BEVERLY: Grace R. (Barillaro) Casali, 90, formerly of Iverson Road, died Tuesday, December 7, 2010 in the Beverly Hospital. She was the wife of the late John A. Casali, who died in March of 2006. They had shared sixty years of marriage.
Born in Danvers on March 21, 1920, she was the natural born daughter of the late John B. and Carmela (Yandola) Barillaro and was raised by her late godfather Peter and his late wife, Teresa Bonacci. A lifelong resident of Beverly, Grace was part of the first graduating class of St. Mary’s School in 1937. She became engaged to her beloved husband, John during World War II and had worked as an inspector at the former United Shoe Machinery Corp. in Beverly while waiting for John to return from war.
Grace became a wife and mother and was an excellent homemaker. She had also once worked at the former Casali Fruit and Produce on Cabot Street in Beverly, where she was noted for her fancy fruit baskets. She was a member of the Sodality and the Couple’s Club at St. Mary’s Parish. She was a faithful and devoted Catholic her entire life.
She loved nature and all creatures great and small, especially her dog “Kaitie”. She loved walking and could identify most trees and flowers in the neighborhood. Her hobbies included needlecraft, knitting and cooking. Her artistic flare could be seen in how she decorated her home, what she wore and how she penned a card.
Grace had a giving nature and a real knack for finding those who needed a surrogate mother or a caring friend. She had a way of showing people how much she loved them but most of all how much God loved them. Her daughter would often refer to her as “Amazing Grace” and those who knew her best would just laugh and smile in agreement.
She is survived by her daughter, Joan E. Northway of Chelsea; a sister, Geraldine “Babe” Forsythe of Attleboro; an adopted brother, Kenneth Bonacci of Salem; a niece and three nephews, Theresa Skerry of Beverly, Peter Bonacci of Salem, John Bonacci of Beverly and John Lantych of Danvers. She was also predeceased by two sisters, Mary and Josephine Lantych and three brothers, Dominick, Vincent and John Barillaro.
Her funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday in the St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, 253 Cabot St., Beverly at 11 a.m. Visiting hours will be held in the Grondin Funeral Home, 376 Cabot Street, Beverly on Monday from 3 - 6 p.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. Interment will be held in the North Beverly Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the American Diabetes Assoc., 330 Congress St., 5th Fl., Boston, MA 02210-1258.