Peabody Loses Girolimon

Peabody lost one of its integral ties to World War II this month when Carolina Girolimon died on Aug. 5.

Louis and Carolina Girolimon, parents of Gold Star recipient Louis Girolimon Jr., who died in action in Vietnam in 1968 were often seen around the city and at the Memorial Day services.

In a recent Salem News article, their love story is chronicled:

The young war bride adjusted easily to living in Peabody. It helped that her new husband’s Italian-born parents took to her instantly. A capacity for English developed quickly.

The couple quickly made their contribution to the baby boom, starting with Dina and then adding two sons, Richard and Louis M. Dad took advantage of his status as a veteran to begin a three decade-plus career as a Peabody police officer. Policing would become a family tradition, the Salem News article said.

"In a way that only people from the outside can appreciate America, Cory became a patriot. A lot of people enjoy the Irving Berlin anthem “God Bless America,” but the war bride couldn’t hear it without being moved to sing along. No one could speak ill of the United States in her presence," the Salem News wrote.