Who has been the most important person in your life? Will you share a bit about him or her?

My mother and second my father.

They lived to support their kids.  Their kids always came first.  And they were the finest humans I have ever met.  

My grand-father was the only rational adult I had to look up to.  He was a very successful mechanical engineer, a multi-millionaire that took care of all the other problematic grown ups charged with my care.  Had it not been for him, we would have lived in poverty more appropriate to my parents and other role models poor psychological fitness.  He hardly said anything, he had thrown himself into his work which he was constantly thinking about, or so said my grandmother.  He was a handsome man too, a real rock star.  Had I not had his example to follow, I hate to think where I would have ended up.  And, believe me, the end would have come by now.

My grand-father was the only rational adult I had to look up to.  He was a very successful mechanical engineer, a multi-millionaire that took care of all the other problematic grown ups charged with my care.  Had it not been for him, we would have lived in poverty more appropriate to my parents and other role models poor psychological fitness.  He hardly said anything, he had thrown himself into his work which he was constantly thinking about, or so said my grandmother.  He was a handsome man too, a real rock star.  Had I not had his example to follow, I hate to think where I would have ended up.  And, believe me, the end would have come by now.

Great questions.  You've been saving them up again, eh?

That would most obviously be my wife of 31 years. My partner in all things.  

In the interest of conversation, though, the most influential person in my youth would have been my late stepfather, Vittorio. My mother’s second husband, who was an Italian immigrant and a born merchant. 
Vito was old school; a genuine, head-down hardworking, humble and generous man, far too good for my whining shrew of a drunken mother, but he showed me firsthand the value of work ethic and self-reliance. He taught me to speak Italian. 
I traveled to his home country with Vito on several occasions and grew to love Italy, the culture, and traveling in general. Still do.
Vito implored and motivated me to study hard, become somebody of worth and to live a life of real purpose. Life lessons that I have since imparted to my kids. He was entirely a self-made man who, like me, was a child of very meager upbringing. Absent his presence in my life, there is no saying what it would be like. I doubt I would enjoy the success I have. 

Sadly, Vito died of a massive stroke when I was a teen. A very great loss. My mother descended into the bottle, accompanied by a parade of losers and deadbeat relatives, and I focused most of my time in school than at what became a truly miserable home-life in the years after that.

I still honor the man with reflection and a toast every Sept 3, the anniversary of his death, now 40 years ago. His photo is on my desk.

This post was edited by Don Barzini at October 26, 2019 8:47 PM MDT