Typical to their generous and whole-hearted nature, my Sicilian aunts & uncles embraced and accepted my mother despite her being of a different nationality. My mother's quiet and modest disposition no doubt also endeared her to them (ie. refreshingly different qualities to the loud, proud and argumentative Sicilians).
These video snippets of Despina in Europe during the big Sicilian family reunion of 1997 capture some of her personality - and how it contrasted with my father's. She was never the centre of attention, yet she always tried to participate in conversations (even if she didn't speak that particular language very well).