Dorothy F. Scibelli, 86, of Marco Island, formerly of Malden, Mass., died Monday, Jan. 19 at the Avow Hospice House in Naples after a brief illness.
Her survivors include five sons: Philip A. and his wife Marilyn Wetmore of Glenfield, N.Y., Lawrence M. and his wife Brenda of Valatie, N.Y., Michael J. and his wife Barbara of Malden, Joseph E. of Malden, and John J. and his wife Kathleen of Shrewsbury, Mass.; a daughter, Dorothy R. Beauregard, and her husband Michael of Wilmington, Mass.; nine granddaughters and six grandsons living in Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin and Texas. She is also survived by a sister and a brother; Delia P. Gentile of Fort Myers, Fla., and Lawrence R. Cuzzi, of Cummaquid in Barnstable, Mass., and an extended family of nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was predeceased 15 days earlier by her husband of 61 years, Lawrence P. Scibelli. She was also predeceased by two brothers, Anthony Cuzzi and William Cuzzi; and four sisters, Aurelia (Emma) Villa, Theresa M. Albanese, Amelia (Millie) M. Tonello, and Ada (Ida) S. Danca.
The youngest of nine children, Dorothy Frances (Cuzzi) Scibelli was born Dec. 31, 1928 in Malden, Mass. to Lorenzo and Delia (Mascetta) Cuzzi. She lived between Malden and Medford for much of her early years and graduated from Medford High School in 1947. She worked for several companies prior to marrying in 1953 from which point she devoted her love and boundless energy to raising her family in Malden. Her birth date of New Year’s Eve provided extra cause for celebration when family members gathered to honor her and welcome in each new year.
Once her youngest children were in school full-time, she returned to a working career outside of the home. For the next 30 years, remarkably she balanced the roles of wife, mother, homemaker, astonishing cook and hostess with that of a working woman. She began as a part-time employee at her brother-in-law’s company, the Francis J. Danca Insurance Co., in the Edgeworth section of Malden.
She then moved to the Prescott and Son Insurance Agency, also in Malden. After several years, she joined another Malden-based firm, the E.A. Stevens Insurance Co., and through internal promotions managed a team of more than a dozen insurance brokers, customer service representatives, and administrative staff for nearly 20 years. She reduced her working hours over a period of several years as she became a seasonal resident of Marco Island in 1995 before becoming a permanent resident there in 2005. She was a parishioner of the San Marco Church there as well as a volunteer in the parish’s administrative office. She was also a member of the local YMCA.
Visiting hours will be held at the A.J. Spadafora Funeral Home, 865 Main St., Malden, Mass., from 4 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 22. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10 a.m., Friday, Jan. 23 at St. Joseph’s Church on Salem Street, Malden, followed by internment at Forestdale Cemetery in Malden. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to The Myositis Foundation, 1737 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314 or through the organization’s web site at www.myositis.org.