Velma Jane Vento
June 15, 1926 - April 14, 1999
Beloved mother of seven - Still loved in heaven
Velma was the second child of Jane Vento and the first child of Peter Vento. Velma was an adorable baby and the little darling of the Vento/Mirto clan.
Velma’s mother, Jane Yeaple-Vento, was of Dutch heritage. Velma’s father, Peter, was of Italian heritage.
Velma grew up very poor. They lived in an apartment above a bar in old Newburgh. Velma who blossomed as a young woman was very beautiful. She hated having to cross paths with the drunks hanging out in front of her doorway gawking at her as she climbed the stairs to their second floor apartment.
Their home had an iron stove which, not only was used for cooking, but heated their hot water. It would have to be stoked with wood to heat the house and generate hot water. Showers weren’t bearable until the water was heated. They also heated water for washing clothes. The house was always cold in the mornings until the stove was stoked.
Velma’s mother, Jane, was a very tidy housekeeper and Velma remembered her mother on her hands and knees scrubbing the floors while singing gospel hymns. Jane ironed clothes with an old cast iron, set on the stove long enough to get hot. One time while ironing, Jane got mad at Pete and threw the iron at him, missing, but the iron stuck right into the wall. Pete often was in the dog house with Jane when he’d flirt with other women.
They were so poor that Velma and Jane had to wash out old rags for their womanly cycles. Velma walked miles to school, in all kinds of weather, and often times she’d take a shortcut through the park which was frightening encountering the tramps that lived there.
Velma’s brother, Don, got in some trouble as a teen and caused his mother a lot of heart ache. He was a bit of a rebel. Their father, Pete wasn’t much of a disciplinarian to Don. Maybe he didn’t feel right disciplining the son that was not his by birth. Maybe Jane stepped in too many times. You see Jane was a victim of incest by her Uncle and it resulted in a pregnancy. She gave birth to Don and kept the child, which was a brave thing to do in those days. A single mother was not something too many people looked kindly on. Jane was emotionally scarred by her childhood and trusted few men. But somehow Pete swept her off of her feet and married her.
Read about when Velma meets Bill......
Velma’s mother, Jane Yeaple-Vento, was of Dutch heritage. Velma’s father, Peter, was of Italian heritage.
Velma grew up very poor. They lived in an apartment above a bar in old Newburgh. Velma who blossomed as a young woman was very beautiful. She hated having to cross paths with the drunks hanging out in front of her doorway gawking at her as she climbed the stairs to their second floor apartment.
Their home had an iron stove which, not only was used for cooking, but heated their hot water. It would have to be stoked with wood to heat the house and generate hot water. Showers weren’t bearable until the water was heated. They also heated water for washing clothes. The house was always cold in the mornings until the stove was stoked.
Velma’s mother, Jane, was a very tidy housekeeper and Velma remembered her mother on her hands and knees scrubbing the floors while singing gospel hymns. Jane ironed clothes with an old cast iron, set on the stove long enough to get hot. One time while ironing, Jane got mad at Pete and threw the iron at him, missing, but the iron stuck right into the wall. Pete often was in the dog house with Jane when he’d flirt with other women.
They were so poor that Velma and Jane had to wash out old rags for their womanly cycles. Velma walked miles to school, in all kinds of weather, and often times she’d take a shortcut through the park which was frightening encountering the tramps that lived there.
Velma’s brother, Don, got in some trouble as a teen and caused his mother a lot of heart ache. He was a bit of a rebel. Their father, Pete wasn’t much of a disciplinarian to Don. Maybe he didn’t feel right disciplining the son that was not his by birth. Maybe Jane stepped in too many times. You see Jane was a victim of incest by her Uncle and it resulted in a pregnancy. She gave birth to Don and kept the child, which was a brave thing to do in those days. A single mother was not something too many people looked kindly on. Jane was emotionally scarred by her childhood and trusted few men. But somehow Pete swept her off of her feet and married her.
Read about when Velma meets Bill......