Marie (Del Sesto) Tartaglia passed away on December 16 in Clearwater, FL surrounded by the love of children and grandchildren. Marie and her late husband, Joseph, were married for 57 years and raised their family in Greenville, RI.
Born January 18, 1935 in Providence, she was the loving daughter of the late Lydia (Corsi) and Louis Del Sesto.
Marie, a devoted mother who cherished her family above all else, is survived by her five children: daughter Lorraine and husband Ken (Kuenzel) of Chatham, MA; Joseph and wife Nancy of Clearwater, FL; Michael and wife Holly of Greenville; Robert and wife Mary Jo of Wrentham, MA; and Steven. Affectionately known as Meggie, each of her twelve grandchildren enjoyed a close and loving bond with their grandmother. As with her children, Marie shared all the special moments in the lives of Joseph, Stephanie, Frank, Gina, Matthew, Jessie, Hayley, Zachary, Robert, Gabrielle, Harrison and Michael. One of her greatest joys was spending time with her great-grandchildren Joseph, Rosemarie, Charlotte, Violet, and Sophia.
A lifelong beach lover, Marie spent many winter months in Florida with her husband, and she permanently moved there in 2011. Her children and grandchildren have cherished memories of beach walks with Marie in Rhode Island, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and of shelling at Pass-a-Grille beach – one of her favorite places.
Marie had a wonderful and close group of friends with whom she shared social and volunteer activities, including providing meals for Pinellas Hope and raising scholarship funds with the Italian-American Women of Today (LIADO). She especially loved using her creativity to make floral arrangements for hospitals through the organization Random Acts of Flowers.
Services were held in Clearwater. Burial at St. Ann cemetery in Cranston will be private. A memorial mass and celebration of Marie's life will be held as soon as it becomes safe to gather again. Contributions to the LIADO Scholarship Program – PO Box 7487, Clearwater, FL 33758-7487 – in her memory would be greatly appreciated.