Mary A. DiGirolamo,Wilmington's Centurion passed away on November 27, 2009. Born as Mary DiFiore on October 23, 1908 in East Boston. She had lived thru both World Wars, the Great Depression, a myriad of technological innovations that span a century, and Red Sox World Series wins in 1918, 2004 and 2007.
Mary was one of nine siblings, three brothers and six sisters in a large Italian family raised in Chelsea. Some of her earliest memories she shared with her family included jumping rope and playing ring around the rosie with friends in the old neighborhood.
In 1925 she took a job at Schrafft's Chocolate Factory in Charlestown where she worked for the next eleven years. During World War ll, she worked in the Boston Navy Yard as a buffer/polisher. After the war she returned to Schrafft's for an additional eleven years.
She moved from Chelsea to Wilmington when she married her late husband Ernest on October 11, 1958 in a pink wedding dress. Since she moved to Wilmington she has been an active member of St Thomas of Villanova Church, the Buzzell Senior Center, AIM, and Sons of Italy. She loved to play bingo at the senior center and at Wilmington Health Care Center, where she moved to in 2008 to recover from a fall. Up until that point she lived independently and enjoyed being able to be in her own home and have her independence.
One of Mary's favorite things was to sing, She sang at all birthdays, holidays; basically at any chance she could get. She even sang at three of her nieces' weddings.
She embraced her Italian heritage both thru using the language and in food preparation. She made all of her own pasta from scratch, and for many years she and her family would gather on Good Friday for a tradition of all baking " Pizza Gaina".
One of her most exciting moments was when she was able to vote for a woman, for when she grew up women could not even vote. God has blessed her with a great life, family and friends.
Her funeral will be held from the Dello Russo - Cavanaugh Funeral Home,
374 Main St. (Rte 38) Wilmington on Monday, November 30, at 11 a.m. followed by a celebration of Mary's life in St. Thomas of Villanova Church at 12 noon. Services will conclude with burial at Wildwood Cemetery, Wilmington.
Visiting Hours at Funeral Home Sunday, November 29, fron 4 thru 9