generations of DelFinos.
“The original stone house was one of the oldest homes in Johnston,” Richard DelFino Jr. explained. “There were two stories, five rooms, two fireplaces … a wood addition was built in the 1920s and featured floor joints built with wood rough timber honed by the family and the house was home for my parents [Marie and Richard Sr.] until the passed away in 2017.”
DelFino Jr., after pausing to welcome more friends who stopped by the old homestead to watch the demolition done by a family friend Nicola Ricci of Rhode Island Construction, further explained: “The house was not salvageable because the stone foundation was collapsing with age.”
As the day wore on, upwards of four-dozen people – including Johnston’s new Police Chief Joseph P. Razza – stopped by and relived mighty memories of the year’s gone by at the DelFino homestead. As Patricia Avitable said, “Although I was in the house only once, I will never forget the inside.”
That’s because, Richard DelFino Jr. pointed out: “Many of the people who stopped by here today have fond and loving memories of family members Cecelia and Paul, Margaret and Anthony [Felix] and most notably my parents [Marie and Richard Sr.] who were all part of the homestead from the 1950s to 2017.”
Although the stone walls succumbed to time, people shared stories about the days when family and friends sat around the homestead’s wood stove – which provided heat from wood Richard Sr. chopped – or in the oversized dining room during the holidays or simply sitting by the fieldstone fireplace or quietly reading in Marie’s sitting room.
For Al Gomes, the DelFino homestead was where he enjoyed his “best Thanksgivings.” He told Richard DelFino Jr. about “your mother’s great library and those amazing parties in the backyard.”
“Thank you again for letting all of us visit one last time and take a piece of this history back to our homes as a keepsake,” he said.
Meanwhile, Robert A. DelFino Sr. said, “the old homestead was truly a remarkable place. I spent many weekends there with my grandparents at an early age … it was a wonderful time I’ll never forget.”
Like most people related and recanted with story upon story Saturday, the demolition especially tugged at David DelFino’s heartstrings.
The youngest son of Richard Jr. and Deb, David enjoyed running around the homestead lot with his older brother Richard’s two sons – Richard IV and Luca – and perhaps it was his way of hiding the sadness at seeing place where he spent much of his childhood come tumbling down.
“I have only the best memories of the house,” David DelFino, who is now a successful teacher-coach, offered. “I remember sitting on Senior’s bed chatting or listening to Marie read us a story … the holidays, cookouts, golf cart rides … those memories will live forever.”
For much of the daylight hours Saturday when the DelFino homestead was being taken down, people like Debra McLaughlin recalled “the home of very sweet and kind people I remember visiting with Linda DelFino when I was a teenager.” Ladies like Darlene Harwood Fashjian offered, “I have amazing memories of this amazing house and Marie and Richard DelFino [Sr.]”
So, as the lyrics of Rosemary Clooney’s “This Ole House” go: “Ain’t a-gonna need this house no longer, ain’t a-gonna need this house no more; he’s a gettin’ ready to meet the saints.”
To which people like Raymond DelSanto told Richard and Deb DelFino: “Memories are forever; future DelFinos have quite a legacy and now will be creating their own. Praise Jesus now and forever.”
Now, a one-time Johnston landmark is now a vacant lot. When asked if he has any plans for future use, Richard DelFino Jr. offered with a special smile on his face: “For now, we’ll savor all the memories and kindnesses people offered when they learned the homestead was beyond repair. We have two grandchildren and I’m sure they would love having 94 Simmonsville Ave. as their future mailing address.”
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