Linda M. (Bertaccini) Battaglia of Wellesley died peacefully on Monday, May 10, 2010 at the age of 95.
Born in Mishawaka, Indiana on September 7, 1915 to the late Emilio and Maria (Barducci) Bertaccini, Linda returned, as an infant, with her family to their native town of Cesena, Italy. At the age of 16, she journeyed on her own back to America in search of new opportunity and entered the country through Ellis Island. Linda settled with her sponsor family in West Roxbury, Massachusetts and went to work in a local shoe factory. Soon after arriving in America, Linda met her husband of 75 years, Colombo A. Battaglia, and they were married in Boston’s historic Scollay Square.
Linda and Colombo settled in Wellesley, where they lived for most of their married lives, except for brief periods of time in Weston, New London, CT during World War II, Miami, FL, and Merrimack, NH. Despite several moves for Colombo’s work as an engineer and builder, they always returned home to Wellesley.
Linda, fluent in Italian and English, was a talented seamstress who worked for many years as a specialty dressmaker. She enjoyed traveling abroad with Colombo, to visit family in England and Italy, cooking, gardening, and sewing. Linda also loved the beach, and, on sunny days, she could be found sitting outside reading.
She was predeceased by Colombo, just recently, and earlier by her daughter, Adelaide M. Maccini, of Wellesley, her grandson-in-law, Frank L. Mirabito, of Wellesley, and her brother, Mario Bertaccini, of Gambettola, Italy.
Linda is survived by her sister, Iris Handley, and her husband, Bernard, of Cheshire, England, her devoted son-in-law, Paul J. Maccini, of Wellesley, her grandson, Robert J. Maccini, and his wife, Kristen, of Cumberland, RI, and her granddaughters, Paula J. Mirabito of Wellesley, Linda M. Cole and her husband, Gabriel, of Wellesley, and Catherine A. Davies and her husband, Christopher, of Wayland. Linda especially loved her great-grandchildren, Ian and Cate Maccini, Griffyd, Dyllan, and Lily Cole, and Brennan and Reece Davies, who always made her smile.
Services will be private. Private Internment in Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley.