Josephine Manicone

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josephine manicone

Josephine Manicone

January 25, 1918 ~ December 28, 2010

josephine manicone

January 25, 1918 ~ December 28, 2010

Name: Josephine V. Manicone Life Dates: 1/25/1918 - 12/28/2010 City Of Birth: DuBois, Pa Pre-deceased by Josephine is predeceased by her husband, Frank Manicone. History She is survived by her children, JoAnn Sadwick, Judy Oliveri, Marilyn Kerstjens, Tony (Donna) Manicone; grandchildren, Steve (Liz) Sadwick, Tim Sadwick, Greg (financee Rebecca Holtz) Sadwick, Rick (Julie) Sadwick, Carin (Mark) Laniak, Pam (Ken) Kalke, Stacey (Kurt) Morrison, Jodi (Vic) Oliveri-Trebules, Todd (Amy) Mirabella, Kristy (Keith) Wrubleski, Lauren Manicone Jeff Manicone; 22 great-grandchildren; several nieces nephews. Donations In lieu of flowers mass cards, donations may be made to Edna Tina Wilson Living Care, Mission Unit, 700 Island Cottage Rd., Rochester, NY 14612 Services Josephine's visitation will be Thursday 2-4 7-9 PM at the Funeral Home 1411 Vintage Lane (between Rte 390 Long Pond Rd). Josephine's Funeral Mass will be celebrated Friday 9 AM at Our Mother of Sorrows Church 5000 Mt. Read Blvd. Interment in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Additional Information IN CELEBRATION OF JOSEPHINE VIRGINIA MARY CLEMENT MANICONE January 25, 1918 - December 28, 2010 Dear Family and Friends, We, my siblings and I, would like to thank those of you who visited our mom last night; those of you who thought about our mom last night; and all of you, family and friends, who are here this morning. We also give special thanks to the staff at Edna Tina Wilson Living Center for the loving, compassionate, comfort, and quality care mom received. God needed a good woman in heaven, so he took His child from us. But He doesn't always give the family the circumstances or the time to say good-by. So we decided instead of a eulogy, we would rather celebrate mom's life. Death is always a painful reality, hard to accept for those left behind. But we are fortunate and we are grateful to have our mom for 92 years. We grieve for our mother; we will miss her. But there is a certain joy and a certain comfort in knowing that mom and dad, married for 63 years, are reunited again and watching over us, probably square dancing. SALVATORE AND JOSEPHINE PIAZZA'S FAMILY To celebrate mom's life, we have to begin in the beginning with the people who loved, nurtured, and influenced her. Mom grew up among many loving relatives which included her parents, Fred and Lena Piazza Clement; two sisters, Vickie and Annette; two brothers, Freddie and Tommy; four aunts; two uncles; thirteen cousins; two great-aunts; and one great-uncle. Her grandparents, Salvatore and Josephine Piazza, left Sicily in the early 1890s and settled in Dubois, Pennsylvania. (Why they settled in the northeast instead of the southwest is, personally, a mystery to me.) The Piazza family left us a legacy, which still influences us today. FRANK (FRANCESCO) MANICONE Mom and dad met at a swing dance in the late '30s and married in 1941 at mom's beloved church, St. Andrew's. They honored their marriage vows, "for better or for worse, in sickness and in health." They became "One." So I can't talk about mom without talking about dad. Dad was drafted into the army during World War II. In some ways, it was a romantic era, with love songs reflecting the feelings and moods of the nation. Mom's favorite song was "Apple Blossom Time" sung by the Andrew's Sisters. In October 2010, Len Hawley, a local crooner for over sixty years, was a guest singer at the nursing home. He sang "Apple Blossom Time" to mom. One phrase in the lyrics was "One day in May, I'll come and say . . ." But he sang it as "One day in October, I'll come and say . . ." Mom corrected him. No big surprise. THE 1950s During the '50s, media portrayed women as stay-at home moms and as compulsive cleaning housewives in housedresses and aprons (a la Donna Reed). Although mom was a traditional woman, she never fit the stereotype, for example: Mom's favorite flowers were red roses, which she successfully grew under canning jars--to the envy of her neighbors. She also gardened wearing shorts--to the envy, and criticism, of her neighbors. Mom exercised every evening because, she said, "Your father doesn't like fat women." She still said that until a few months ago. It must have made a big, very big, impression on her life. To supplement the family income, mom was a home demonstrator for Dutchmaid Women's Clothing. She worked evenings and drove distances--without the luxury of having a cell phone for emergencies. Unimaginable today. In many ways, I think that mom was a woman born ahead of her time. PIAZZA GET-TOGETHERS Mom worked for her aunt, as did many of her relatives, attending many business meetings. One night a month, the Piazza Women, which dad fondly called the "Old Ladies' Club," met. One day a week, they bowled together. There were also the traditional Piazza family picnics at Charlotte Beach, always at the same time and at the same shelter, with Grandpa Clement sitting in his lawn chair, always in the same place, handing out gum to us. We all celebrated Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa Clement's house. As children, all we wanted to do was open gifts and eat. But no, we had to fast. At midnight, we walked to mass at St. Andrew's. After, we ate the traditional Sicilian dinner and we opened gifts. When the "Piazza Women" gathered, they would argue and gossip and laugh, with the volume rising exponentially. If you were a fly on the wall, and you didn't loose your hearing, it was like watching a comedy. You would be gasping for air. We were fortunate to have this large extended family that also influenced us. FRANK AND JOSEPHINE MANICONE'S FAMILY I have two sisters, Joann and Marilyn, and one brother, Tony, who was a gift and the baby of our family. Together, we gave our parents a legacy: 12 grandchildren and to-date, 21 great-grandchildren. The first ten grandchildren (all born within ten years) had to share our parents. Mom became the official "babysitter" and dad became the official "taxi." We could always count on them. Some years later, Tony and Donna gave our parents a gift: Lauren and Jeff, and they didn't have to share them. Mom loved garage sales, especially buying treasures for our children. Mom also loved handing out gum to her grandchildren and was fondly called "Grandma Gum." SUNDAY RITUALS We had definite Sunday rituals. We'd wake up on Sunday mornings and floated down the stairs, following our noses right to the stove where mom had sauce and meatballs simmering. Aah, meatballs for breakfast. That was our wish; however, the reality was that we had to fast before mass at St. Andrew's so that we could receive communion. My favorite memory is called "The Arm" which became a Sunday morning ritual. Mom would don her stylish hat, and we, our Sunday best, to go to church. Standing in the aisle, Marilyn and I would "discuss" who was getting into the pew first. Joann wisely distanced herself from us by hiding behind dad. Finally, with a gentle smile on her face and a gentle shove, we stumbled into the pew. Driving home after church is the rest of the story: About a half a mile away from the church, "The Arm" appeared, swinging from the front seat. "The Arm" was mom's way of teaching us the consequences of misbehaving in church. Marilyn and I would crouch on the backseat floor, trying to avoid "The Arm." In the meantime, Joann would wisely try to make herself invisible. "The Arm" stopped swinging when we arrived at the Italian bakery for our usual two loafs of bread: One to eat in the car, and one to eat at dinner. HOLIDAYS After we had children, we began celebrating Christmas Eve at mom and dad's house, starting with the kids pestering us to open gifts. But first we had to eat the traditional meal: soup, sauce, meat, and a myriad of our favorite dishes, followed by coffee and homemade pies. After we gathered in the living room, holding hands in a circle and dancing and singing Christmas carols. Then we sang Christmas songs along with dad's favorite singers, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. My favorite Christmas Eve memory was marching to a neighbor's house, knocking on their door, and caroling. They were delighted and surprised. On Palm Sundays, mom would shape palm hearts for all of us, just like her father used to do. And, like her father, she also loved operas. A LIFETIME OF INTERESTS Mom had many interests. As a volunteer at the Greece Community Center, she taught euchre for 17 years. As a volunteer at the Rochester School of the Deaf, she learned sign language. And she crocheted, and she crocheted, and she crocheted, making many, many beautiful afghans for all of us. For over 20 years, she and dad were very active in many square dancing clubs. Mom made all of her dresses and all dad's shirts, which was a labor of love. Over the years, they owned various travel trailers that they towed to places throughout the States to participate in dances. Mom's favorite interest was keeping current in local, state, and federal issues and campaigns. She wrote letters to government officials, including presidents, to voice her concerns and to congratulate her favorite politicians on their accomplishments. Her other favorite interests were soap operas, a daily event. She especially liked "All My Children" starring Susan Lucci. Her pet peeve was that even after 20 years, Susan Lucci was never an Emmy Award winner. Dad and mom were constantly busy because mom wouldn't allow themselves to be bored or to depend on us for their social life. Out parents showed us that aging was a time of life that could be fun, if you wanted it to. IN CELEBRATION OF MOM'S LIFE I was chosen to be the family spokesperson, probably because I was mom's favorite. Right? But actually I started reminiscing about my personal relationship with mom a while ago. Just because I needed to. Eventually, I asked my siblings to reminisce with me. Mom will always be missed. But there are numerous happy, humorous, and inspirational stories from us, our children, and our grandchildren. These memories will keep her alive in our hearts. I'm not going to end this celebration to mom's life. Instead, I am going to keep our remembrances open and documented for future generations, because good things don't need to end. Thank you.

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