Eleanor (Rapacioli) Silvestri of Somerville, age 90, passed away quietly on April 30th, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Boston’s North End to Giuseppe and Savina (Bergonzi) Rapacioli. She was a master seamstress, athletic swimmer, and talented dancer prior to her marriage. She moved to Somerville upon being wed to her beloved husband Italo (“Buster”) Silvestri, to whom she was married 54 years, and with whom she worked in his family owned grocery store. Eleanor was intensely devoted to her family with whom she has left a legacy of generosity, sacrificial love, and unsurpassed Italian cuisine. She was also a loyal, steadfast friend with a humorous, quick wit.
Eleanor is predeceased by her seven siblings, the late Geno, Guido, and Elenora Rapacioli, Mary Summa, Mina Giuggio, Dorothy Cesario and Edith Sperrazza.. Eleanor is survived by her three children, Ron Silvestri and his wife Dianne of Natick, Elaina Silvestri and her husband B.J. Stone of Whippany, NJ, and Denise Ingala and her husband Chuck of Winchester. She was the loving grandmother of Ryan Ingala and Mark, David, Michael, and Caroline Silvestri, and the great grandmother of Isaiah and Mary Silvestri. She is survived by many nieces and nephews.
Family and friends will gather for visiting hours at the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main St., Medford, on Sunday, May 4th, from 3 thru 7 p.m. and again on Monday morning, May 5th, at 9 a.m. followed by a funeral mass celebrated in St. Catherine of Genoa Church, 179 Summer St., Somerville, at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Services will conclude with burial at Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford. In lieu of flowers donations in Eleanor’s memory can be made to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, c/o Development Office, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215.