A Lifetime, A Legacy: Rose Wells
Rose’s high school portrait: Middle Township H.S., ’45
Avalon lost living history when Rose Wells, 95, died as springtime dawned this year. Mrs. Wells was the town’s longest-living native resident at the time of her death. The nonagenarian lived as a force for her family, for her church, and for the conservation of her community’s history.
Mrs. Wells was the youngest of Italian immigrants Francisco and Marie Giampa’s five children. She was born in the family home at 335 6th Street in 1926 – when there actually was a 6th Street. Her sons, Larry and Marvin Jr., explain that back then, the north end of the rural island housed Avalon’s Italian community. Mrs. Wells’ family kept chickens and a goat. They also maintained an arbor to grow grapes for winemaking well before wineries opened offshore.
When Mrs. Wells’ father Francisco was not catching fish for breakfast or pulling mussels off of the pilings, among other family-related chores, he worked hard to keep the town going. Over time, Francisco labored as the bridge tender of the original Townsend’s Inlet railroad bridge, the operator of the town’s waterworks and the lighter of Avalon’s gas street lamps.
During her childhood, Mrs. Wells walked 20 blocks from her home to attend Avalon’s old 26th Street school, built in 1913. From there, she went to Middle Township High School.
Her husband, Marvin, also attended MTHS until he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving from 1944-47. The World War II veteran earned many military medals, including a Purple Heart after being wounded in action in the Asiatic Pacific Theater. He had his Purple Heart converted into a necklace for his wife.
In 1949, long before Avalon became a popular wedding destination, Rose Giampa married Marvin Wells in a Catholic ceremony at the “Little Church,” as Larry says of Sacred Heart Church, built in 1920 at 25th Street and First Avenue. They held their reception at the Avalon Ballroom, which was then above the movie theater at 29th Street and the beach.
Her husband was not raised a Catholic. “Dad converted to Catholicism because of the principles,” tenets that he passed along, Larry notes. “Because of the principles, we knew the difference between right and wrong.”
During the boys’ younger years, their father worked as Avalon’s first year-round mail carrier and eventually the town’s postmaster. He also was an active member of the Avalon Volunteer Fire Department for 52 years. Mrs. Wells labored as a homemaker.
Family matters kept the lady of the house quite busy. Mrs. Wells gave birth to Larry in January of 1951. She delivered Marvin Jr. just 10 months later.
As for home ownership, while her husband was content to be a renter, Mrs. Wells would not hear of it. She took charge and ensured that they purchased their family home at 159 33rd St. in 1952. Their mom made all family decisions, and did so with vision, her sons say. That beloved house provided Mrs. Wells with a financial safety net when she sold it 63 years later.
“Uncle Marvin was fun; Aunt Rose was a tiny little lady who was large and in charge,” says their niece, Anna (Giampa) Auerbach. “Aunt Rose was headstrong.”
Her cousin Larry agrees.
“It wasn’t ‘Father Knows Best’ in our house,” Larry says with a laugh as he refers to the popular, family-friendly TV show that ran from 1954 through 1960. Both sons remember their mother managing the family budget, maintaining Christmas Club savings accounts, and collecting supermarket S&H Green Stamps that could be redeemed for household items and more.
“You had to live within your budget,” Larry notes.
The baby boomer brothers further reminisce about receiving 10 cents a week as their first allowances and collecting refundable bottles to earn extra money. Mrs. Wells assigned chores at home like making their beds and cleaning and vacuuming their bedrooms.
Larry fondly remembers how their mother served as the family’s alarm clock when, as sixth-grade schoolboys, he and his brother began their first summer jobs at the Driftwood Marina. They had to clock in at the marina by 6am. Their dad had to be at his U.S. Post Office position early in the morning, too. Before sending the men in her life off to their jobs, Mrs. Wells allowed as much sleep time as possible and always had breakfast on the table for them.
But it wasn’t all work and no play.
Marvin Jr. recalls that a favorite family beach spot was under the fishing pier on 32nd Street.
“In our day, Avalon was a magical place” like its namesake the mythical island of King Arthur lore, Larry says. “We had the biggest playground in the world! People at the beach say, ‘We have sand in our shoes.’ We had sand in our diapers.”
In time, the brothers also had sand and perhaps an icicle or two in their wetsuits, wetsuits they received from their parents as Christmas gifts.
“We were some of the first surfers on the island,” Larry recalls, before reminiscing about winter surfing in Cape May with their family friends Harvey Douglass and his son Charlie, of Douglass Candies.
The Wells brothers clearly recall the mother’s views on their winter surfing adventures.
“You’re going to freeze to death. You’re going to drown,” Mom said. “Who’s going to save you?”
Nevertheless, their mother routinely voiced the agreeable expression, “Okey dokey!”
On other occasions, when there appeared to be no reasoning with her lively, growing sons, Mrs. Wells simply said, “Do your own thing!” Marvin said he took his mother up on that offer when he purchased his first motorcycle without his parents’ permission.
Larry also remembers their mom saying, “God help me!” and “God give me strength!”
Extended family members played a large part in the shaping of Wells family values.
“When Mom got together with her older sisters Caroline Mazza and Angie Picana, it was an event. They started cooking early in the morning and kept going,” Larry says of these labors of love that made for fun family feasts.
His brother smiles as Larry talks about their Uncle Frank Giampa.
Mrs. Wells and her family were well covered with necessary repairs and updates, like a new tub, thanks to Uncle Frank and his considerable plumbing skills. Not only that, Uncle Frank always shared whatever he caught from the ocean with family members, friends and “especially with people who did not have much,” says Larry.
One day, Uncle Frank left a basketful of blue claws in the middle of his sister’s kitchen floor. The crabs must have been frisky. For when Mrs. Wells arrived home, she found the basket on its side and crabs here, there and everywhere, Larry reminisces. After gathering the critters that could be seen, their mother had high hopes that she had captured all of them.
Mrs. Wells became a widow in 2009 when Marvin Sr. died, just short of their 60th wedding anniversary. She handled it with strength and grace, her sons and Uncle Frank’s daughter Anna, all agree. “Mom shifted gears and kept on going,” Larry says.
“That was her faith that kept her going,” Anna adds without hesitation.
By all accounts, Mrs. Wells lived grounded in her Catholic faith. She served as one of the first Eucharistic ministers in her church that is now St. Brendan the Navigator Parish. After studying the Bible in a women’s group, Mrs. Wells went on to lead gatherings of Bible Study on the Beach.
Marvin Jr. mentions that their mom had at least a dozen sets of rosary beads, which they passed out to loved ones at her funeral. “Those rosaries were beautiful,” says Anna.
Culturally, Mrs. Rose and her husband were devoted to keeping local history alive. They were original members of the Avalon Historical Society. Mrs. Well put lots of time and energy into the fundraising that helped to build the handsome Avalon History Center on 39th Street.
“Mom was a character,” says Larry. “Avalon was her life; she lived on 6th Street and 33rd Street for most of it,” with assisted living toward the end. “Mom was never on an airplane!”
During his eulogy at her funeral, Larry spoke of his mom and dad’s dedication to the success of the Avalon History Center. “If you haven’t been there, or haven’t been there in a while,” he said, “drop in and tell them Rose sent you!”
