Donata (Visco) Spiridigliozzi, age 93, of Watertown, Massachusetts passed away at her home on May 4, 2023, from natural causes.

 

Donata was born on January 17, 1930, in San Donato val di Comino (FR), Lazio, Italy to Loreto and Cesidia Visco. She married Donato Spiridigliozzi on July 3, 1952. Donata immigrated to the United States in 1958 with her family and had lived at her residence in Watertown since 1965. Donata worked as a seamstress for many years, making custom upholstery, home furnishings, and clothing. She enjoyed crocheting, gardening, cooking, card playing, and traveling to Italy to visit with her family and friends. Donata was loved by her family for her proud personality and her stubborn independence, which came from a deep-seated passion for taking care of those she loved. Every Sunday she hosted dinner for all her children and grandchildren, covering tables with polenta on the first snow of the winter season, waking up early to roll out hundreds of gnocchi, and filling the house with the comforting aroma of a long-simmering red sauce. She hosted decades of holiday meals, and as the years went on, the kitchen “grandkids table” spilled out into the living room as great-grandkids crawled underfoot. Her house was always open to visitors. Whenever someone was in town, she would make their favorite dishes and always had something delicious ready to serve a guest. The value she placed on the role of meals and cooking in preserving the familial bond is one of the strongest legacies she leaves to her younger generations. 

 

Donata is survived by her five children: Marisa, Franca and husband Gaetano, Italo and wife Lisa, Linda and husband Damien, Luciano and wife Anne; nine grandchildren: Carla, Gray, Alex, Anna, Zach, Isabella, Emily, Brianna, and Elisia; eight great-grandchildren: Cayo, James, Huck, Skyer, Audrey, Sofia, Zenya, and Rebecca; brother Pompeo and sisters Lucia and Letizia. Donata is predeceased by her husband, Donato Spiridigliozzi, and sister, Marianna Mazzola.

 

The wake will be at Magni Funeral Home in Newton on Monday, May 8, from 4-8pm.  The Mass will be held the following day at Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton at 10:30am.