(September 29, 1937 - March 17, 2020)
The greatest gift we ever received in our lives came from God - our Mother. With great sorrow and grief, we deeply regret making the announcement that on March 17, mamma entered heaven’s gate and joined our father, Stefano. A family service was held at the Arthur Funeral Home & Cremation Centre to honour the life and legacy of our 82 year-old mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. We had the opportunity to bid our final farewell and then waited as she (aka Nonna Butterfly) passed into our memories and gained her wings. Mom and Dad married on September 27, 1956 in Dragoni, Italy. They celebrated a long and happy marriage of 59 years, with 5 children Marylena Narducci, Joanne Mancuso (Joe), Stephen (Carmela) of Sault Ste. Marie, Carolina Roberts (Chris) and Anna-Maria Strizzi (Nick) of Ottawa. She was blessed with 10 grandchildren Donnie, Francesca, Julia, Josie, Stephanie (Maxim), Stefano, Daniel, Ayva-Marie, Giovanni and Nicolino Jr. who loved her more than words can say. She also became a great grandmother 7 months ago to baby Léa. Mom is predeceased by her parents Raffaele and Pasqualina Piucci (née Visca). She is the daughter-in-law of the late Stefano and late Maria Giovanna Narducci (née DiLorenzo). She is also lovingly remembered by her brothers and sisters the late Pierina Marcellin (late Piero) of France, the late Raffaele Piucci (Elisabetta), Luisa Costantino (late Lello), Pietro Piucci (Marina) of Italy, the late Pasqualina Mastroianni (Vittorio) of Sault Ste. Marie, and her many nieces, nephews and cousins. She will always remain in the hearts of many relatives and dear friends here in Canada, the United States, France and Italy. The hardest thing in life for a child is to announce the passing of a parent. Losing our mother has taken away a part of our hearts that will remain broken until we are together again. Mom came to Sault Ste. Marie in 1958. For over 60 years she has given of her heart, commitment and profound love to her family. She lived a life of generosity and kindness and always gave of herself and her time willingly with her family, friends, neighbours, and even strangers. She was naturally and passionately talented in the creative arts and started singing at a young age in many musical productions. This, along with Dad’s unwavering support, greatly influenced her children into becoming a musical family. Whether it was speaking languages, cooking, preserving, sewing, embroidering, sketching flowers, or mastering baking and decorating exquisite cakes, she did it all with effortless ingenuity. Anyone who knew her was inspired by her infectious and genuine love for people. Her kitchen was always open and welcoming with a table full of homemade italian favourites. Her children’s friends even called her “Mamma Narducci”! Our family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Sault Area Hospital team of doctors and nurses as well as the palliative care team, especially Dr. Meligrana, for their compassion and care, as well as the staff at Extendicare Maple View. Recognition should go to some very special people: mom’s cousin Enzo Piucci from Italy for always making her laugh, Commara Linda Fiore for giving her constant love and respect, Elaine Coldwell, a long-time family friend, whose frequent visits in the past year always made her smile, and Claudio and Dora from Extendicare Maple View for their beautiful friendship. A private funeral service was held on Saturday, March 21, 2020, followed by entombment at Holy Sepulchre Mausoleum. Memorial contributions to the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Lung Association would be appreciated. Please visit Arthur Funeral Home website obituaries to leave memories and condolences as a keepsake for the family. Riposa in pace cara mamma, nonna e bisnonna. Vi mancheremo per sempre.