Mary Matteodo Obituary

Grandma from A to Z


A - Award for Foster Grandparent of the year 1992

B - Birthday greetings, which she usually sang over the phone.

C - Conca Casale, the village in Italy where she lived before coming to America.

D - Dentist, specifically the Samuels Dental Clinic which she visited with her husband and three oldest children on the day of the 1938 hurricane.

E - Ellis Island, where she, her mother and brother were processed through immigration into the United States.

F - Foster grandparent program, which she participated in for 22 years.

G - grandchildren, 15; and then great-grandchildren, 20.
H - home at 10 Loreto St. where she went through labor and delivery with her five children because she worried that if she had them in the hospital she wouldn’t be coming home with her own baby.

I - Ivy League and little Ivy league, schools her children and grandchildren attended where she was present for numerous sporting events and graduations over the years, beginning in 1949.

J - Joe DiMaggio, whom she waited 2 hrs for after a game in Boston so my mother could get his autograph.

K - kitchen, where she prepared her signature dishes: homemade meatballs, eggplant parmesan and peppers and hamburger. Her beach picnics were so renowned people would actually follow her car to the beach. Thus, the meaning of tailgating came to include a party with food unpacked from the car.

L - Lyons, city in France where she was born. She spoke French until she was 3 or 4 and her parents moved back to Italy.

M - Madonna, the name of the steamship that brought her to America in November, 1912. It took 16 days to make the crossing.

N - nineteen, the number of eggs she used to make a fritatta. It was important that it be an odd number of eggs according to her village custom.

O - one, the number of times she told a policeman a story to get out of a speeding ticket on her way to the beach.

P - phone books, two thick ones she required to sit on so she could see over the steering wheel when she drove. Also Pal, the parrot my grandfather gave her to keep her company before her children were born.

Q - quirk. She donated money to the Providence Public Library all her life because education was important to her.

R - rotary in South Kingstown where she and her sister in law, Romilda, had a foot race to distract the children when the car broke down. Grandma won.

S- Scarborough Beach. The scene of many happy times with family and friends. Once, the lifeguards took her in their rowboat out to the rock, then threw her in and jokingly told her to swim back. She did.

T- tradition. On the evening before her wedding in 1925, my grandfather hired musicians to serenade her beneath her bedroom window.

U - upholstery and slipcovers. Her specialty as a seamstress.

V- velvet tongued, her mother in law’s description of grandma’s intelligent, pleasant conversation.

W - wish. A custom she had of making a wish when she held a new baby in her arms for the first time.

X - x-ray machine in the shoe department where she would look at the bones in her feet during the 30’s and 40’s before anyone realized this was hazardous.

Y - years she had a standing Saturday appointment to have her hair done: 50.

Z -zoo. At 93 she went to see the new polar bear cub at the Roger Williams Zoo. There was a contest on to name the new cub. She suggested urse (“utz”), which means bear in her dialect.

Dear Ann, Eugene, John and Family,

I am so sorry that I could not be with you and your family, for the celebration of her life. I will keep her and all of you in my heart and In my prayers.

Robert Anthony Mello

I am privileged to have been a part of Grandma's life. During my four years in Providence at Brown I was able to share in the richness of her life. I am very grateful for the time I had with her and wish always that it could have been more. She loved greatly, was greatly loved and will be greatly missed. May God keep her near to His heart. Heaven has been enriched.

Dear Nonna,

I miss you a lot. Thank you for coming to all of our family occasions even when you were sick.

Love,

Sarah

To all the friends and relatives,

On behalf of the entire Matteodo family I wish to thank you for you kind and caring messages.

Mary Matteodo's son Eugene

Dear Matteodos,

We were away at the time of Mary's death. Our condolences to all of you. Your mother was a remarkable lady and leaves many good memories. We are sure she is with God protecting you from above.

Love,
Joe and Pat

Dear Jonathan,



We are saddened to learn about the loss of your beloved grandmother.

Please know that you and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.

With deepest sympathy,

Tom & Dawn

Dear Eugene,


Although many memories filter and flow during the wonderful years I had the honor of spending with our Mother, none is so poignant as this last -with all its endless overtones of suffering, Mother was always supportive of our productivity - limited as it is -- and I do hope you begin to muster the strength (the intelligence is there of course) to create some written memorial to her great life. I will be there if necessary to echo her sense of discovery and spontaneity; things which permeated all she ever did. Now that we are orphaned, we should proceed in the same direction. Please be well to others & yourself - and big hugs & prayers for Jon, too!

Dear Eugene, Anne & Family,



Although I've only met Nanna a few times over the last ten years, I realized quickly that she was a very special person. She touched a lot of people over the years.



My heart is with you, and I'm sorry for your loss. She is in a better place now and can touch others now as well.

Eugene and Ann,

Please accept our sympathy over the passing of your mother. She was a remarkable woman. Our thoughts are with you and your families at this time.

Dear Nonna

My deepest sympathy to the Matteodo family. I worked closely with Mary in the Birch workshop for many years. She was a wonderful woman.


Florence Mellor

To the Matteodo Family:

To the Matteodo Family


It was with great sadness that I heard of the passing of your Mother. She was truly "mother earth" and I remember the happy memories of her and all of you when I was visiting with My Aunt Evelyn Montella as a child. My deepest sympthy.


Sincerely,


Sheila Kelly Andrews

Dearest Kerin and Family,



Although I am sure you will miss her, I will bet your Grandmother Mary would be thrilled that her whole family was together, celebrating her long, happy, quite accomplished life. She would be proud, as she often was, of all of you. Feel better soon.

Love, Kathy

To Mary's family:


I worked with Mary for many years at Birch Vocational. She was a wonderful woman with kind words for everyone. Please accept my deepest condolences.



Sandy Kelley

Eugene and Ann, my condolences! Julie

Our deepest sympathy!

Dear Eugene,Ann & Marylou,


Our thoughts are with you at this sad time. We will always remember how sweet your Mom was.


Love,

Mike & Bev

Dear Godmother,


You were always loved and will be sadly missed.
Rest in peace.

Auntie Mary,

I will miss you, always. There will always be a special place in my heart for you.

Love always,

Lisa

Dear Grandma,



I will miss you so much. You have a beautiful soul. I know you are happy to be with God.



Love,

Kerin

Auntie Mary,

A special person leads a very special life and you know that better than
anyone. I will remember all the stories you loved to tell us about when you and Romilda
were young and the trouble the two of you got into. Please give Romilda and Marie
a kiss from me.

Miss and Love You Always,


Nancy

Dear Ann and Eugene,

Please accept our sympathy over the passing of your mother. She was truly the matriach of a wonderful family.

May you be comforted at this time knowing that you will all be in our prayers.

Auntie,

You haved lived a great life with a great loving family. You will be in my prayers and thoughts.

Love always,

Jon

Eugene: Please accept our heartfelt condolences.

Dear Eugene,

I am saddened to read about the death of your mother, although I know you must be inspired by the wonderful life she lived and the knowledge that she is now at peace with those that have gone before her.



Sincerely,



Florence Reynolds

(from H & R Block)

Dear Auntie Mary,



I am so grateful I was able to spend some time with you this year - happy time. I was pleased to see you looking so wonderful as you always did when I was fortunate enough to see you. It is sad to me to realize you are one of the last connections to my mother's generation - my dad being the last. I know you have found peace and are no longer suffering. I will keep you in my prayers. I will miss you - may God Bless You Always, Love Judy

Auntie,

Your death has saddened me deeply, but I know you are in a far better place right now.



I will miss you dearly.

I love you always.

Andrea