A day she’ll not
forget - After 40 years, a mother finds sender of her roses.
Since 1944, May Robinson has wondered who sends her 20
long-stem roses every Mother’s Day. On
Sunday, 40 roses were at her Redwood City doorstep in the hands of George
Retelas. The answer to her 40-yer-old
question.
Because he knew her son could not do so, Retelas 66, of San
Leandro, has sent the flowers to Mrs. Robinson, 83, every Mother’s Day since he
returned from World War II in September 1943.
Barney, Mrs. Robinson’s only child and Retelas’ wartime buddy, was
killed at age 21 when his Navy plane was shot down over Guadalcanal in 1943
while on his way to a rest-and-relaxation leave.
Barney Robinson and George Retelas had flipped a coin to
determine who would receive the last leave available to their unit at that
time. Barney won the flip. Mrs. Robinson has been blind since the time of her son’s
death due to acute glaucoma. She has
long said the shock and sadness of Barney’s death led to her blindness.
Retelas visited Robinson after he got home from the war to
drop off some of Barney’s possessions, but never revealed he was the anonymous
flower sender. “My sons and daughter
always told me to go see her. I tried to
come out last year, but I chickened out.
I guess I was too sentimental.”
On Sunday, Retelas, dressed in a suit and fidgeted at the
steps of Mrs. Robinson’s Burlingame Avenue home. Hugo and Frances Bianco, neighbors who watch
over the frail woman, led Mrs. Robinson to the door where Retelas nervously
clutched the roses. Mrs. Robinson, her mouth agape, touched the flowers, and
heard Retelas’ voice say, “From here on out, you’re going to know it’s me every
year.”
“Oh my! Oh goodness sake!” Mrs. Robinson, tears in her eyes,
repeated over and over again. She gave
Retelas a long hug and said softly, “What a surprise for Mother’s Day. It’s
like seeing my son again.” There to witness the scene were Retelas’ wife, Koula, his
daughter, Margarita of Daly City, and his son Sam, of Hayward. Also present were Sam’s wife, Lillian, and
their children, George, 5, Kosta, 3, and Georgina, 1.
Mrs. Robinson was led to a kitchen table as Retelas held her
hand and explained the flower shop that had delivered roses the previous 39
years is now out of business, “So I had better deliver them myself.” When the roses did not arrive Saturday, the normal flower
delivery date for a Sunday holiday, Mrs. Robinson thought that something might
have happened to her anonymous friend.
Hugo Bianco reminded her, however, that the roses were once delivered
late five or six years ago, so she should not give up hope.
Retelas remembers Barney, who was younger than he, as “young
and full of life and energy.” George
Retelas was a mechanic and Barney Robinson was a gunner when both were in Navy
Torpedo Squadron 11 assigned to the Pacific Theater during World War II.
When Mrs. Robinson received the flowers last year, she told
the Times Tribune, “I think it’s this nice Greek boy. I’ve tried to trace him,
but I haven’t had any luck at all.” Once she got his phone number, called and left a message,
“but I never returned the call,” Retelas said.
“I was just too sentimental.”
