100 Years of Celebration with Helen and Shirley

ADALENA (HELEN) MARIE SANTOMASO

(AS WRITTEN BY DAUGHTER SHIRLEY)

Helen Santomaso was born January 2, 1913 at her parent’s farm home in Montrose, Colorado.  Her parents were Charles and Annunziata (DeJulio) English.  Both parents came from Italy and settled in Montrose, Colorado to farm.  Charles English first settled in Montrose, Colorado and sent for Annunziata DeJulio who was in Italy.  Once Annunziata and Charles were settled and began their life together with a family who included Adalena Marie English, 3 sisters named Fannie, Mary, Perena and 2 brothers, named Tony and Dominic.

Life was very harsh on the farm with no comforts – there was no running water, no electricity and the only heat in the house came from a coal stove.  My mother said at the age of 5 years old she was treated like a farm hand and ordered to work out in the field at 5 a.m. and did not return home until the sunset. Helen’s chores were many, such as feeding the cattle, pigs and chickens. She remembers to this day thinning beets in the field and helping bail hay. Her mother Annunziata worked in the fields but would return home to fix and pack lunches for the family and return to the fields to distribute the lunches.  The family did not have farm machinery but rather relied on horses to do the heavy work. My mother’s horse’s name was Nettie. There were numerous donkeys that she loved and thought were so cute, being the animal lover that she still is. On the fourth of July they were given a quarter each and told they could go to town to celebrate.  Their family prospered on their 100 acre farm providing them with the essentials they needed.  They were the first family in Montrose to buy a car, and have a phone. 

Adalena Marie English remained in Montrose, Colorado until she met her future husband, John Santomaso at a large Italian wedding.  They danced at the wedding and became a pair soon after.  In 1944 John Santomaso was discharged from the Army and they married.  The couple moved to Denver, Colorado in 1944 to seek better opportunities with only $50 and a few items loaded into their old pickup truck.  They drove down West Colfax seeking shelter as they entered Denver, CO.  They stopped at The White Swan motel and rented a room.  Both of them went to the unemployment office and found a job at Remington Arms.  Soon they saved enough money to pay cash for their first small home and had a child named Shirley Santomaso.

Helen Santomaso was a housewife for many years.  In 1956 she attended Mile High Beauty School and received her beautician’s license.  She remained a beautician from 1957 to 2002.  Once her husband died in 1977 Helen developed a friendship with her lady friend named Mickie. They had a ball for many years by going fishing almost every day, playing bingo, horse races, and dog races.  Helen Santomaso has outlived her entire family, both on her side and my father’s side.  She has outlived all of her friends of which she had many.