Loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Mary Andruzzi, 93, of The Villages, FL, passed away on August 16.
Mary was a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, and friend. She loved spending time with and being surrounded by family.
Mary and her late husband of nearly 50 years, Ralph, traveled and cruised the world together after Ralph’s retirement from the New York City Police Department. Their destinations included Italy, Spain, England, France, Egypt, Venezuela, Columbia, Morocco, and Brazil. They also enjoyed spending time at their vacation home in the Poconos, trips to Atlantic City and taking in the opera at the Metropolitan Opera.
Mary was an avid cook and baker. Whether cooking Sunday dinner for her family with her signature gravy and meatballs, preparing a tray of eggplant parmigiana, or baking anisette biscottis and chocolate chip cookies for the holidays, something delicious was about to happen when Mary stepped into her kitchen.
Mary was a communicant of Holy Family Parish on Staten Island for 50 years. In addition to attending weekly and daily masses, Mary gave her time and talent as a member of the Holy Family prayer shawl group. Whatever she was asked to knit, she diligently crafted it. Many people Mary never knew were warmed and comforted by blankets, scarves, and hats that she knitted. She not only enjoyed the knitting but also the fellowship of her prayer shawl group. When she wasn’t knitting for the church, she was crocheting blankets for friends and family as baby shower gifts or trying out new scarf patterns for family and friends.
Born and raised on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Mary was the daughter of the late Joseph and Catherine (Meglino) Lodato. She attended Our Lady of Sorrows School and Washington Irving High School in Manhattan. Following high school, she worked briefly for a book binding company in lower Manhattan. Mary was a resident of Manhattan until she and Ralph moved their family to the Westerleigh neighborhood of Staten Island in 1963 where she lived until moving to The Villages in 2020.
Mary is preceded in death by her beloved husband Ralph and daughter Rita. She is survived by her children Catherine and Joseph, son-in-law James Sackel, grandchildren, James Jr. and Talia, great-grandchildren Hannah and Henry Sackel and David and Marlena Psaroudis, sisters Joanna Andruzzi and Kathleen Zappetti, sisters-in-law Celeste Andruzzi, Mary Ann Andruzzi and Lucy Foley, and brother-in-law William Andruzzi.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, August 27, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Matthew Funeral Home (2508 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, NY). Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday, August 28, at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Family Church (366 Watchogue Rd, Staten Island, NY). Burial will follow immediately at St. Peter’s Cemetery on Staten Island.