Category Archives: Bodega Bay

The picture below shows  Bruce Hasson, the San Francisco sculptor who created and built the Children’s Bell Tower in Bodega Bay, California where our family lived when Nicholas was alive. With Bruce is his wife, Monica. From the tower hang 140 bells, mostly sent by Italian families, many of whom have lost a child. I call it a little piece of Italy’s soul by the Pacific Ocean.

The centerpiece bell, which has on it Nicholas’ name and those of his seven recipients, was cast at the Marinelli foundry, which has been making bells for the Papacy for a thousand years. Before it was flown to the United States, it was blessed by Pope John Paul II who, like the sculptor, was deeply moved by the donation of Nicholas’ organs and the Italian people’s generous-hearted response.

People from all over the world visit the tower and often leave something to keep the memory alive, like the moving note above, from a compassionate family that reads, “We are from Italy, near Genoa. We know the sad story of your son, Nicholas. Just a bouquet of flowers to remember. God bless you!”