Husband’s death inspires woman to follow her heart
When her 57-year-old husband, James, died in 1974 after he lost a seven-year battle with heart disease, Leda Gismondi grieved his loss and the devastating impact that her husband’s death had on their family. Reflecting on the most difficult period in her life, the Uniontown woman said she spent some time worrying about how she was going to manage without her husband’s emotional and financial support.When she first started dating her husband many years ago, Gismondi said he always gave her red roses as gifts.
“Each time he would give me a gift, he kept adding more roses,” she said. “Finally, I told him that I thought it was getting a little bit out of hand. I asked him to just give me one long-stemmed red rose, and that’s what he did from that moment on. And that’s one of the reasons why this rose means so much to me.”
A cream-colored quilt embroidered with a red heart and the words “Heart Gala, February 12, 2000” lies in the home’s glass-enclosed sun porch. Gismondi explained that one of her daughter’s friends bought the special quilt during an auction the first year she served as the event’s chairperson. Her daughter’s friend then gave it to Gismondi as a gift.
While she spends hours each day finalizing plans for the gala, Gismondi, who enjoys sewing as a hobby, is busy working to complete a black velvet gown with red trim that she plans to wear to this year’s formal event.
“I still have a lot of work to do on the dress so I better keep working on it or I’m never going to finish it on time,” she said during an interview several weeks before the event. “I’m a little worried about it because if I don’t get it done, I won’t have anything to wear.”
But Cindy Digga, director of the Fayette County Division of the American Heart Association, isn’t worried about the gala gown or any other last-minute details that Gismondi and the other volunteers are diligently working to complete on time.
“Leda makes all of her own gala gowns, and one is as beautiful as the next,” Digga said. “The gowns are gorgeous. No one would ever know that she actually makes the gowns. I know she isn’t finished with the gown yet. Last year, I had to go to Leda’s house to help her pin the hem and make sure the pins were straight.
“But I’m not worried about the gown or any of the other details that Leda and the other volunteers are handling for the gala,” Digga added. “We have such confidence in them. We know that everything will go off without a hitch. Everyone who attends the gala will have a wonderful time because Leda and the volunteers will make sure everything is perfect. That’s the kind of person Leda is. I really don’t know what we would do without Leda because we depend on her so much.”