Elizabeth (“Betty”) Ann Giglio, 74, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, July 17, 2013 at her home in Plymouth, Massachusetts. She was a long time resident of Stamford, Darien, and Norwalk, Connecticut, but for the last eight years has made her home in Plymouth, as well as in Naples, Florida.
Betty was born October 30, 1938 in Stamford, Connecticut to George and Margaret Lyle Fleming. She grew up in Stamford, attending St. John’s Academy through ninth grade and graduating from Sacred Heart Academy in 1956. She graduated from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven in 1960, and later received her master’s in theology from Fordham University.
In her first years after college, Betty worked at the Burndy Corporation in Norwalk, Connecticut, where she met the man who would become her husband, Anthony (“Tony”) Joseph Giglio of Norwalk. They were married in 1961 and spent more than 50 years together raising four daughters, traveling, skiing, boating, and enjoying time with family and friends. In 1965, they moved their young family to Scotland, and then on to Italy and England, before returning to the States in 1969. Betty travelled extensively throughout her life, but always loved New England best.
Betty worked for many years as the director of adult education for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and she was active in the church all her life. She sang in the choir at St. Thomas More Church in Darien, served as a Eucharistic minister at St. Bonaventure Parish in Plymouth, and was active in the adult education program at St. Peter the Apostle in Naples. In 2011, she was ordained a Dame of the Order of Malta.
Betty and Tony were long time members of the Country Club of Darien and The Classics Country Club in Naples. She was an avid bridge player, and also enjoyed a challenging game of Scrabble. She loved people, and was blessed by a life filled with a wide range of wonderful friends.
Betty is survived by her loving husband, Tony, of Naples and Plymouth; her four daughters, Cindy Giglio of Norwalk, Sharon Giglio of Connecticut, Katherine (John) Sullivan of Naples, Florida, and Lisa (J.D.) Connor of Woodbridge, Connecticut; her sisters, Geraldine (Al) Bomwell of Seneca, South Carolina, and Roberta Fleming of Stamford; her adored grandchildren, Henry and Margaret Connor, who loved playing games with their “Baba”; and many nieces and nephews. We will all miss her warm and loving presence.
Betty was preceded in death by her parents and by her brother, George Fleming of Stamford, and her sister, Lois (Philip) Church of Manchester Center, Vermont.
A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, July 20, at 10:00 a.m., at St. Bonaventure Parish, 803 State Road, Plymouth, with a luncheon to follow at East Bay Grille, 173 Water Street, in downtown Plymouth. Additional services will be held in Connecticut and Florida.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the St. Bonaventure Parish capital fund.