Maria Santangelo passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 5, 2019. She was 58 years old. She was the daughter of the late Lucio and Julia (DeMambro) Santangelo. Maria grew up in Medford and attended Medford High School. In 1983, she graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development. In 1984, Maria earned her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education.
Maria dedicated her career to supporting children with special needs and at risk youths. Her first job was at the Devereaux School in Rutland, MA for children with special needs. While in Rutland, she was also an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) on their volunteer fire brigade. From there, she went on to work at Morgan Memorial/Goodwill Industries in Roxbury and then to the Hayden School for the Deaf in Dorchester. Committed to non-profit work, Maria later became Executive Director for Concord Assabet Family and Adolescent Services, where she directed the residential program for girls. She ended her career advocating for alternatives to incarceration for people with substance abuse disorder in Middlesex County.
Maria was an exuberant person and that reflected in her interests. She loved bright colors and flowing dresses. In college, she participated in Outward Bound in Maine and lived on a boat for a month. She trained as a Project Adventure Leader specializing in rock climbing and high ropes. She leveraged those skills at Hale Reservation in Westwood, running the high ropes course for the summer camp.
Maria never married but loved children. She doted on her nieces and was present at each of their births. Each has their own special stories and memories of Auntie Maria.
Maria was diagnosed with primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis in 1996.
Maria was determined to fight the disease and continue to live her best life. Along with treatment from a neurologist, she also sought alternative treatments. She was open to any and all ideas to maintain her vigorous lifestyle. She continued to work as her disease progressed. Initially, she was able to travel and took an Arctic cruise, a vacation well suited to her sensitivity to heat as a result of MS. Throughout her battle she lost mobility but never lost her in-dominatable spirit. Maria was known for her wide, radiant smile and continued to smile to her last day.
She leaves her brother John Santangelo of Arlington, his wife Lenna Bablouzian, and her two nieces Valeria and Adrina. She also leaves her brother-in-law, Walter, husband of her late sister Lisa (Santangelo) Carberry, and her two nieces Angelica and Aurora.
Her funeral will be from the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main St., Medford, Saturday, July 13th at 10:30 AM followed by a funeral mass celebrated in St. Joseph Church, 118 High Street, Medford, at 11:30 AM. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours Friday 4 – 8 PM. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Maria Santangelo Memorial Fund with the National MS Society, New England Chapter: www.nationalmssociety.org or to the National MS Society Greater New England Chapter, 101A First Ave Waltham, MA 02451