Sheila A. (Murphy) Assetta passed away peacefully on January 16 after a brief illness at the age of 82 years young.
She was born in Cambridge and raised in Dorchester, MA, daughter of the late Walter and Catherine (O’Neil) Murphy. She attended Mount St. Joseph’s Academy all girls Catholic High School and later Boston Business School where she received her associate’s degree.
Sheila was an Executive Secretary at the Record American newspaper (later the Boston Herald) where she met her late husband of 41 years, Louis S. “Lou” Assetta. They lived in Malden where they raised their two children, daughter Lisa (Assetta) and her husband Gary Porro of Malden, and son Guy Assetta and his wife Susan of Windham, NH. Sheila was the beloved sister to William “Bill” Murphy “Murph” of Sudbury (who never gave up calling her “Sam”) and sister-in-law to Elaine “Bonnie” Murphy of Framingham. She was aunt to Bill (Laurie) Murphy, Scott Murphy, Sue Shain, Mark (Carolyn) Murphy, Glen (Audrey)Murphy, and David Cotter. Sister to Kay (Murphy)(Cotter), Giblin and Ethel Murphy both of whom predeceased her. She was the beloved sister-in-law of Leonard Iovino and his late wife Joanne (Assetta) Iovino and loving Auntie to Joseph Iovino and his wife Katie, all of Malden. She was Nana to Guy and Susan’s 3 children and the beloved Auntie Sheila and great aunt to many other nieces and nephews. She was the bonus nana to her 3 bonus granddaughters, a cherished cousin and a loyal friend to many.
Family was her life and her love language was taking care of others, especially feeding them. Sheila spent countless hours in her kitchens in Malden, New Hampshire, and Florida cooking and baking for anyone who came into her home. It was impossible to leave her house hungry. She learned and mastered the Italian family recipes, and her kitchen was a holiday cooking and baking marathon carved out on the family calendar weeks in advance. Lou and Sheila delivered holiday treats to an ever-growing list of friends, family, business associates, and community members. Together they hosted family gatherings, parties, events, and countless barbeques.
Sheila often had a crossword puzzle book tucked in her purse, her car, her pool bag, and always on her nightstand. If you needed directions, she was the original GPS and the master of finding a shortcut or a backroad. One of her many sayings was, “The road has to lead somewhere.”
She shared her Irish wisdom and quiet strength with anyone who needed it. She was independent, funny, almost always smiling, an excellent judge of character and a very keen observer. There wasn’t much that got by her. Another of her famous sayings was, “There are 3 sides to every story: yours, mine, and the truth.” She loved a hot cup of Red Rose tea, a good joke, a shared smile, bargain hunting, good music, dancing, and yellow roses. Sheila was the quiet Irish girl from Dorchester who married the fun-loving and never quiet Italian guy from Malden. Together they built a life and a legacy of love, friendship, and generosity.
Funeral from the A. J. Spadafora Funeral Home, 865 Main Street, Malden on Friday January 23rd at 10:00am followed by a Mass in Saint Paul's Episcopal Parish, 26 Washington Street, Malden at 11:00am. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held at the funeral home on Thursday from 4:00pm-8:00pm. Interment will be in Forest Dale Cemetery, Malden.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Paul’s Restoration Fund in memory of Sheila Assetta via check mailed to St. Paul’s Parish, 26 Washington St., Malden, MA 02148 or via the St. Paul’s website https://www.stpaulsmalden.org (PayPal link or their online giving portal).