Marie Rose (Vitale) DiNolo, 91, a longtime resident of Stoughton, died Saturday, May 27 at the Helen Porter Nursing Home in Middlebury, VT after a period of failing health. Born on September 11, 1914 in Bizerte, Tunisia, Marie was the 5th of eight children of Stefano and Louise (Pane) Vitale. Upon the death of her father Marie left school at age 17 to help support her family by working as a bookkeeper for a department store until their lives were interrupted by World War II.
As Bizerte was invaded first by the Germans and then the Allies, Marie and her family lived as refugees in their own land. It was during this time that Marie met her future husband, Sam – a GI working at the railroad station with her brother-in-law, Roger. They fell in love but soon the war carried Sam on to the invasion of Italy. He wrote often and they were to marry when the war ended. Leaving behind her beloved Bizerte, against the wishes of many of her family, Marie boarded a liberty ship and came to the U.S., knowing no one but Sam and speaking no English. They married in 1946 in Stoughton, which became her home for the next 59 years. They raised two sons and made many lifelong friends.
Home and family meant everything to Marie. She loved to cook. A devout Catholic, she would celebrate St. Joseph’s Day (March 19) each year by rising before dawn to make a large batch of zepole’s (Italian donuts) and delivering plates to friends and neighbors. Marie kept close ties with her extended family in France and Tunisia, visiting there on several occasions over the years.
In 2005 Marie left her home of over 50 years, a house built by Sam, to move to Kingston and then to Vermont to be with her son Daniel for about one month. Marie had a special place in her heart for her three granddaughters and was blessed to live long enough to see her great-granddaughter come into this world. Through the last year, suffering the insults of old age and injury, Marie remained a loving mother to her two sons. She will be missed.
She is survived by her sons, Paul S. of Duxbury and Daniel S. of VT. She was the sister of Pierrette Bernard of France and the late Lucy Pain, Vincent Vitale, Jeanette Maggiore, Victorine Scuma, Antoine Vitale and Joseph Vitale. Mrs. DiNolo was the grandmother of Amy Cortright, Christine DiNolo and Elizabeth DiNolo and the great grandmother of Julia Rose Cortright.
Funeral will be held from the Farley Funeral Home, 358 Park St. (Rt. 27) Stoughton on Saturday followed by a Funeral Mass at Immaculate Conception Church, Stoughton at 10:15 AM. Visiting Hours prior to service from 9-9:45 AM. Burial will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Stoughton. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in Marie’s name to Save the Children, 54 Wilton Rd., Westport, CT 06880.