Carolyn Bilotta and Gerald "Jerry" McNeil grew up in the town of Norwood, Massachusetts one street over from one another. Jerry was ***** years older than Carolyn, a talented football player, and a handsome, kind and well-liked young man. Carolyn was an avid athlete, gardener, and a beautiful, popular, and outgoing young lady. They did not know it in the year ***** when they began dating, but they would later raise four children in the nearby town of Canton, Ma, who would then give them eleven grandchildren.

As an only child, my grandmother handled most of the housework while her father was out working. As one of *****, my grandfather did hid best to help his family and other siblings. They had vastly different home lives, yet they managed to fall in love.

My grandfather was in the army reserves, and he had heard that my grandmother had had a death in the family. His whole barrack donated what little money they had so my gradnfather could take the bus back to her and attend mass that Sunday. Later on that day he would take a blade of grass from the field they were in and tie it onto her finger, calling it a "promise ring". That say ring of grass now occupies my grandmothers dresser in Mansfield, Ma.

My grandfather was Irish, while my grandmother was Italian, which was a little unusal.