Remembering Hugo Augustus

Hello Family,

I am also bloging in remembrance of my brother Hugo Augustus Rossi who died 25 years ago on 11/09/84. For those who remember our dear brother, father, cousin, and friend, you well know how much the Rossi Family meant to him. For those who did not have the pleasure of knowing Hugo, let me try to give a little insight into who this "bigger than life" man was.

Hugo had many gifts, but perhaps his greatest gift was his "gift of gab". Whether it was about sports, politics, religion, or just people and places, Hugo could talk with the best of them. As well read and intelligent as he was, he did not always need the facts to tell his story, for Hugo could embelish on a story with even the likes of Uncle Robby or Aunt Florence (and many of us still remember their fabled stories!). Hugo was a great orator and he never approached a podium he didn't like whether there was a mike or not. He was the MC at many functions and even stumped as a moderator at town meetings when needed. Hugo did not just "talk the talk" he also "walked the walk" by helping many people of all walks of life, usually without any notoriety.

Besides being a devoted husband and father, Hugo was active in his community in numerous ways. He was a coach, ccd teacher, politician, and leader of people. Hugo was a man who "took the bull by the horns" and got things done (unless it was finishing something on his house, like painting). Hugo did not care about superfluous things, he cared about people and most of all he cared about his family.

In 1981 it was Hugo who began the Rossi Family Reunions at the K of C in Ashland. He loved those reunions: the food, the beverage, the banter, the stories,the bocce games, the softball games, the cribbage games, the hugging, the kissing, and just the fact that we were all together: La Familia Rossi. It is for Hugo and all those who have passed on that we must keep these blogs going and the Family Reunions alive, to honor their lives and their spirits in all of us.

A footnote to Hugo's memory: on November 9, 2007, a new Hugo Rossi was born, son of John & Chrissy Rossi, eighth grandchild of Hugo Augustus Rossi. We can never have enough Hugo Rossis!