Annie Jo Sgroi
St. Agnes Church Parishioner
READING: Annie Jo (Licciardo) Sgroi, age 61, a Reading resident for 34 years, passed away at Massachusetts General Hospital on Thursday, March 14, 2019.
She was the beloved wife of Richard J. Sgroi, with whom she celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary on August 29, 2018.
Born in Amsterdam, NY on May 7, 1957, she was the daughter of the late Eugenio Licciardo and the late Rosalia (Merlino) Licciardo, both of whom had emigrated to the United States from the Aeolian Islands, a tiny group of 7 volcanic islands located north of Sicily.
Annie was raised in the old mill-city Amsterdam, NY on Eagle Street. She was always proud to mention that the famous actor, Kirk Douglas, had grown up on her street (before she had resided there).
Annie grew up speaking Italian and began to learn English once entering public school.
Eventually, her mother had her transferred to a Catholic school. She graduated from Bishop Scully High School.
Annie was given responsibility from a young age; her father was 72 when she was born, and her mother worked long hours in the local mills to support them.
She began to cook from the age of two, and as she grew older she became her father’s main caretaker.
While in high school, Annie was able to travel with her father to visit her family in the Aeolian Islands. The next year, her father passed away (which happened to be on her mother’s birthday); Annie was 16 at the time. She remained eternally grateful for their time together, and she loved to reminisce and share these memories with her children.
Following graduation, she set out to expand her horizons. She attended Maria College in Albany New York, worked summers painting houses in Kennebunkport, Maine, and eventually moved to Massachusetts.
She attended Northeastern College, where she received her Associates Degree.
Annie devoted her life to raising her four children, caring for her mother, and her catholic faith.
She had a wide range of passions; she enjoyed baking pastries & gourmet cooking, designing flower arrangements & creating crafts, collecting Christmas ornaments & traveling the world.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her four children, Andrew J., Rachel M., Curtis A. and Sandra A. Sgroi.
She was pre-deceased by 13 half-siblings from her father’s first marriage.
Calling hours are Wednesday, March 20, from 4-8 p.m. at the Farmer & Dee Funeral Home, 16 Lee St., Tewksbury.
Family and friends are invited to meet at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 21, at St. Athanasius Church, 300 Haverhill Street, Reading for her Funeral Mass. Interment will be at a later date at Forest Glen Cemetery, Reading. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701.