Description

Jean E. Codinha was a Gloucester girl from Portagee Hill,  who fell in love with a Gloucester boy from the West End, AKA The Fort,  John S. Testaverde. They  married, and lived a full life together, with their four children. Had a wonderful home, worked hard, loved hard. Upon Johns passing nearly 11 years ago, Jean left their home of 53 years, and moved in with her elder daughter Theresa. There in the safety of her new home, with her precious puppy Little Little Little Angel,  she grieved a love and life gone by. In her grief she started writing. If you knew my mom, you knew she had always kept her inner child alive, so it would come natural for her to write children's stories. Over the next few years, they  flowed from her heart and memories  onto pages. She wrote about her puppy and her beloved ever growing collection of dolls and stuffed animals. She wrote about  joy, love, adventure, friendship,  & kindness. Each story had a message of hope. She incorporated her grandchildren's and friends names into the stories, as over the years these grandchildren became her lifeline, as her happiest times were when they were visiting her.  Mom passed last year,   surrounded by her loved ones., but not before Theresa had started illustrating the stories, and putting them together to create a book. We lost mom last year. She would be very proud of Theresa and the beautiful illustrations created for this book. She would also have been especially proud of her granddaughter Kayla Testaverde who helped edit them and pull the together. This event is to come together and celebrate her, her book, and Theresa's first independent exhibition of her artwork. Please join us.