Gemma (Rosatone) Civitareale, of Medford, passed away peacefully, at her home, surrounded by her loving family on Wednesday, May 17th. She was 73.
Born in Prezza, L'aqulia, Italy, she was the daughter of the late Francesco and Rosaria (Pasquale) Rosatone. Gemma and her husband were married in Prezza, Italy on May 19, 1960. The two began their lives together with love and devotion.
After coming to the United States, Gemma worked as a seamstress, but she was most passionate about her family. Her loved ones were the most important part of her life.
In her spare time, she enjoyed stitching, sewing, cooking and gardening. She had a garden in the front of her house for flowers of all kinds and in the rear of the house was where she grew her food. There wasn’t anything that Gemma didn’t grow. Gemma had a lot of pride in taking care of her home.
Gemma was the beloved wife of Nunzio Civitareale, with whom she shared fifty-seven years of marriage. She was the devoted mother of Nick Civitareale and his wife Ann of Medford and the late Antonietta Diggs, who passed away in 2016. She was the loving grandmother of James R. Diggs, Alex and Eric Civitareale, all of Medford and the loving great grandmother of Gemma N. Diggs of Woburn. She was the dear sister of six and is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.
Her funeral will be from the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main Street, Medford on Tuesday, May 23rd at 9:30AM followed by a Funeral Mass celebrated in St. Joseph Church, 118 High Street, Medford, at 10:30AM. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held on Monday from 4 through 8PM. Services will conclude with interment at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford.