Gerry Rydle

Gerry Rydle was my great-grandmother. She was born on July 10, 1939, which was during the Great Depression. Her mother was Laura Sciacca and her father was Carmelo Sciacca. In the early 1960s she raised her two daughters by herself. She was part of the Civil Rights Movement, and often took busses down to Washington D.C. to participate in the protests in front of the White House. In the mid 60s, she met the Demoulas family, becoming their housekeeper, and helping them raise their children so that they could build their new business, which we now know as Market Basket. She then worked at the IRS for 25 years, retiring in 2010. Then, she came into my life. Every Tuesday she would come over to babysit me. At this point, she was in her 70s, and lived in a two-floor apartment in Lawrence, MA. Then about two years later, she moved into a one-room apartment, which we had many sleep overs together in. She then moved to Nevin's nursing home, where I visited her about every two weeks. We always brought her something to decorate her side of the room or to make her happy. No matter if it was candy or pictures, she would always smile and say, "you little dolly!" and give me a great big hug. She was the best great-grandmother ever, and she taught me how to do the most important thing in the world. Be yourself. That is why my great-grandmother, Geraldine Rydle, is my hero.