Eulogy – Barbara Palladino

Good morning. Thank you for coming to this service for Barbara Palladino. My name is Dave Osen. I am Randi’s husband, and I have known Barb for 26 years.

We found this box of caramel candies in the cupboard. It’s half full.
Just like this box of caramel candies, she is one of the sweetest and nicest persons that I have ever met.

I am a Navy veteran, and I have always appreciated the support that I received from the Palladino family over the years. I always like visiting Bennington. It’s a beautiful town. And I appreciate its military history dating back to the revolutionary war. Two U.S. Navy ships have been named after Bennington. Vermont is also a very independent state. It is full of very independent and strong willed people. It is the perfect place for a very independent and strong-willed family like the Palladino’s. I love the fact that Vermont was its own country before joining the United States. But that didn’t stop Vermonters from supporting our country’s struggle for independence 240 years ago. Vermonters know a thing or two about being independent. Feel the Bern.

Barbara Paladino was born in sunny southern California in Los Angeles on March 20th, 1934. Her family bucked a trend that had been in place for many years by actually moving EAST when she was a young girl, ultimately settling in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. After graduating from High School, she moved to Troy to work as a waitress in Manory’s Restaurant. That’s where she caught the eye of a young and ambitious short-order cook named Paul Palladino.

She was a young, energetic, vivacious red-head. Beautiful, and full of life. She was a real catch. Her good looks were a trait that she passed on to her children and grand-children.
Her natural, flaming red hair, and good looks, turned a lot of heads. Paul likes to recount the time in Las Vegas when he caught celebrities like Englebert Humperdick and Dan Rowan eyeing Barb when she passed them in a casino. Paul says that they passed them in the aisle in a casino. Both of them had their eyes fixed on Barb. After they passed, Paul looked back, and both of them still had their eyes fixed on Barb.

So, as we know, Paul was smitten, and the relationship that started at Manory’s eventually blossomed into a sixty-two year marriage. They had three children and four grand-children. All of whom are here with us today.

One time about fifteen years ago, when the grand-kids were in grade school at Sacred Heart, Randi remembers Barb saying, “I just hope I live long enough for them to remember me, and know how much I love them.” She got her wish. Her grandchildren are all now thriving young adults and they will always remember their grandmother who loved them dearly.

Early in their relationship, Paul became a manager at Ted’s Fish Fry and Barbara moved on to the Palace Diner. While working at Ted’s in 1965, Paul realized that he could bring that successful business model to this beautiful town just across the border in Vermont.

The story goes that Paul and Barbara took a drive to see the beautiful Vermont fall foliage. They stopped at an intersection where there was a closed gas station for rent. Paul told Barb, “This would be a great spot for a Fish Fry.” That changed history for Benningtonians and anyone who visited Bennington for the next 33 years. We all miss Paul’s Fish Fry.

Everyone knew Barb as that sweet woman with whom you place your order. And, she was the person who hand delivered your meal to you with a smile. She also breaded the fish. There has never been a better breaded fish.

Another interesting story about Barb is the time that a tall handsome gentleman arrived at the Fish Fry with a beautiful shirt on that had the sleeves torn off. Apparently, Barb disapproved of the shirt with the torn sleeves, and she scolded him by saying, “Why did you tear the sleeves off of a perfectly good shirt?” He just looked at her and smiled. Afterward, her son Dominic asked if she knew who that was. It was Kris Kristopherson who was in town filming a movie.

Paul’s Fish Fry was an exceptionally successful restaurant and a staple of the community for 33 years, but there was a catch. You could only go there in the spring, summer, and fall. Why? Because in the winter, they were “closed for the season, reason, freezin’!”.

In her spare time, Barbara liked to write letters to her friends and family, including extended family.

Can I have anyone who has ever received a letter from Barb to please raise their hand up high? She was a prolific writer. These weren’t just cards, they were hand-written letters, sometimes a few pages or more. It remains a mystery how she was able to write so many letters. The letters usually came with clippings from the paper, including puzzles, comics, and jokes, but they always included a nice uplifting message.

Another thing that she liked to do was meet her friends for coffee. She would typically meet every Wednesday at Benner’s on Main Street with Rosita Sleeman, Shirley Callahan, and Ruth Hogan. Sadly, Ruth passed away last year I believe. We know that Ruth was probably among the first to greet Barbara in heaven, and they will have LOTS to talk about.

Back to the letters, I mentioned that I served in the navy. Years ago, when I was on active duty, serving on submarines, I would go away for long deployments, and I would be at sea for days, weeks, even months at a time. Whenever, we would pull into port, I would always receive the most mail of anyone on the sub. I would get lots of letters and sometimes care packages from Barb. She would always write a number on the outside of the envelope to indicate in what order I should read the letters. That way, I could read a letter each day when I was at sea for long periods of time.

These caramel candies have a special meaning for us as well. Not only are they sweet, just like Barb. In Florida, their house is in a nice rectangular development. Every day, Barb could see when the mailman was delivering letters, and she knew when he drove by her house that he would be coming back the other direction soon. So, she would wait across the street for him with some letters and some caramel candies. The mailman would make a special stop for her and in exchange, he would get a sweet caramel treat for his trouble.

Like I said when I started, Barb is one of the sweetest people I have ever known. I hope that our Lord has enough of these caramel candies in heaven for everyone, because we all looking forward to sharing them with her when we get there.