NATRILLO - Nina Natrillo, 79, of Yulee, FL passed away peacefully on March 19, 2018.
Mrs. Natrillo was born February 20, 1939 in Minsk, Soviet Union. When she was a young child her family was captured by the Nazis's and sent by train to a Nazi Slave Labor Camp. Upon liberation, her family arrived in a Displaced Person's Facility as refugees, where they were fortunate to immigrate to the U.S., settling in Meriden, Connecticut.
Nina had a gift for languages. As a child she learned Russian, Polish, Yiddish, French, and German. She learned English after they moved to the US. Since she did not speak English upon arrival to the United States, school became difficult for her. She was placed in a grade with much younger students. She drove herself to middle school. Mrs. Natrillo left high school early and became a hair dresser.
Mrs. Natrillo met Ralph Natrillo Jr., a fellow hair dresser, on a blind date where they quickly fell in love and married. They were married for 57 years. They owned and worked together in various hair salons and loved building and renovating homes. There was always a project at hand. Mrs. Natrillo was a gourmet cook and loved when her family gathered around the dining table. She had green thumb and spent many hours cultivating beautiful gardens.
At the age of 50 Nina studied for the GED and finally graduated high school. This was a very proud moment for her and her family was immensely proud of her!
Mrs. Natrillo and her husband raised three children in North Haven, Connecticut before they retired to Punta Gorda, Florida. In Punta Gorda they were members of the Yacht Club and loved boating, partying, and dancing.
Fernandina Beach was Mrs. Natrillo's next retirement home. She and her husband enjoyed long walks on the beach and a slower life style. Eventually they moved to Yulee, Florida.
Family was most important to Mrs. Natrillo. She had three children whom she loved dearly: a son, Ralph James Natrillo, III, also of Yulee; two daughters, Janina DeMasi (John) of Chapel Hill, NC and Michelle Frosina (Tom) of Leesburg, VA. Survivors also include two sisters Sophia Buyniski (Joe) and Raisa Fahy (Mike) and five grandchildren: John DeMasi (Christine), Natalie DeMasi, Nicholas DeMasi, Natasha Frosina, and Alexandra Frosina and one great grandchild expected in May. Mrs. Natrillo was predeceased by her husband Ralph Natrillo and her parents Lydia and Vladimir Bulka.