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.
Don was about 4 years older than Velma. Maybe Don could see a different relationship between his Dad and his sister. Maybe he saw a different love there. Children are pretty wise and pick up on those things. Don may have been a little jealous of Velma for that reason and he was always tormenting poor Velma, pushing on her nose and slugging her. Velma always believed that’s why her nose was so big, while in actuality it was just a good “Roman” nose. She didn’t realize Don’s nose was different because he didn’t have any Italian in him. He had only Dutch genes. Jane and Pete kept the secret about Don’s birth from their children until Jane had passed away and Pete was on his death-bed. That was when Pete told Don that he’d been adopted. I’m not sure if Don was ever told if he was a child of incest. As it was, Don was devastated by the news.
Jane’s family, the Yeaples, had an apple farm outside of town. They would bring a bag of apples for the Ventos but only the tarnished ones with pits and worm holes. Either way, the Ventos were so poor, they were glad to get them.
Pete worked as a salesman for Friedman’s Department Store, 69 William St. in Newburgh, NY. Slim, nice looking, and always well dressed, Pete was quite a flirt. He excelled at the store and soon he was buyer, then manager. When Morris Friedman retired, Pete bought the store and the building. At first Jane was against it, but i the store provided a roof over their head for many years though.
Although they were poor, there were lots of people poorer in Newburgh. It was a very depressed area although Newburgh was initially a beautiful city, housing Washington’s headquarters, on the Hudson River. However, it eventually spiraled downward into slums and a large African American population. It was in serious decline after Pete bought the store. Neighborhood-by-neighborhood became more dangerous, dirty, and in disrepair.
Velma was use to hearing people sing. Her Poppa Mirto sang (like an opera star), her father sang at public events such as weddings), and her mother always sang hymns when she was doing housework. So, Velma sang, and she had an amazing voice. She became a semi-professional ballroom dancer as well. As a young adult, Velma danced and sang at the upscale nightclub at Bear Mountain where many New York city dwellers came on the weekends.
Velma started singing and dancing in high school. She sang “Tangerine” in the high school talent show and got a standing ovation. From then on she was called “Tangerine” by her classmates.
Velma couldn’t wait to get out of Newburgh. It is thought that Velma was determined she would find a husband at West Point and get out of Newburgh. She was so beautiful and talented, she caught the eye of many cadets when she got a job at West Point working for Colonel Weitzel, Dean of Economics. Weitzel had many Lieutenants working for him as well. When the Colonel called out, “Miss Vento come here!” Velma responded and all heads would turn to watch her elegant stride, not to mention her beautiful legs! She was beauty, inside and out.
West Point is where Velma met Bill Grisham. He fell head-over-heals for her. He was not only attracted to her physical beauty, but her wit and charm. She was fun loving, had a fabulous sense of humor, and was full of talent.
When Bill started dating Velma, he’d go to Newburgh to visit her on the weekends. Velma and Bill would ride on the paddle boat from Newburgh, past West Point, to New York City to watch the Notre Dame vs. West Point games. Jane, Velma’s mother, arranged for Velma to stay at The Martha Washington Hotel in New York City, where women only were permitted and monitored house mothers. Bill and Velma often visited a pub, something like “Cheers”, where they were treated like royalty as the young lovers that they were.
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.
Don was about 4 years older than Velma. Maybe Don could see a different relationship between his Dad and his sister. Maybe he saw a different love there. Children are pretty wise and pick up on those things. Don may have been a little jealous of Velma for that reason and he was always tormenting poor Velma, pushing on her nose and slugging her. Velma always believed that’s why her nose was so big, while in actuality it was just a good “Roman” nose. She didn’t realize Don’s nose was different because he didn’t have any Italian in him. He had only Dutch genes. Jane and Pete kept the secret about Don’s birth from their children until Jane had passed away and Pete was on his death-bed. That was when Pete told Don that he’d been adopted. I’m not sure if Don was ever told if he was a child of incest. As it was, Don was devastated by the news.
Jane’s family, the Yeaples, had an apple farm outside of town. They would bring a bag of apples for the Ventos but only the tarnished ones with pits and worm holes. Either way, the Ventos were so poor, they were glad to get them.
Pete worked as a salesman for Friedman’s Department Store, 69 William St. in Newburgh, NY. Slim, nice looking, and always well dressed, Pete was quite a flirt. He excelled at the store and soon he was buyer, then manager. When Morris Friedman retired, Pete bought the store and the building. At first Jane was against it, but i the store provided a roof over their head for many years though.
Although they were poor, there were lots of people poorer in Newburgh. It was a very depressed area although Newburgh was initially a beautiful city, housing Washington’s headquarters, on the Hudson River. However, it eventually spiraled downward into slums and a large African American population. It was in serious decline after Pete bought the store. Neighborhood-by-neighborhood became more dangerous, dirty, and in disrepair.
Velma was use to hearing people sing. Her Poppa Mirto sang (like an opera star), her father sang at public events such as weddings), and her mother always sang hymns when she was doing housework. So, Velma sang, and she had an amazing voice. She became a semi-professional ballroom dancer as well. As a young adult, Velma danced and sang at the upscale nightclub at Bear Mountain where many New York city dwellers came on the weekends.
Velma started singing and dancing in high school. She sang “Tangerine” in the high school talent show and got a standing ovation. From then on she was called “Tangerine” by her classmates.
Velma couldn’t wait to get out of Newburgh. It is thought that Velma was determined she would find a husband at West Point and get out of Newburgh. She was so beautiful and talented, she caught the eye of many cadets when she got a job at West Point working for Colonel Weitzel, Dean of Economics. Weitzel had many Lieutenants working for him as well. When the Colonel called out, “Miss Vento come here!” Velma responded and all heads would turn to watch her elegant stride, not to mention her beautiful legs! She was beauty, inside and out.
West Point is where Velma met Bill Grisham. He fell head-over-heals for her. He was not only attracted to her physical beauty, but her wit and charm. She was fun loving, had a fabulous sense of humor, and was full of talent.
When Bill started dating Velma, he’d go to Newburgh to visit her on the weekends. Velma and Bill would ride on the paddle boat from Newburgh, past West Point, to New York City to watch the Notre Dame vs. West Point games. Jane, Velma’s mother, arranged for Velma to stay at The Martha Washington Hotel in New York City, where women only were permitted and monitored house mothers. Bill and Velma often visited a pub, something like “Cheers”, where they were treated like royalty as the young lovers that they were.
Bill wrote his parents a letter in April 1946, just before his graduation, introducing Velma to his parents and assuring them that they would love her. Then Bill and Velma married that June 16th. Bill bought an old greasy car, which was all he could afford and they set out on their road trip to California. The headlights of the vehicle were not the best and shone only about a hundred feet ahead. One night in their travels when they reached the Hoover Dam on Route 66, Dad screeched to a stop. He could no longer see road ahead of him. They got out of the car and there they were on the edge of a thousand foot drop. As they traveled through the desert they stopped for a watermelon, found the shade of a billboard and sat under it drenching themselves in watermelon juice. It was a fun trip, adventurous and for Velma, she was seeing a world she’d never experienced before, as she’d never been outside of New York.
They got to Riverside in late June. Dad’s letter had helped to warm the family to Velma, as there was a bit of prejudice that Billy was marrying such a commoner. After all, he was now an Army Officer and had dated many wealthy young girls including the Dole’s (Dole Pineapple) daughter. Elsie, Bill’s mother, never quite accepted Velma and was always correcting her in proper etiquette. Velma quite resented the cold reception she received from Elsie and their relationship never warmed although Velma always treated her with the utmost respect. On the other hand, Bill’s father, Jimmy, was much more open to Velma and in no time he loved her as a daughter. He called her “Sis”. When Jimmy called somebody “Sis” it meant they were family.
Velma loved to entertain, singing and dancing. She idolized Rita Hayworth and aspired to sing and dance, just like her. She actually looked a bit like Rita Hayworth. Once, after Velma and Bill were married a couple of years and stationed in Japan they attended a party at the officer’s club. Velma was in a yellow dress with long black gloves. She got up on the table where all of the officers and their wives were. She danced and sang Rita Hayworth’s song “Put the blame on mame”. All the officers were mesmerized with her. One Colonel was so taken with Velma that it caused an awkward moment for Bill as the Colonel’s subordinate, when Bill had to tell him to “back off”. Velma was talented, beautiful, witty and lovable. You couldn’t blame the poor guy for being enthralled with her.
However, talented and beautiful though, Velma always felt inferior to the other officer’s wives because of her lack of an advanced education. One of the wives, Jane Scott, hurt Velma deeply when she criticized her for having so many children. She implied she was a rabbit of some sort. But Velma was a mother like no other woman could be. She was so selfless and caring.
All of the moving around during both Bill’s military and civilian careers was initially just an adventure to Velma. When they were stationed in Morton, Pennsylvania, with three girls and baby twin boys, Bill was a 1st Lieutenant working in the Group Headquarters. He discovered a way to orient radars on a plotting board so aircraft could be tracked. This same technology, although more advanced, is used today for anti-ballistic missile tracking. This discovery was essential to America’s defense.
Velma adored her children and after having three girls, she had a set of twin boys. Then in 1957 the Army wanted to ship Bill overseas expecting him to leave his family behind. Bill couldn’t do it and with just eight years until retirement, Bill left the Army and took a job with GE in Syracuse, NY.
Bill and Velma, however, hated that area of New York as it was always cold, even in the summertime. But it was here that Bill learned Synthetic Aperture Radar, as GE was building it. This led to his later inventions.
Bill worked hard to provide for his family and they were never without.
As Bill and Velma moved around the country, they viewed it as an exciting adventure. Most of their vacations were spent during the 2 weeks moving from one state to another going to a new job. However, with more children, it became more and more difficult to move. They always did a lot of research into the area before buying or renting a home, to ensure the finest private or public schools and neighborhoods for their family.
No matter where they lived though, Velma always made a beautiful home for her husband and children. Her decorating ability was so tasteful, and she worked so hard to ensure cleanliness and neatness even while caring for her seven children. The children were always clean and dressed beautifully whenever they went to school or church. Sunday mornings the family occupied almost an entire pew.
Velma and Bill ensured their children received Godly education. They attended Catholic School for most of their lives, but even when they attended public schools Bill and Velma ensured they received Catechism once a week.
Dinner times were always with the entire family sitting around the table, sharing their day’s events. Velma was always busy with caring for the babies, while the older children, especially Cheryl, were watching over the others. There was always plenty to eat and family dinners were always lots of fun, although not without one or two kids getting a smack on the rear for misbehaving.
Bill and Velma on rare occasions left their children with a sitter. They only hired a nanny/maid once during the time when the twins were little. Velma was not just an amazing mother, but grandmother and great-grandmother. She sacrificed every dime for her family, rarely buying anything for herself. Bill had to force her at times to buy herself new clothes, because she didn’t want to spend the money on herself.
Velma was a great mentor for her children. It was normal for her to break out in song over something said that would remind her of a show tune or a song from her favorite entertainers: Rita Hayworth, Doris Day, Billy Holiday, Barbara Streisand, Julie Andrews, Judy Garland and her favorite male performer, Frank Sinatra.
She was wise, as she was beautiful. She told a proverb for every situation. Some of her favorites were:
Velma’s Proverbs
Velma had an uncanny ability to detect suspicious behavior of her children. Once when her son, Paul, in his teen years was sneaking out of the house late at night, Velma had sensed something was up. She had slept on the couch that night with a string across the doorway and tied to her big toe. When Paul hit the string, he was surprised by his mother. Another time she strung pots and pans across the doorway which made a racket when Paul tripped over them.
Velma also had dreams. When her dreams were very real to her, when she had a certain impression from them, she acted on them. 1) She dreamed that her mother was dying. So she packed up Chrissie and Cheryl, her two girls, and went home to New York. Just in time before her mother actually did die of cancer. Velma stayed at her bedside for two weeks until her passing. 2) She dreamed that her daughter, Chris (who was in a terrible marriage situation) was under ice and drowning. Velma, in her dream, was clawing trying to break through to her. So when Velma awoke, she drove to Marathon, Florida to find Chris anemic with her three children living in poverty. She packed them up and brought them home with her. 3) She dreamed that her son, Greg, was in a huge storm at sea. (Greg had taken his father’s boat to sail to Cuba). Later Velma found out that in fact, Greg was in the outskirts of the storm that sunk “The Pride of Baltimore” a huge masted ship. Greg thought he was going to die and tied himself to the boat. When Velma had a dream….people listened.
Bill and Velma were married 53 years before she succumbed to cancer. During her long illness of five years, Bill was by her bedside, rarely leaving her hospital bed. They were quite the team. They laughed together and loved each other for those many years. Bill was quite lost without Velma and their home stayed just as Velma left it for many years until hurricane Katrina destroyed it in 2005. Bill then, with nothing left, moved to Denver, Colorado to live with his daughter, Mary, until being settled in a senior apartment complex. Bill enjoys his seven healthy children, his 13 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren.
They got to Riverside in late June. Dad’s letter had helped to warm the family to Velma, as there was a bit of prejudice that Billy was marrying such a commoner. After all, he was now an Army Officer and had dated many wealthy young girls including the Dole’s (Dole Pineapple) daughter. Elsie, Bill’s mother, never quite accepted Velma and was always correcting her in proper etiquette. Velma quite resented the cold reception she received from Elsie and their relationship never warmed although Velma always treated her with the utmost respect. On the other hand, Bill’s father, Jimmy, was much more open to Velma and in no time he loved her as a daughter. He called her “Sis”. When Jimmy called somebody “Sis” it meant they were family.
Velma loved to entertain, singing and dancing. She idolized Rita Hayworth and aspired to sing and dance, just like her. She actually looked a bit like Rita Hayworth. Once, after Velma and Bill were married a couple of years and stationed in Japan they attended a party at the officer’s club. Velma was in a yellow dress with long black gloves. She got up on the table where all of the officers and their wives were. She danced and sang Rita Hayworth’s song “Put the blame on mame”. All the officers were mesmerized with her. One Colonel was so taken with Velma that it caused an awkward moment for Bill as the Colonel’s subordinate, when Bill had to tell him to “back off”. Velma was talented, beautiful, witty and lovable. You couldn’t blame the poor guy for being enthralled with her.
However, talented and beautiful though, Velma always felt inferior to the other officer’s wives because of her lack of an advanced education. One of the wives, Jane Scott, hurt Velma deeply when she criticized her for having so many children. She implied she was a rabbit of some sort. But Velma was a mother like no other woman could be. She was so selfless and caring.
All of the moving around during both Bill’s military and civilian careers was initially just an adventure to Velma. When they were stationed in Morton, Pennsylvania, with three girls and baby twin boys, Bill was a 1st Lieutenant working in the Group Headquarters. He discovered a way to orient radars on a plotting board so aircraft could be tracked. This same technology, although more advanced, is used today for anti-ballistic missile tracking. This discovery was essential to America’s defense.
Velma adored her children and after having three girls, she had a set of twin boys. Then in 1957 the Army wanted to ship Bill overseas expecting him to leave his family behind. Bill couldn’t do it and with just eight years until retirement, Bill left the Army and took a job with GE in Syracuse, NY.
Bill and Velma, however, hated that area of New York as it was always cold, even in the summertime. But it was here that Bill learned Synthetic Aperture Radar, as GE was building it. This led to his later inventions.
Bill worked hard to provide for his family and they were never without.
As Bill and Velma moved around the country, they viewed it as an exciting adventure. Most of their vacations were spent during the 2 weeks moving from one state to another going to a new job. However, with more children, it became more and more difficult to move. They always did a lot of research into the area before buying or renting a home, to ensure the finest private or public schools and neighborhoods for their family.
No matter where they lived though, Velma always made a beautiful home for her husband and children. Her decorating ability was so tasteful, and she worked so hard to ensure cleanliness and neatness even while caring for her seven children. The children were always clean and dressed beautifully whenever they went to school or church. Sunday mornings the family occupied almost an entire pew.
Velma and Bill ensured their children received Godly education. They attended Catholic School for most of their lives, but even when they attended public schools Bill and Velma ensured they received Catechism once a week.
Dinner times were always with the entire family sitting around the table, sharing their day’s events. Velma was always busy with caring for the babies, while the older children, especially Cheryl, were watching over the others. There was always plenty to eat and family dinners were always lots of fun, although not without one or two kids getting a smack on the rear for misbehaving.
Bill and Velma on rare occasions left their children with a sitter. They only hired a nanny/maid once during the time when the twins were little. Velma was not just an amazing mother, but grandmother and great-grandmother. She sacrificed every dime for her family, rarely buying anything for herself. Bill had to force her at times to buy herself new clothes, because she didn’t want to spend the money on herself.
Velma was a great mentor for her children. It was normal for her to break out in song over something said that would remind her of a show tune or a song from her favorite entertainers: Rita Hayworth, Doris Day, Billy Holiday, Barbara Streisand, Julie Andrews, Judy Garland and her favorite male performer, Frank Sinatra.
She was wise, as she was beautiful. She told a proverb for every situation. Some of her favorites were:
Velma’s Proverbs
Velma had an uncanny ability to detect suspicious behavior of her children. Once when her son, Paul, in his teen years was sneaking out of the house late at night, Velma had sensed something was up. She had slept on the couch that night with a string across the doorway and tied to her big toe. When Paul hit the string, he was surprised by his mother. Another time she strung pots and pans across the doorway which made a racket when Paul tripped over them.
Velma also had dreams. When her dreams were very real to her, when she had a certain impression from them, she acted on them. 1) She dreamed that her mother was dying. So she packed up Chrissie and Cheryl, her two girls, and went home to New York. Just in time before her mother actually did die of cancer. Velma stayed at her bedside for two weeks until her passing. 2) She dreamed that her daughter, Chris (who was in a terrible marriage situation) was under ice and drowning. Velma, in her dream, was clawing trying to break through to her. So when Velma awoke, she drove to Marathon, Florida to find Chris anemic with her three children living in poverty. She packed them up and brought them home with her. 3) She dreamed that her son, Greg, was in a huge storm at sea. (Greg had taken his father’s boat to sail to Cuba). Later Velma found out that in fact, Greg was in the outskirts of the storm that sunk “The Pride of Baltimore” a huge masted ship. Greg thought he was going to die and tied himself to the boat. When Velma had a dream….people listened.
Bill and Velma were married 53 years before she succumbed to cancer. During her long illness of five years, Bill was by her bedside, rarely leaving her hospital bed. They were quite the team. They laughed together and loved each other for those many years. Bill was quite lost without Velma and their home stayed just as Velma left it for many years until hurricane Katrina destroyed it in 2005. Bill then, with nothing left, moved to Denver, Colorado to live with his daughter, Mary, until being settled in a senior apartment complex. Bill enjoys his seven healthy children, his 13 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren.