Obituaries 02-01-2023

Jeannie Robichaud

Bingo Enthusiast Who Enjoyed Spending Time Family

Jeannie  (DiRuzza)  Robichaud, a lifelong  Revere  resident,  passed away on January 26.

Jeannie enjoyed playing Bingo and spending time with her family.

The beloved daughter of the late Phillip and Mary (Cristello) DiRuzza, she was the devoted wife of the late  Albert, loving mother of Richard Robichaud  and  his  wife,  Andrea  of  Revere,  John  Robichaud  and  his  wife, Lisa  of  Derry,  N.H.  and Jean Brown and her husband, Marc  of  Ossipee,  N.H.; cherished  grandmother of John Jr, Matthew  and his wife, Janice, Alyssa, Bryan, Samantha, Tyanna  and  AJ and great-  grandmother  of  Analisa,  Bryton, Kyran, Braven and Aria; dear  sister  of  Dolores  Daigle  and  Pat  DiRuzza  of  Revere,  and the late Mario, Felix, Angelo,  Theresa Marx and Antoinetta DiRuzza.  She is also survived  by  many  loving  nieces  and  nephews.

Funeral from the Paul Buonfiglio & Sons-Bruno Funeral Home, 128 Revere St,, Revere on Thursday,  February  2  at  9 a.m. followed  by  a  Funeral  Mass  in  St.  Mary  of  the  Assumption  Church at 10 a.m. Relatives and  friends  are  kindly  invited. 

Interment  will  be  in  Holy  Cross  Cemetery.  Visiting  hours at the funeral home are  today,  Wednesday,  from  4 to  8  p.m.   In  lieu  of  flowers,  donations may be made to the St. Jude  Children’s Research Hospital by  visiting  stjude.org  To  leave  a  message  or  to  share  a  memory  with the family, please visit www.Buonfiglio.com.

Angelina Terenzi

One Of the Kindest People, She Still Lived Independently at Age 104

A Funeral Mass was celebrated in St. Anthony of Padua Church on Saturday, January 28 for Angelina R. “Angie”​ (Polcari) Terenzi, who died on Monday, January 23 following a brief illness at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She was 104 years old. Interment followed in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden.

Angie was a lifelong resident of Revere. One of eight daughters of the late Angelo and Rose (DeYeso) Polcari, she was born on October 22, 1918. All the sisters were educated in Revere. Angie worked at her father’s restaurant on Route 1, along with her sisters, and they all played musical instruments at the restaurant, Angie played the clarinet.

She met the love of her life, Harry Terenzi, and the couple married and began their own family.

Angie was a loving and proud mother of her three children. She was an excellent cook and enjoyed having her children and grandchildren and later great grandchildren around her. She was a woman who was fiercely independent, still living by herself and still cooking, just before her death. She was also known as being one of the kindest people who would help out anyone she could.

She was the beloved wife of 75 years to the late Harry C. Terenzi, loving mother of Ronald P. Terenzi and his wife, Rosemary of Revere, Karen Crane and  her late husband, Frank of Saugus and Richard R. Terenzi and his wife, Maryjane of Revere; cherished grandmother of Althea Terenzi, Tanya Valverde, Alyssia Sebastian, Nicole Crane, Liane Terenzi, Valerie Terenzi, Domenic Terenzi and Anthony Terenzi and the late William Crane and Danielle Crane and the adored great grandmother of 12 great-grandchildren. She was the dear sister of the late Gloria Roman, Norma Guarente, Evelyn M. Polcari , Albina Sasso and her husband, Chester, Helen Trunfio, Margaret Moschella and Edith Murray. She is also lovingly survived by many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great grandnieces and great grandnephews. ​

To send online condolences, please visit www.vertuccioandsmith.com. Funeral arrangements entrusted to the care and direction of the Vertuccio & Smith. Home for Funerals.

Julia Stefanilo

A True Matriarch, Humble and Selfless Who Served As the Rock of Her Family

Julia T. (Pasquariello) Stefanilo of Revere, formerly of Malden and East Boston, passed away peacefully at the young age of 94 on January 21 surrounded by her loving family.

Julia was the beloved wife of the late Nicholas C. Stefanilo, sweethearts since the age of 14, with whom she shared 59 years of marriage. She was the devoted mother of Deborah Adams and her husband, Karl of Franklin and Karen Petitti and her late husband William of Revere; cherished grandmother of Julie Raez and her husband, Joseph of Seekonk, Daniel Adams of Franklin, Nicholas Rudolph and his wife, Lisa of Revere, Matthew Rudolph and his fianceé, Sodaba Dadrass of Revere; cherished great-grandmother of Jack, Brooke, Owen and Connor; dear sister of Angela Bertolino and her late husband, Jerome of Littleton, Rose DeStefano and her late husband, Albert of Tewksbury; loving sister-in-law to Barbara Zona of East Boston and Frank Moreschi of Yarmouth. Julia is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand nephews and friends.

Julia was born in East Boston, one of three children of the late Vincenzo “James” and Theresa Pasquariello. Raised and educated in East Boston, she graduated from Girls High in 1945. Julia worked for 27 years as an accounting assistant and bookkeeper at Spir-it in Malden and Wakefield and was lauded as instrumental to the company’s success.

A true matriarch, Julia was humble and selfless, yet served as the rock of her family. Generations of family members relied on her genuine care and concern. She enjoyed bringing people together with her generous, kind and unassuming way. She loved to cook and hosted many family holidays and events providing food and comfort for her family and close friends.

Julia enjoyed traveling with her family, especially the annual trips to Cape Cod and Aruba. She also enjoyed quiet daily walks on Revere Beach with her sister-in-law, Jo.

An avid reader, Julia collected books and enjoyed reading electronic books from the library. She also enjoyed knitting and needlework and would often gift knitted dishcloths. Julia encouraged all to strive for the best in life, especially in their education. After retirement, Julia volunteered at a local school and taught her knitting skills to eager elementary school students.

Julia’s greatest joy was spending time with her family and friends. She was beloved by all, and enjoyed a life centered around providing love for her family. Julia will be deeply missed, but leaves a legacy of her selflessness and quiet strength that will continue in the hearts and memories of her family.

A visitation was held at the Paul Buonfiglio & Sons ~ Bruno Funeral Home, 128 Revere Street, Revere on Saturday, January 28 followed by a Funeral Mass at St. Anthony’s Church, 250 Revere Street, Revere and interment in Woodlawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Julia’s memory to the charity of one’s choice.

Giuseppe Della Vecchia

Retiree of Local 22 Laborers Union

Giuseppe Della Vecchia of Revere passed away on January 31 at the age of 89.

Giuseppe worked for 17 years as a coal miner in Belgium with his brothers and father before coming to the United States in 1962. He first settled in East Boston and later in Revere. Giuseppe worked for over thirty years in construction for Local 22 Laborers Union. When he wasn’t working, Giuseppe enjoyed spending time at the Italian Mens Club in East Boston. He also enjoyed spending winters in Naples, Florida.

Born in Nusco Avellino, Italy to the late Armato and Anna (Ciminera) Della Vecchia, he was the beloved husband of the late Rosa (Scialdone); dear brother of Rose DelVecchio and her husband, Emilio of Revere, Michael and Pia of Italy, Julia Piol and her husband, George of Belgium, Carmen Della Vecchia and his wife, Maria of Italy and Maria and her husband, Giovanni Lacitignola of Belgium and the late Antonio Della Vecchia and his wife, Filippe of Belgium; cherished uncle of Anna Barker and her husband, Steve, Gerri Runge and her husband, Ken, Anthony DelVecchio and his wife Lenore and Emilio DelVecchio Jr. and his wife, Jan.  He is also survived by many loving great-nieces and nephews.

Funeral from the Paul Buonfiglio & Sons-Bruno Funeral Home on Saturday, February 4 at 9 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass in St Anthony’s Church at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. Visiting hours will be on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. Entombment will be in Holy Cross Mausoleum.

Lorna King

A Woman With a Heart of Gold

Lorna A. (Petrilli) King of Revere passed away January 19, following a brief illness at the age of 67.

Lorna graduated from Revere High School and spent many years working in retail. She was an avid gardener and loved spending time at Revere Beach, puzzle building and Aruba vacations. She enjoyed trips to Mohegan Sun. Lorna was partial to her classic rock, especially Janice Joplin. Above all, was the love she had for her family. She lived for trips down to Little Rock to spend time with her grandchildren. A woman with a heart of gold, Lorna will be missed by those who had the privilege to know her.

Born in Cambridge to the late retired RFD William G. and Ella (DeRosa) Petrilli. She was the beloved wife of Paul King, cherished mother of Jesse King and his wife, Angela of Arkansas and Katie Russell and her husband, Rob of Georgetown and adored Nona of Lucia and Charlie; dear sister of Retired RFD William Petrilli and his wife, Charlene. sister-in-law of John King and his wife, Paula, Karen Dellolio and her husband, Tim, Denise King and her longtime companion, Chris, Gary King and his wife, Karen and the late Charles King. She is also lovingly survived by her aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A visitation wase held at the Paul Buonfiglio & Sons ~ Bruno Funeral Home, 128 Revere Street, Revere on Monday, January 23 and a Funeral was held from the Funeral Home on Tuesday, January 24 followed by a Funeral Mass at St. Anthony’s Church, 250 Revere Street, Revere. Interment  private.

At the family’s request and in lieu of flowers, those wishing to remember Lorna may make donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at https://www.lls.org/ways-to-give . For guestbook, please visit www.buonfiglio.com

Phyllis Festa

Her Most Precious and Loving Times Were Spent With Her Family and Special Friends

Phyllis I. (Colameta) Festa, 90+ years of age, devoted wife of over 70 years to the late John R. Festa of Revere, formerly of Everett, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 17 after a brief illness.

Phyllis began her career working for Coolidge Bank and Trust Company in Everett and then worked for the remainder of her career in the Wire Department for the City of Everett. In her “spare time” after retirement, she organized many “field” trips (AKA bus trips) for all her friends to various New England destinations. For many years, Phyllis and her husband Johnny enjoyed dancing, traveling, dining, and entertaining with dear friends. Phyllis also enjoyed long walks on the first public beach where they lived for the past 12+ years – Revere Beach. Her most precious and loving times were those spent with her family and special friends.

The cherished daughter of the late Anthony and Irma (Fergosi) Colameta, she was the loving mother of her daughter, Pamela J. Rao and her husband, Joseph, Jr. of Billerica and her dedicated son, John R. Festa, Jr. of Boston; adored grandmother to Jennifer McLaughlin of Bedford, NH, and Joseph P. Rao, III of Billerica; great grandmother to Kaeleigh Malette and her life partner, Colin Malette, Nathan McLaughlin and Anna Rao and great great grandmother to Charlotte Malette and dear sister of the late Dorothy (Colameta) Cocco. She is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews and cherished friends.

A Funeral Mass was celebrated on Tuesday, January 24 in Blessed Mother of the Morning Star – St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Revere. Interment was in Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett.

Donations can be sent to her local church where she was a devoted parishioner – In memory of Phyllis I. Festa, St. Mary’s of The Assumption Parish, 670 Washington Avenue, Revere MA 02151.

To send online condolences, please visit www.vsvfunerals.com​.

Arrangements under the care and direction of the Vertuccio Smith & Vazza, Beechwood Home for Funerals.com.

Melvin Massucco, Jr.

Polaroid Retiree and Former Revere Youth Hockey Coach

Melvin J. “Mel” Massucco, Jr. of Revere, formerly of East Boston, passed away on January 17 at the age of 83.

An Air Force veteran, Mel proudly served his country during Vietnam. He worked for many years as an electrical designer with Polaroid and was a former coach for Revere Youth Hockey. He also was a member of the D.A.V. and the Crystal Community Club in Wakefield.

While he enjoyed golfing and visiting the local casinos in his freetime, spending time with his family brought Mel the most joy of all.

The beloved husband of 61 years of Florence A. (Cambria) Massucco, he was the devoted father of Melvin J. Massucco III and his wife, Donna of Revere and Susan Shaffer and her husband, Wayne of Lynnfield; cherished Papa of Melissa Massucco, Tyler Shaffer, Matthew Massucco and his fiancé, Elizabeth Agneta, Dylan Shaffer, Crystal Shaffer and great-grandfather of Dominick Massucco; dear brother of the late Richard Massucco and his surviving wife, Ronna; brother-in-law of late Pasquale “Sonny” Cambria and his surviving wife, Ruthie and Anna Cambria and her husband, Tony Rembis of New Jersey. He is also lovingly survived by his nieces, nephews and friends.

Funeral arrangements were by the Paul Buonfiglio & Sons ~ Bruno Funeral Home, 128 Revere Street, Revere. Interment was in Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett. At the family’s request and in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mel’s memory to the Disabled Veterans of America at https://www.dav.org/ways-to-give/. For guestbook, please visit www.buonfiglio.com

Betty Ann Paragona

MBTA Retiree Who Filled Her Home With Love, Care and the Importance of Family

Family and friends are respectfully invited to attend Visiting Hours on Thursday, February 2 from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Vertuccio Smith & Vazza “Beechwood” Home for Funerals, 262 Beach St., Revere for Betty Ann (Raymond) Paragona who died on Friday, January 27 at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, following a brief illness. She was 88 years old. Her funeral will be conducted from the funeral home on Friday, February 3 at 9:30 a.m. followed by a Funeral Service in the funeral home at 10:30 a.m. Interment will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery, Malden.

Betty was a native of Greenfield, MA. She was born to the late Howard L. and Ada (Hale) Raymond and was one of two daughters. She was raised and educated there and was a graduate of Greenfield High School Class of 1952. Betty moved to Boston shortly after graduating and worked at John Hancock Life Insurance Company as a clerk. She was also on the women’s basketball team at John Hancock and played at the Boston Garden, which was something she was very proud of. She then met her husband, Joseph Paragona, on Revere Beach and they married on September 19, 1959. The couple settled in Revere where they began their family. They had four children and Betty was a devoted mother and housewife. She filled her home with love, care and the importance of family.

Betty later went back to work, as a bus driver for the City of Revere with Fiore Bus Company. She worked there for several years, then taking a position as a bus driver for the M.B.T.A., where she was one of the very first women to be hired. She later took a position as a “collector” where she collected the funds along the different stations, in an armored truck, with her service weapon too. After 20 plus years of service, Betty retired.

She was an active bowler with groups of friends for over 30 years. She was a passionate sports fan, most emphatically with her Boston Celtics. She enjoyed traveling with family and friends and she especially liked her “casino trips.” Family was her “everything” as nothing else was nearly as important as her family, and just being with them. She adored her grandchildren and was very proud of them.

She was the beloved wife of 48 years of the late Jospeh L. Paragona, Sr., the loving mother of Brenda L. Columbus and her companion, Charles Robles and Bonnie A. Turner, all of Saugus, Beverly J. Paragona of Revere and Joseph L. Paragona Jr. and his fiancé, Elena Lelchuk of Peabody; the cherished grandmother of Lauren, Melissa, Carlos, Stephanie, Matt, Rachel, Joseph L. III, Jake, Julian, Nina and the late Zachary. great grandmother of Keyanna, Jolee, Elliee and Michael Jr. and dear sister of Lois M. Sturtevant of Oklahoma and her late husband, Robert H. She is also lovingly survived by five nieces and many grandnieces and grandnephews. 

To send online condolences, please visit www.vsvfunerals.com

Funeral arrangements entrusted to the care & direction of the Vertuccio Smith & Vazza Beechwood Home for Funerals.

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