Family
Marie was born Marie Victorina Badami on February 10, 1919 -- the fourth child and first daughter of Lena Cavesina Badami and Benjamin Salvatore Badami. Both Lena's and Ben's parents were Italian immigrants who had come to the United States in the late 1800s. Ben was born Oct. 9, 1895, and died Feb. 6, 1970. Lena was born Nov. 25, 1897, and died Oct. 8, 1969. Ben and Lena were married in June 1913, when Lena was 15 and Ben was 17.
Marie had three older brothers:
- Joseph (Joe) was born in St. Louis, Missouri May 11, 1914, and died in San Diego Jan. 18, 1987, of prostate cancer.
- Charles (Charly) was born in St. Louis, Missouri July 2, 1915, and died in San Diego June 9, 2005, of complications from a stroke he suffered a few years before.
- Benjamin Jr. was born July 31, 1917, and died in St. Louis on Sept. 12, 1933, of a heart attack.
Marie also had five younger siblings:
- Frank was born Dec. 29, 1920, in St. Louis, Missouri, and still lives there with his wife, Marge.
- Anthony (Tony) was born Jan. 9, 1923, and lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Annie Alberta (Bert) was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on Oct. 25, 1924, and still lives in San Diego.
- James (Jim) was born Nov. 24, 1926, in St. Louis, Missouri, and now lives in Goodyear, Arizona.
- Benjamin III was born Dec. 29, 1938, in St. Louis, Missouri, and still lives in San Diego.
Marie (upper left-hand corner) at about 8 years of age,
with Bert at about 3 years of age (lower right-hand corner).
When Marie was young, the family lived in two rooms on the third floor of a tenament. Ben worked as an insurance salesman for Prudential Insurance Company. Lena was a homemaker. Later, Ben and Lena and their family moved to a large two-story house on Belt Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. They would live in that house until Ben and Lena, with Benny, moved to San Diego, California to be near their younger daughter, Bert, and her family.
The Life and Times of
Marie Victorina Badami Gilliam
February 10, 1919 - August 17, 2006
