grave import

Obituary

Lydia Anna Salino, 85, of Burlington, Iowa, died unexpectedly Tuesday, December 9, 2008, at her home. Her loving husband, Michael, was at her side. Lydia was born January 9, 1923, in Erbach, Germany. The eldest daughter of Reinhard and Anna Maria (Zoellner) Forster, she and her sister Walburga grew up surrounded by many loving grand- parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. As a girl Lydia attended boarding school in St. Wendall, Germany, where it was her intention to become a teacher of Germanic Studies and Physical Education. Her mother tongue was German, but through her studies she also became fluent in English and French. This knowledge of languages would eventually help shape her destiny. Lydia was always an optimistic and industrious person. Following WWII, she owned and ran the Bendix Wascherei in Neunkirchen, Germany. This was new technology at the time and one of the first laundromats in Germany. During the Korean War she took a job as a translator for the US Army at the Landstuhl Army Hospital in Germany. It was there that she met the love of her life, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Michael Salino of Brooklyn, New York. They were married July 14, 1954 at St. Andreas Catholic Church in Erbach, Germany. Shortly thereafter, Lydia moved to Brooklyn, New York to join her husband and his family. Within a week she had a job as a translator for an International publishing company, where she worked until the birth of her daughter, Teresa. In 1972, Lydia and her family moved to Burlington, Iowa, where Mike took the position of Treasury Manager at First Mississippi, Inc. In the 1970's Lydia was the cook at Park Manor Nursing Home. She loved and was well loved by the residents there. She often brought home residents to share dinners and the holidays with her own small family. Later in life Lydia devoted her time to caring for her immediate family. She babysat her grandchildren from infancy, and she cooked for the entire family every workday, because it was important to her that the family shared the evening meal together. Lydia was a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She was the core of her family. Lydia's compassion reached beyond her immediate family. She was an energizer and extended a helping hand to many people over the years. Those without family were always welcome at her table. She gave generously to others all her life. Lydia loved the water and she swam daily at the Center for Rehabilitation at GRMC. Her interests also included cooking, traveling and doing crossword puzzles. She was an avid knitter who rarely used a pattern to create beautiful sweaters for her grandchildren. Those left to cherish Lydia's memory include her husband, Michael; one daughter and son-in-law, Teresa and Martin Salino-Hugg, Burlington; one grand- daughter, Anna, Iowa City; one grandson, Michael, Burlington; one sister, Walburga, Erbach, Germany; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews in Germany and New York. Lydia will be cremated. There will be a memorial service and celebration of her life at a later date. A memorial has been established for The Center for Rehabilitation at GRMC in her honor.