Long Island Proud: Mother's Day History, Tribute

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. I was very curious about the history of Mother’s Day and was surprised the celebration of a day for mothers goes back to ancient Greece. It was during the ancient annual spring festival that the ancient Greeks would dedicate a day to mother gods. A goddess named Rhea who was married to Cronus seemed to be the mother of many Greek gods. She received top billing back then.

Of course the Romans followed this practice by having their own spring festival called “Hilaria.” The celebrated Roman mother goddess was named Cybele. Records show this was around 250 B.C.

In 17th century England a Mother’s Day was established to honor the Virgin Mother Mary. It was always on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

Finally in America we started celebrating a sort of Mother’s Day in 1870s. It was actually a woman named Julia Ward Howe who first suggested a Mother’s Day. Ms. Howe was a poet and is more famous for penning the Civil War tune, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” She wanted a day in June for Boston women to stand up against war.

The textbook founder of America’s Mother’s Day was one Anna Garvis. When Mrs. Jarvis’s mother died in Grafton, West Virginia in 1905, Anna organized a remembrance day for her mother and all mothers. She stayed at it until President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 signed a proclamation stating that the second Sunday of May will always be Mother’s Day across the United States.

I have lived on Long Island for only 15 years. I have met some amazing historical Long Island mothers. I met Kathleen King's (Tate's Bake Shop) mother Millicent in her North Sea Farms home kitchen on Noyac Rd. I remember Tate King explaining how his wife, Millicent, supported the family all those years, when the farm came up short, with her Southampton Hospital paycheck as a nurse. I interviewed Sybille van Krempen’s mother Anna Pump, who founded Loaves and Fishes. Anna was born in Germany near the Danish border. She told me her shop was her dream.

However I want to honor my Aunt Anne, my mother’s sister who moved out to Bethpage, Long Island with my Uncle Joe Bottillo in 1952. She and Uncle Joe raised three wonderful kids, Joe, Teri and Carol Jean. They were true 1950s people who also happened to be the most wonderful folks I have known in my life. My Aunt Anne would always invite my family out to Long Island every summer. She and Uncle Joe would have some sort of new backyard pool each year. Although they lived a few minutes from Jones Beach that pool, to a five to nine year old, was everything. When she wasn’t working as a checkout lady at the local supermarket my Aunt Anne would take us all to the Jolly Roger for rides and cotton candy, the ultimate place for a young kid in the summer. She baked goodies and at night I don’t remember where I slept but I remember it was awesome waking up and seeing Aunt Anne, smiling and making pancakes. Now, I have written many tributes to my mom and all the wonderful things she did for me but I swear it was her sister Anne that made her laugh her best laughs. Anne always gave mom the best advice. When Mom was cross or hurt, it was Aunt Anne who talked her down and had her laughing in no time.

In the end when they were both widows they often spent time together arguing who was actually younger. My Aunt Anne would wink at me as my mom would argue she was younger. These women were all Long Island Proud mothers.

The photo is of my Aunt Anne and her great grandson Hunter.

T.J. Clemente is a Patch columnist.