Sferra reunion marks 100th year
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CANFIELD -- For most families, organizing a reunion every year is difficult enough. For the descendants of Domenico "Tony" Sferra and Lucia "Lucy" Carano, keeping the tradition alive for an entire century is nothing short of remarkable.
More than 260 family members gathered Sunday in Canfield to celebrate the 100th Sferra Family Reunion, marking a tradition that has endured through five generations, world wars, economic hardships, family losses and the countless changes that come with the passage of time. Of those gathered, Dan Santon, 92, of Youngstown, was the oldest living member. The Sferra Wilson family, from Phoenix, Arizona, traveled the farthest and Nora Prior Carew, 18 months, of Atlanta, represented the youngest family member in attendance.
The milestone gathering brought together relatives from throughout the Mahoning Valley and across the country for a day filled with food, fellowship and family history. Tables overflowed with Italian favorites, including roasted chicken, cavatelli, eggplant parmesan, tortellini salad, roast beef, pepperoni rolls and homemade desserts, while attendees enjoyed activities ranging from bocce and pickleball to golf, baseball and walking tours.
For organizer Donna Wainio, reaching the 100-year mark was the culmination of years of anticipation.
"We have been counting up to the 100th for about eight years," Wainio said. "Each year we had a sign indicating what reunion we were celebrating, and Uncle Dan has been encouraging us to do something big for the 100th."
The reunion traces its roots to 1926, when the first Sferra family picnic took place in Mahoning County. Every year since, descendants of Tony and Lucy Sferra have gathered in one form or another to celebrate their shared heritage and family bonds.
Tony and Lucy emigrated from the small Italian village of Castiglione di Carovilli in the late 1800s. Their children became the first generation of the family to grow up in the United States. Over time, the family tree expanded through marriages into the Stizza, Curall, Wainio, Diana and Casciato families, creating a sprawling network of descendants that continues to grow today.
According to family historian Chloe Sferra, the reunion grew out of the traditions that defined many Italian-American families during the early 20th century. Sundays revolved around family gatherings, shared meals and strong connections between relatives. Those values laid the foundation for what would become a century-long tradition.
The reunion itself has evolved over the decades. It has been hosted at locations including Glen Echo Picnic Grounds, Coalburg Lake and Mill Creek Park, with attendance varying from year to year. Yet despite changing venues and growing generations, the family's commitment to gathering has never wavered.
As the descendants multiplied, the responsibility of sustaining the reunion passed from one generation to the next. Chloe Sferra noted that much of the credit belongs to family members such as Bill Wainio Jr. and Jim Sferra, who worked tirelessly to ensure the annual gathering continued after the original generation began to pass away.
Stephen "Sonny" Sferra, a fourth-generation descendant and one of the organizers, acknowledged that maintaining the tradition has not always been easy.
"The bigger each family gets, the more generations that are born, the fewer people you actually know," Sferra said. "It crosses your mind that maybe it's time to let it go, but our parents encouraged us to go every year."
That encouragement helped carry the reunion through periods when its future was uncertain.
"As families grew, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren appeared at the annual picnic," Chloe Sferra wrote. "As the years passed, the onus of keeping the reunion going fell to the next generation."
Yet family members continued showing up year after year, drawn by traditions that became synonymous with the reunion itself.
There was always food -- lots of it. Burgers and hot dogs never became part of the menu. Instead, generations gathered around homemade Italian dishes, grilled hot peppers, pasta and desserts. There were softball games, swimming, bocce matches, balloon tosses and raffles, many of which became anticipated annual traditions.
"Some family members took long breaks from the reunion while others found their way back," Chloe Sferra noted. "And on it went."
About 20 years ago, family members began documenting the gatherings through annual photographs. Looking back at those images now reveals not only the growth of the family, but also the loss of beloved relatives who helped build the tradition.
"No one said it out loud, but each year's photos recorded an inevitable reality," Chloe Sferra wrote. "While the aunts' and uncles' smiles were constant, there were fewer of them with each passing year."
Today, only a few members remain from the generation that once anchored the reunion. Among them is Dan Santon, whose encouragement helped inspire the family to celebrate the centennial gathering on a grand scale.
Rather than allowing the tradition to fade, younger generations stepped forward to continue it. Wainio and Terri Santon Kernan formed a committee of 15 family members representing multiple branches and generations to plan the centennial celebration.
The committee assembled an extensive family history project that includes a detailed family tree and an electronic booklet documenting descendants across multiple generations. Name tags identified attendees by family branch, while a family tree display helped younger relatives understand their place within the family's history.
Commemorative T-shirts, a video presentation featuring family photographs and a remembrance table honoring deceased relatives were also part of the celebration.
For Pam Curall Pesa, the reunion serves a purpose that extends beyond a single day of celebration.
"If you came from Youngstown, Ohio, you learned early on about Italian traditions, great food and most of all the importance of family," she said. "It has always been vital to come to the reunion and be part of the larger family."
Pesa said participating on the planning committee deepened her appreciation for the family's collective story.
"I learned so much by being on the committee," she said. "Stories I had never heard, pictures I had never seen along with wonderful memories of days gone by. Oral history is such an integral part of our shared history and we have to keep the stories going. It's what defines us as a family."
That idea of preserving stories emerged repeatedly throughout the day. Before the meal, family members paused to remember relatives who had passed away and reflect on the generations whose efforts made the reunion possible.
Jean Fair Wainio, who has attended reunions for nearly six decades, reflected on what has sustained the event for so long.
"As a fourth-generation family member who attended this family reunion nearly 60 years ago, I can truly say that love is the seed from which this family tree has grown," she said. "Today the anticipation of this reunion is deeply steeped in beautiful Italian family traditions and warmly welcomes everyone home as we celebrate an incredible milestone of 100 years."
For fifth-generation descendant Emily Wainio Beardman, the reunion represents both a celebration of the past and a promise for the future.
"Celebrating the 100th reunion symbolizes the strength among our family and the love we have for one another," Beardman said. "Many of us, regardless of age or generation, feel honored and blessed to be a part of such an amazing family unit."
She praised the extensive planning that went into the event and the willingness of relatives to travel long distances to attend.
"I'm most proud of how everyone came together to celebrate this beautiful occasion," she said. "So many family members made plans far in advance and traveled in from out of state to attend."
Beardman believes the values passed down through previous generations remain the foundation of the reunion's success.
"The everlasting love, respect and support that we show to one another has kept everyone connected," she said. "The older generations leading by example is an inspiration to the younger generations to hold true to our deep family values."
When asked what the reunion's founders might think if they could witness Sunday's gathering, Beardman paused before offering an answer shared by many in attendance.
"I'm sure they'd be astonished at the amount of people and all the details," she said. "Nothing in life matters more than family and the love and support we show to one another."
As attendees posed for photographs, shared stories and enjoyed another meal together, the significance of the day was not lost on them. The 100th reunion was more than a celebration of longevity. It was a testament to the dedication of generations who refused to let a cherished tradition disappear.
For one afternoon in Canfield, more than 260 descendants of two immigrants who arrived from a small Italian village came together as one family. A century after that first picnic in 1926, they proved that the roots planted by Tony and Lucy Sferra continue to grow strong.
And judging by the enthusiasm of the younger generations already stepping into leadership roles, the family's second century of reunions may be just beginning.