A Moment in Ink: How a Pizza Delivery Became a Family Story
In 1986, Marianne Brown decided to stay with her great grandmother, Mary Masco, for a sleepover she would never forget.
Masco was born in Italy in the outskirts of Rome in 1899. At the age of 12, she voyaged to the United States with her family where they entered America’s cultural melting pot, New York.
“When she came here, she couldn’t read or write. They actually enrolled her in kindergarten at the age of 12 and my cousin said she ended up dropping out the same day because the other little kids made fun of her,” Brown said. “She spoke Italian and knew little English. Although I grew up in an Italian family, I never learned Italian and so we struggled to communicate.”
As Masco grew in age, family members would take turns staying with her. One evening when Brown volunteered to stay the night, the two were watching The Lawrence Welk Show and getting hungry, so Brown began scouring through their phone book to find a delicious place to grab some grub.
“I kid you not, I sat there calling almost every pizza place I could find and Domino’s was the only one that delivered!” she reflected. “I remember going to tell my grandmother that we were having pizza delivered and her jaw dropped to the floor. It was the funniest thing ever; she could not get over the fact that pizza was being delivered to her home. It made the whole thing so special. It’s funny how pizza can bring two people so much closer.”
The moment was never forgotten and later when Masco passed away, Brown got a Noid tattoo on her shoulder which serves as a reminder of their laughter, shared pizza memories and connection.
“I wish I would’ve spent more time with her, she was a very strong woman,” Brown shared. “At the time we were your traditional American Italian family and while we ate together as a large family and saw each other frequently for holidays, but there was little time to connect with her one on one. I am so glad I was able to spend that time with her. It made a huge difference in my life.”
Today, the Noid tattoo still sparks conversation—but for Brown, it’s more than a tattoo. It’s a reminder that one Domino’s pizza delivery turned an ordinary night into a memory she carries forever.
To order Domino’s and create pizza memories of your own, visit www.dominos.com.