ESSEX: Juanita J. (Parsons) Corrao, 85, passed away on Sunday, November 6, 2011 in the Addison Gilbert Hospital following a brief illness. She was the beloved wife of Andrew J. Corrao.
Born in Essex, on June 22, 1926, she was the daughter of the late Olive C. Parsons and granddaughter of the late Alfred and Abigail (Burgess) Parsons. Juanita was a grammar school student at the Thompson’s Island School in the 1930’s. She was a member of the last senior class at the former Essex High School and was a member of the first graduating class at Gloucester High School in 1943.
Juanita was employed at Rule Industries for twenty-three years before retiring in 1991. She had also once worked for the Internal Revenue Service in Boston, the Fischer Hatchery in Essex and the Sonolite Corporation. In 1947, she married Andrew and together they raised their family in Essex. She was a voracious reader and a clever seamstress who could make costumes without patterns. In her later years she did a lot of traveling across the country. On one occasion she flew to New Mexico and was amazed and fascinated by the sights from above.
In addition to her husband of sixty-four years, she is survived by her five children, Christine (Corrao) and her husband, David Towle of Manchester, MA, Andrew Corrao, Jr. of Essex, Salvatore Corrao and his companion, Charlene Farelli of Essex, JoAnn (Corrao) and her husband, Bruce Conant of Woburn and Kelly and his wife, Diane (Hopkins) Corrao of Essex; thirteen grandchildren, Denise (Towle) and her husband, David Maglio, Lindsay Towle, Janita (Towle) and her husband, Richard Lasna, Melissa, Kyle and Nicole Corrao, Jamie (Corrao) and her husband, Jim Dort, Andrew Corrao-Farelli, Christopher Conant and Army Specialist, Benjamin Conant, Michele Valentine, Abigail Corrao and Michael Corrao; five great-grandchildren, Katrina and Anthony Maglio, Ajay Dort and Jake and Dylan Valentine; brothers-in-law, Anthony and his wife, Alice Corrao, Leo and his wife, Dorie Corrao and Salvatore Corrao, Jr.; sister-in-law, Betty Anne (Corrao) Dickinson and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Her funeral service will be held on Saturday, November 12th in the Beechbrook Cemetery, Essex Ave., (Rt.133) W. Gloucester at 11 a.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. There are no visiting hours. Arrangements are under the direction of the Pike-Grondin Funeral Home, 61 Middle Street, Gloucester. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the Friends of the T.O.H.P Burnham Public Library, 30 Main St., Essex, MA 01929.