Carol Giuliano

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carol giuliano

Carol Giuliano

September 13, 1948 ~ April 2, 2023

carol giuliano

September 13, 1948 ~ April 2, 2023

Carol (Clark) Giuliano Greece: April 2, 2023. Carol is predeceased by her daughter, Sondra Giuliano; parents, Alton & Marion Clark; sister, Nancy Clark. She is survived by her husband Salvatore "Sam" Giuliano; daughter Michelle (Anthony) Gruttadaurio; grandchildren, Samantha (Tony) DeMarco, Brianna Gruttadaurio, & Alexis Giuliano; great-granddaughter Carmela DeMarco; siblings, Roger (Barbara) Clark & Gail (Jerry) Pearsall; several nieces, nephews, cousins & dear friends. Carol's life story will be shared during her visitation, Wednesday, April 5th, 4-7 PM at the funeral home, 1411 Vintage Lane, (Between 390 & Long Pond Rd.). Her funeral service will be celebrated Thursday, April 6th, at 10:30 AM at the funeral home. Private interment. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to, Journey Home, 994 Long Pond Rd., Rochester, NY 14626 in Carol's memory. Our parents give us life. Our grandparents give us a sense of who we are and where we came from. This week, as we said goodbye to my Grandma, I reflect on how incredibly lucky I have been to have my grandma by my side for 25 years. Not only with me but an integral, close part of my life. It is rare for a grandparent-grandchild relationship to be so essential and so long-lasting and I am fortunate to have that solid foundation with all of my grandparents. I know that to be special and it is something I will never take for granted. Carol was born to Alton and Marion Clark on September 13, 1948, in Rochester, NY. Alton and Marion had a daughter Nancy, two years later had my grandmother, Carol, and then four years later another daughter Gail, and then 10 years later, a little boy Roger. She was born and lived in the city of Rochester until she was 12 years old when the Clark family moved to Hilton. When asking Gail about memories from their childhood, her first instinct was "Nancy and Carol used to gang up on me!" But said overall, she was a good sister, who always made sure that her siblings were taken care of. I grew up with two love birds, Sam and Carol. A love story that started at a nightclub in the 60s -Varsity Inn and I have been told it was a true nightclub. A young army vet, who just returned from Germany, looked across the bar, pointed at a young beauty, and said that one is the one for me. What attracted him to her? The perfect 60s flipped hair and her "Perfect Coolie" His friends told him he didn't stand a chance, but he still went up and asked her for a dance. They danced and they drank and they danced and they drank. Three short months later, while sitting at his mother's kitchen table he hands her a ring and his sister said "Are you going to say yes?" July 22, 1967, they married. When asking my grandma how they picked her wedding day? The Saturday after her one year of hire at Kodak. Back in the 40s, women weren't allowed to marry until they worked for one year. So exactly one year after she started, she married Sam. When asked to describe their wedding, my grandpa stated it was the perfect day. The skies were blue. The day started with a ceremony at St Charles, then moved to Maplewood Park to take pictures. Then headed to Marisco Bowl, they had an intimate dinner with their families. The party began and 400 people came to celebrate the two. Through the years, Carol put up with a lot including Sam's desire to move every few years. Right after getting married they moved into a quaint apartment in the city, in between Otis and Warner Street. When Sam realized that he couldn't claim rent on his income taxes he needed to buy a house. Their first real home, on Bartholf, was a quaint 2-bedroom home. There and 1 year after they were married they welcomed their first child, my mother, Michelle on August 10, 1968. Four years later, they decided the home became too small, and they wanted to expand. They moved to a house on St Johns Drive. They were there for five years and welcomed their second daughter, Sondra there on July 5, 1975. Five years later, the family of 4 built a brand-new home on Everwild Lane. This house was my Grandma's dream home. She never wanted to move. 10 years later, my grandpa got that itch. They decided to buy a house on the lake, tear 85% of the house, and rebuilt a beautiful 2200 square foot home. It was absolutely beautiful with a view. While living here, Carol's mother lost her battle with cancer and passed away in 1991. For those that know the real estate on the Lake, you know, the houses are so close you can hear your neighbor talking in their kitchen. There were bugs galore, so four years later he needed to move again. They built a new house again, this time on Raspberry Patch. There was a bar in the finished basement, and they threw parties that lasted all night. While living in that house, in 1993 Michelle married Anthony. Michelle and Anthony brought home two children, Samantha in 1995, myself in 1998, and my Aunt Sondra welcomed Alexis in 2000. This house also brought the loss of Carol's father, who passed in 2006. In 2008, the worst time to sell a house, they decided it was time to downsize since the house was too big for my grandma to maintain. They decided to sell their home and move to the house where they were going to spend the rest of their lives. For a short period, while their house was being built - they lived with us. Our house had never been cleaner, as my grandma kept the house so clean. They both had their duties, my grandpa cooked the meals, and my grandma did all of the cleanings. I will forever be grateful for that time, even though I was evicted from my room for them to have a place to sleep. This house has brought many happy memories, as well as sad ones. In 2015, Sam and Carol said goodbye to their Daughter Sondra as she unexpectedly passed away. My grandma was extremely present for my cousin Alexis, as they grieved this extreme loss. Sam and Carol celebrated 50 years of marriage in this house. Within this house, she was able to see her Granddaughter, Samantha, get married. She was there every step of the way, from picking out wedding dresses and veils to helping throw a shower, to creating decorations. One of my grandparent's best memories, was when they got to meet her Great-Granddaughter, Carmela Marie. My grandma was obsessed with that little baby and was so great with her. Literally, until the moment she passed. This home brought them, great friends, from the neighborhood. These people, that were met in the last 15 years seemed to have the pull as if they had been in her life for many years. They were a group of 8, which was perfect for monthly Euchre nights. After being in the home for a few years, Carol and Sam decided that an in-ground pool was just what this house needed. My grandma, in her 74 years of life, never learned to swim but she loved to spend her summer days floating with the support of the noodle, throughout the pool. During the first few years of her pool adventures, she would stay in the shallow end. But more recently, as long as others were in the pool she would float into the deep end. One of Carol's hobbies was gardening. She had the GREENEST thumb. I remember my mom telling me that in one of their homes growing up, she counted all of the plants within their home and there were at least 100. One of her neighbors, and long-time friends, told me the other day that during the summer whenever he looked over at the Giuliano house, Carol was always outside doing something. My grandpa told me, she was given a budget for flowers. She was allowed to spend $200. She would tell him each time, she stayed within the budget. He found a receipt once when she told him that. $500. Unlike her mother, my mother does not have a green thumb. While growing up my grandparents would come to our house each Friday for coffee and dessert. During the summer, while sitting on our back patio, my grandma would get up and start picking dead flowers out of my mom's planters. Growing up, I can remember multiple occasions when we would come back from school, and my grandma would be planting flowers in our backyard, and then would leave without saying a word. While my grandma was in the hospital this past July, after her surgery, I was assigned the duty of watering all of her plants. This was a task that my grandpa was not trusted to do, as I came over and all of the flowers were bone dry. There was one day when my grandma was out watering the plants. My grandpa yelled "I am heading to the mall!" and closed the door. When my grandma went to go into the house, the door was locked. She went to check the fences, which of course were locked. My grandma has to pull a box in front of the window, was able to shimmy the screen and window up, pull herself through the window, and then was able to get off the ground. She called my grandpa and told him what happened. She yelled at him, "Don't come home!" So, what did my grandpa do? Came home, but brought his cousin Tony so she couldn't yell at him before then. My grandma was always present, part of our everyday lives in such a tangible way. When my grandma had her first child, she stayed home from work to raise her children. She was the housemaker. She cooked, cleaned, and was there for her children. She was my mom's Brownie Leader. Ironically, one of her Brownies, Laurie later married Carol's Nephew, Mike. Her nieces and nephews held a strong place in her heart as well as her children and grandchildren. Unknown to many, when Carol entered the workforce, she owned a Nut Shop. Here she sold all types of Nuts, Fresh Roasted Peanuts, coffee, and various candies. Later on, Carol worked at JCPenney. There she did it all. She would do the cash register, measure women's bra sizes, mix paint, or even drill bowling balls. She moved on to work as a Teacher's Aide at Greece Arcadia. My grandpa said she loved children, and that was the best part of that job. During the summers, while I was growing up, I remember my grandma babysitting all three of her grandchildren. Carol started working at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She worked with the clubs and worked directly with the students. She was a temporary worker, and when her contract was up she was asked to be a permanent employee. She had retired twice from RIT. They loved her so much, they would just keep asking her to come back. While at RIT, she developed strong friendships. These ladies named themselves the Golden Girls. They were such a strong part of her life. She taught them how to play the marble game as well as just ensured they spent time together. On her last time returning to RIT, she made a deal that she needed to be able to be off for February, March, and April. My grandparents had become Snow-Birds over the last 10 years. They grew to have friends from all over the country, to spend a fun-filled few months in the Florida sun. Florida looked so good on them. They would stack the cooler up, bring the chairs out and sit on the beach for hours and days on end. Florida gave them warmth and happiness, and I couldn't be happier that they were able to live that dream, together. I never let my grandma forget, that they returned from Florida on May 2 every year, making it home for my sister's birthday, but missing mine. My grandma warned my mother to not have a baby in spring, so instead, she had two. What made my grandmother special? So wonderful? Her kindness. No one ever had a bad word to say about my grandma. Except for those who played the marble game. A game to which she was nicknamed the "Bull-dog" because she would constantly try to take my grandpa down, or honestly, anyone who dared to ruin her chances of winning. It is a vicious game to play with her, and we all got so intense playing together, that my brother-in-law refuses to play with us. Each week, we had our Sunday dinners at their house. She did not have a lick of Italian in her blood, but she made a delicious sauce. Her parents used to say "eye-Italian" to my grandpa, which shows their American roots. Every Friday, after dinner she and my grandpa would come to our house to have coffee. Once I got old enough, I gave them a rule that they weren't allowed to make plans on Fridays and of course, they did not listen to me. I will never forget a specific one of those Fridays. My mom made sauce and used venison meat. I was skived - my mom told me I could eat it, or I could go to my room without dinner. My choice as a young 7 or 8-year-old was to go to my room without dinner. Within 30 minutes, my grandparents showed up for their weekly coffee. My grandma came up to my room, told me she would make me a peanut butter sandwich, and got me dinner. Grandma was always trying to make sure we were fully fed. Even once she could not eat a lot, she still would try to put out a spread of snacks. My grandma loved deeply and fully, all of us. She was the kind of person who just had more love in her heart for the more people who joined their lives. She is stubborn and through her battle with this awful disease, she never wanted to burden us to tell us she was not feeling well. She never wanted us to feel bad for her, or have to take care of her. I asked my grandpa and mom to describe my grandma in five words, quickly think of five words in your mind to describe Carol... Sam's words: Beautiful, Smart, Strong, Loving, and Caring... Michelle's Words: Strong, Caring, Thoughtful, Helpful, and Loving. As three of those words are the same, I am sure many of you also came up with Strong, Caring, and Loving. Because those three words are also wording I would use to describe her. That constant loving presence really shapes a person. She is so much a part of who I am that even though I knew she would one day leave us, I can't quite believe she is gone. Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. I will always love my grandma and save a special corner of my heart to keep her with me. And I know all of us will miss her dearly and live our lives with her in our honor.

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