A book to help future generations

Vernon woman’s tale of life acknowledges the power of family, By Nancy Kriz VERNON — Evelyn Ofiara believes everyone has family stories and “pearls of wisdom” to help future generations successfully plot their courses in life. That’s why the 80-year-old Vernon resident recently wrote and published “Memoirs of a Bootlegger’s Daughter,” which she describes as a testimonial to the power of family and a chronicle of her well-lived life. “Everybody has roots,” she said. ‘We all came from somewhere. Aren’t you interested in knowing your background?” She decided to write her memoir as a gift to her nieces, who knew very little about their father, Ofiara’s brother Ted. “They didn’t know anything about him,” said Ofiara. “When I was finished, they finally knew who their dad was. Then, this whole thing took on a life of its own.” Her written recollections of her brother evolved into telling the story of her family, and mixing that with historical facts about places like the City of Paterson, where Ofiara grew up. For example, as a child growing up during the Great Depression, Ofiara was shielded from the severe economic crisis that afflicted so much poverty and tragedy on society. How did she escape such hardship? Her father was a bootlegger, who made his livelihood by clandestinely selling illegal liquor. “I didn’t find out about it for real until I was a teenager,” said Ofiara. “My father was very smart to do the things he did. He was cunning. He even put us on welfare so we wouldn’t stand out in the crowd. When I look back, I think, Look at what he did for us. Liquor got the family through.” Ofiara’s quick to add there was a dark side to his occupation. Hindsight reveals truths With people coming in and out of the home at all times, drinking became commonplace, and her father’s alcoholism was an issue. “I never saw him as an alcoholic,” she said of her father, who died at age 53. “But looking at it today, he certainly was.” But optimism was and still is the ruler in Ofiara’s life, and she shares that feeling throughout her book, describing “the trials and tribulations” of marriage to own marriage, and the foundation of love she said was her sustenance. Equally important was her desire to write about the people who inspired her and to write her story for future generations of her family to read and enjoy. “I accomplished what I wanted to do,” said Ofiara, who also wrote about her own family and career in her book. “We all have stories.” Written to be part nostalgic, inspirational and historical, Ofiara said her book features one thing most important to her: the celebration of family. “Nothing is more important than family and everyone should write their family stories down,” she said. The book is available for purchase at www.amazon.com.

The most important lessons in life come from family.” Evelyn Ofiara

Pearls of Wisdom
Vernon resident Evelyn Ofiara’s book “Memoirs of a Bootlegger’s Daughter” features life lessons from her mother and brother Ted:
‘Momma’s’ pearls of wisdom include:
If you want exercise, clean the house. Don’t cheat the stomach. The best gift you can give yourself for the holidays is no bills trailing you in January.
Ted’s pearls of wisdom include:
Make the time. Being too busy is no excuse. All prayers are answered, and sometimes the answer is no. Possessions own you.