Bernadine Crimaldi (nee Wickham). Beloved mother of Regina S. Houseman (Terry), Samuel (Lois) and Maryann Crocker (Stoney); loving grandmother of 5; great grandmother of 4. Graveside Funeral Service Saturday February 20. 2009 at 1:00 pm in the Stone Chapel of Riverside Cemetery, 3607 Pearl Road, Cleveland. (Please meet at the Stone Chapel) Friends may call at the BUSCH FUNERAL HOME, 4334 Pearl Road, Cleveland on Friday February 19
from 2-4 & 6-8 pm. 216-741-7700

Bernadine Crimaldi a self described “country girl” started life on July 17, 1921. She the first child of Nathan and Mary Angeline Wickham in Caldwell, Ohio located in the southern part of the state in Noble County. Her parents were farmers and lived down in the holler, up on Archer’s Ridge.
Mom often told stories of growing up on a farm without electricity or indoor plumbing. She would wake early in the morning to milk the cows, feed the chickens, and hoe the corn. It was hard work, but she enjoyed it. It was a simpler time and a simpler life that she never forgot. She went to a one-room schoolhouse and lived close to all of her relatives and knew her neighbors. Saturdays were spent riding in a horse and buggy or later a Model T to town to see the band concerts and walk around the square saying “hello” to all the boys with her cousin Martha Belle and her sisters Pauline and Nadine. Although it was the Depression, they did not feel its full effect and her father Nathan sought to help those less fortunate by loading up the buggy with apples and other produce to give away in town.
Life was simple in the small town of Caldwell during that time and so was the medicine. Two tragedies arose that altered the times. Mom contracted Rheumatic fever because antibiotics had not yet been discovered. She spent a year being bed-bound and suffering through home remedies such as “pole cat” grease rubs. Eventually, she overcame the disease and recovered fully except for a slight heart murmur. The second tragedy was the death of her sister, Blanch, from pneumonia at the age of two. Her mother sank into a deep depression until her youngest sister, Nadine was born.
Shortly after Mom graduated from high school in 1939 her mother passed away from cancer. The war had begun by this time and Mom went to find work in the woolen mills in Zanesville. She eventually followed various jobs into Cleveland where she met and married Joseph Crimaldi, a veteran of World War II.
They moved to a new development in Maple Heights where my brother Samuel and sister Maryann were born. After two miscarriages and thirteen years, she had her last child, me (Regina) in her forties. She later divorced and moved to Cleveland.
We started off on the East side of Cleveland near Cleveland Clinic and eventually moved to the West side near MetroHealth. By the time I was five, both my brother and sister were off on their own leaving just mom and me. We weren’t rich, but we did have some good times.
Mom was a joyful person and loved going places, especially amusement parks. She remained on good terms with her ex-husband, and he would often take us to Geauga Lake where Mom loved to ride all the rides. She loved them more than me or her grandchildren did! Her adventurous spirit also led us to museums, flower shows, and even boat shows. She also loved downtown Cleveland parades and seldom missed them. Her favorite was the Thanksgiving Day parade that she took my nephew and me to every year. Her spirit was infectious, and even though we whined about being cold we always ended up having a good time.
Mom also had a compassionate spirit. This compassion extended to every living thing. She would often counsel me on how wrong it was to kill an ant or a fly that she considered “friends.” Stray cats and dogs were her friends as well, and we had many over the years. Later I would often make her laugh by helping her to recall their names: Peachy, Pumpkin, Bobtail, and her favorite Monkey-Pig. One of her most cherished possessions was a picture I painted of a dog named Poss and a cat named Uggy. Her last pet, a loud spoiled Siamese cat named Bo, now lives with me.
Mom also had a good sense of humor. No matter what she was always able to laugh and make others laugh as well. There was a twinkle in her eye that always made you smile. She loved telling stories of her uncle Dock that ate a lot of beans. You can guess the rest!
Even after the Alzheimer’s disease struck, Mom was able to keep her positive outlook and her joyful spirit. There were bad days, of course, but there were more good days. I was often surprised by how many people she touched. People at the nursing home would comment on how much they loved her sunny disposition. Even the ambulance driver commented on her positive light.
Maybe that positive light came from the fact that she always looked for the good in people. She often told me that no one is all bad, and we should try to think of how they must be feeling. This lesson was her greatest gift to her children and grand children. It is a legacy that is intangible, yet profound. It will always live in my heart and so will she.