Nicodemo and Raffaela
The children often turned to their mother and she was always there to help smooth the way as much as she could. She was also instrumental in saving the farm at one time. The Belluchies didn't use a bank so Raffaela took a gallon jug, cut a slit in it and hid it under the floor of the house. She put every bit of small change that she had in to it and didn't tell anyone of
its existence. Many small emergencies arose, but the family managed to survive then all and Raffaela resisted the urge to bring out the savings.
She continued to add her bits of change until a time came when a large sum of money was needed to save the farm. Nick was completely devastated and he felt that there was no way to raise the money. Raffaela went to
her hiding place and brought out the jug. She broke it open and when they had counted up all of the small change and silver dollars, they had over $100. This was more than enough to meet the emergency and Raffaela continued to use this as her method of savings for many year.
After Anna's birth, a boy child was still born and buried on the
ranch. When Raffaela was forty-six years old her last child, Vera was
born. in 1922, Angeline died and left behind five small children. Her
parents took in her infant twin daughters and young Mike to live with
them. Raffaela kept the babies until they were almost five years old,
but her health began to fail even more than it had over the last few
years. The many births and the hard work had finally taken their toll on
this wonderful woman and on May 21, 1931 she suffered a fatal stroke.
Her family were grief stricken. They all loved her very much and missed
the loving mother who had with stood so much. She had been the steady
hand at the wheel and she had raised her children with love and
devotion.
Life want on, the children grew up and started to raise families of
their own. Nick continued to live on the ranch and he farmed until he
was well into his eighties. He kept a cow or two and most of his
grandchildren remember how Grandpa could never stay very long on visits
as he always had a cow that was about to calve. Over the years, Nick
must have developed a tremendous her, but one that none of us ever say!
In 1954 Nick suffered a stroke and his, life on the farm came to an end.
He had made his home with daughter Mary for several winters, but now he
would live with her full time. It was this year that Nick was
named as the oldest father in Delta County and was honored, as such, by
the Delta County Cow belles.
Nick made a very good recovery from his stroke and in 1956 he went to
Grand Junction to make his home with Vera. One of his great joys during
that time was seeing his great-grandson, Scott Wiggins, into the world
and watching the baby grow.
In 1958, another of his great-grandson Ralph Core Jr. came to Delta from
Idaho and Nick went to visit the little boy. While at Mary's home, he
suffered another stroke and passed away on August 28. He had reached the
venerable age of ninety five and he had lived a life that had taken many
turns. He had worked hard and he had many adventures in his time, He
came to a country where he did not know anyone, couldn't speak the
language and yet he traveled from one end of it to another. He and
Raffaela raised a fine family of hard working, honest individuals and he
felt that he had everything that a man could want in life.
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