Obituary of Antonette DiBona

Antonette (Tramontozzi) DiBona, a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away at the Lexington Health Care Center in Lexington on Monday morning, June 20, 2011. She was 90 years old. Antonette was born in San Donato, Italy in 1920, the daughter of the late Loreto and Constanza Tramontozzi. She grew up and was educated in Italy. She married her husband Larry 59 years ago. Larry was from the same home town, San Donato, but had previously immigrated to the United States. She returned to the United States with her new husband settling in Newton, Massachusetts. Antonette was both a seamstress and a homemaker. She had worked as a seamstress at a number of women’s clothing factories, most notably Moody Dress. She was also a homemaker, raising her 2 sons and running her home. She was a fantastic cook and baker. She could cook anything Italian, and some of her family recipes were still written in Italian. She enjoyed both vegetable and flower gardening. She was the devoted wife of 59 years to her husband Loreto “Larry” DiBona who passed on last November. She was a caring and loving mother to her sons Joseph and Richard. She was an admiring mother-in-law of Jeanne and Marie DiBona. She was an extremely proud grandmother of Christina, Anthony, Jeffrey, Stephanie & Tracy DiBona. She was predeceased by her siblings; Geraldine Visco, Francesca Antonellis, Francesco, Antonio, Emidio and Donato Tramontozzi. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St. BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Thursday, June 23 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday from 4-8 p.m. She will be buried beside her husband at Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Burlington. Family Remembrance from Rich Thank you all for being here and joining us in honoring my mother. Those of you who knew her will remember the way she cared about everyone. Those of you who didn’t know her will learn about her cooking and baking, her sewing, her gardening and the incredible number of trips she made to Burlington to visit with her family, especially her sister Gerry. (I’m guessing over 10,000 trips over the years). She was completely devoted to family, and will be looking over us all for years to come. Like my dad who passed at 94, she got to be 90. She too crossed the finish line, won the race, and had an incredible life. She raised my brother Joe and me, and treasured her 5 grandchildren. She came here from San Donato to live a better life. I can’t begin to tell you about her life in Italy. It was a tough life, made tougher by a war, and losing her mother at a young age. Her family was fortunate that they owned some farm land and had olive trees. She managed to trade olive oil in the “black market” for flour, meat or whatever she could get to feed the family. I used to love it when she would tell her grandchildren about walking through the woods at night, to avoid the Germans, and the wolves. She would tell them about carrying water, oil or firewood, and I can’t help but wonder what they must have thought of all that. Given the stark contrast in lifestyles, I can’t imagine that they could even picture or fully appreciate what she went through. When she did finally make it to this country, she settled in Newton, “the Lake”, where she was close to her brother Emidio and her older sister Frances. We visited often and it was nice to see them all together. Upon their arrival my mother and her sister Gerry worked at a variety of dressmaking factories in Boston and Waltham, and attended night school to learn to speak English. As my brother and I grew up, she left the factory and began to work out of her house so she’d be there for us. Aunt Gerry did the same, and I recall them talking about “piece work”, and I didn’t appreciate how back-breaking that was until I got older. In addition to her sewing, she was a fantastic cook and baker. She was willing to experiment, and I’ll remember the lasagna and ciambella for ever. She was able to put some incredible things on the table, and it wasn’t until later in life that I realized that most people ate turkey at Thanksgiving instead of fresh chicken soup, manicotti and braciole. She loved to share and would spend time teaching the grandchildren to make homemade pasta. She also managed to have some incredible gardens over the years. Lots of tomatoes and green beans, but her passion was her roses and her wisteria plants. I don’t know how she found the time or energy. She’s the last of a generation - A generation that was built around family and friends. She cared more about everyone else before herself. She was constantly asking about her family and especially her grandchildren. 90 years is a long time, and I think about some of her technological highlights. She didn’t know how to “text” anyone, but all her important numbers were on speed-dial, all 8 of them. And over the years I recall a number of cars, but the most memorable were her first, a 1967 Marina Blue Chevy Impala; and her last, a gold 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass that seemed to know how to get to Burlington all by itself. Driving a car was a far cry from walking the woods, but I’m sure she liked the cars a lot better. Many of you were touched by her love and generosity. I would like to be able to express her love to you, but I don’t think I can do that justice. So let me say Thank you all and I love you on her behalf. As we leave here today, I want you to remember her love and devotion to family, her ability to cook and bake, and her constant striving for a better life. These are lessons I learned and appreciate more as the years go on. Thank you and god bless you all.