SUDBURY: Mary R. (Cardellicchio) Bates, age 91, a longtime resident of Sudbury and Natick native, died suddenly on Friday, October 31, 2014, while vacationing at Walt Disney World in Florida. She was the devoted wife of the late Richard F. Bates for 60 years.
Born, raised and educated in Natick, Mary was a daughter of the late Joseph and Rosaria (Salandra) Cardellicchio, the eldest of five children.
Mary and Richard were married in 1946, and the couple moved a number of times as his career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation advanced. They made their home in New York City and later in Washington, DC, in the early 1960s, one of Mary’s favorite locales. They were living in Buffalo, NY, in 1973, when Richard was created Special Agent in Charge for Boston. They settled in Sudbury that year. A gracious and loving lady, Mary handled these moves with poise, not worried about where they were as long as her family was together. She enjoyed travel, particularly to visit her daughter in Buffalo, and eating out with family and friends.
She is survived by her daughters, Annette M. Langley and her husband Louie of Milford, and Laura E. Clark and her husband Patrick of Depew, NY; two much loved grandchildren, Steven Clark and Mary Langley; a brother, Daniel Cardellicchio of Natick; her sister, Florence Curtis of Canton; sister-in-law, Rose Bates of Natick; and many nieces and nephews. She was also the sister of the late Vito Cardellicchio, killed in action at the Battle of the Bulge, and Vincent Cardellicchio, who died in 2011.
Her Funeral will be from the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street at Natick Common, on Saturday, Nov. 8th at 9:00 AM with a Mass of Christian Burial in Saint Patrick Church, 44 East Central Street, Natick, at 10:00AM. Burial will follow at Saint Patrick Cemetery.
Visiting hours will be on Friday, Nov. 7th from 4 to 7PM.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made during the upcoming holiday season to your local homeless shelter.