Friends, Neighbors Pitch In To Help Bill Palladino

By John Voket

Like the many global tragedies that play out where strangers rush to the aid of neighbors in their darkest moments, a group of more than a dozen friends, family members, former high school classmates, neighbors, and total strangers wrapped themselves around a Sandy Hook resident who suffered his own very personal tragedy earlier this year.

According to his Shady Rest neighbors and some old friends who spoke to The Newtown Bee, who have known Bill Palladino since childhood, he was always the first to reach out when he saw a friend or total stranger in need of a hand.

So when news spread that he tragically lost his devoted wife, Janice Anne McClenathan Palladino, while he was in the midst of battling throat cancer, they came from as close as next door and from his childhood neighborhood in Westport to offer support.

His sisters-in-law, Carol and Sally McClenathan, kept a close eye on Mr Palladino’s situation as they mourned the loss of their sister, and his mother traveled from Florida to lend as much support as a self-sufficient 83-year-old could, cooking meals and running the house.

“Once he was first done with his chemotherapy, it was all Bill could do to try and put some weight on,” Carol McClenathan said.

“Our sister was his whole world,” Sally McClenathan added. “They were together for 30 years, so as you can imagine, he was lost without her.”

Not only was their late sister Bill’s wife and closest friend, but throughout his diagnosis and cancer treatments, which contributed to a life-threatening bout with pneumonia, she was by his side constantly, and his most dedicated caregiver.

But Bill was also covered by her health insurance, so when his wife died in early February, he not only had to bear the burden of his illness and the unfathomable loss of Janice, he also had to find a way to keep his COBRA coverage in force.

“Some of his friends did some fundraisers to help,” Sally McClenathan said.

“His friends, and especially Marty O’Grady at The Black Duck in Westport, did all they could,” Carol McClenathan said.

Neighbors Unite

A neighbor, Maryjane Vendel, recalled how she and her husband and the Palladinos always looked after each other’s children growing up in the tight-knit Shady Rest neighborhood.

“They were always there for the kids, whether it was their daughters Sarah and Michelle coming over to our place, or our kids hanging out with them over there,” Ms Vendel said. “They were the kind of people who would give you their right arm without you ever asking if they saw you needed help.”

She said on occasion, she would not see her neighbors for weeks, and then a bag of fresh tomatoes would show up on her doorstep, and she new Bill and Janice were responsible.

“They never asked for anything, but they would always, always give,” Ms Vendel added. “So after Janice passed away, we did everything we could to help. This whole situation was really hard on Billy, but he still tries to manage a smile...you’ve got to love him.”

Another Sandy Hook neighbor, Betty Guarino and her family, had been friends with the Palladinos for 16 years.

“When Bill was first diagnosed, Janice was always there to bring him wherever the doctors were — she never gave up,” Ms Guarino said, recalling accompanying the couple to a surgical consultation at Yale New Haven Hospital.

“She never let go of his hand, she held it every minute,” Ms Guarino said. “The diagnosis was upsetting and she helped Bill stay calm and to understand some of the complicated medical information that was being thrown at him throughout his diagnosis and his surgery.”

With the weight of his illness, the recovery from pneumonia, the mounting bills, and his personal loss weighing heavily, Mr Palladino finally returned home to continue his recovery in early March. And after just a few days, he realized that an opportunity to relocate with his mother to Florida might eventually provide the best option for his recovery.

So as spring began its journey toward summer, several of the Palladinos closest neighbors began coming to help their friend prepare his modest house in anticipation of listing it for sale.

“The neighbors did what they could to pitch in with chores, from cleaning out a shed and relocating an old wood pile in the yard to power washing the house to painting the interior,” Ms Guarino said.

At the same time, high school classmate Shelby Pike was circulating emails to classmates, many who had recently visited with Bill and Janice at their Staples High School 40th Reunion. A couple of flyers posted around town requesting support for additional sprucing up of the Palladino home came to the attention of Newtowner Terrance Ford, a local chimney sweep and contractor, along with Ed Pitochelli, owner of Newtown’s Ace Hardware store.

Mr Ford made one call to his friend Todd Phelps of Allcolor Painting, and Mr Phelps responded with an offer to complete the exterior painting on Mr Palladino’s home at no charge. And Mr Pitochelli likewise offered whatever painting and related supplies might be required from his store, so Mr Palladino would not have to be concerned about any expenses for materials.

“You don’t often hear a story like Bill’s,” Mr Pitochelli told The Bee. “There are a lot of people these days facing hard times, but nobody deserves to go through what this guy went through.”

Even local landscape designer Dan Holmes pitched in when he learned about the matter, showing up with a truckload of equipment, trees, shrubs, and flowers to contribute to the project.

Over the course of two weekends, including Memorial Day, Mr Phelps, Mr Ford, Ms Pike, and a number of other friends, including former classmate and master gardener Kathy Sabo, Laurie Ward, Bill Markelon, Tom Hedges, and Alex Shook, converged on the Palladino home, painting, clearing the yard, planting, mulching, and staining the deck. The finished product was in perfect condition to be put on the market, so its owner could begin a new chapter of his life.

In the end, Mr Palladino could only smile, dab his eyes and say “thank you to everyone who came out.”

“You don’t really know who your friends are until you’re in a situation like this,” Mr Palladino said, one quiet evening after all the activity had settled down. “I’m grateful to everyone who helped me — it was a real tribute to Janice.”

Anyone wishing to help may consider making a donation to the Bill Palladino Trust Fund, care of Wachovia/Wells Fargo Bank, Attn Serena, 30 Main Street, Danbury CT 06810, or to learn more call 203-205-0080.