Obituary of Marie A DeSimone

Marie A. (Mazzarino) DeSimone, a woman devoted to her family and her faith, passed away at Ledgewood Rehabilitation Center in Beverly on Wednesday, August 4, 2021.  The beloved wife of the late Joseph M. DeSimone, she was 86 years old.

Marie was born in Boston.  She was one of six children born to Italian immigrants, the late Pasquale & Rosalie Mazzarino.  Marie, who’s family nicknamed her “Cookie” due to her resemblance to the character from the comic strip Blondie, was raised in East Boston, a community filled with close family friendships and a neighborhood where everyone knew each other and where she would meet and eventually marry Joseph “Dezzi” DeSimone.   They married on April 25, 1954.  They moved to a coastal community of Revere called Beachmont.  They eventually moved to Reading where they would raise their two daughters: Donna and Leah.  Marie was a stay-at-home mom and enjoyed doing crafts and other fun things with her daughters while they were young.   She eventually got a part-time job but always made sure she was home when her daughters came home from school. When her daughters got older,  Marie started working in the Transportation Department of Addison Wesley.  In later years she worked as a Customer Service Rep at Colony Corp and Careway Medical Supply, both in Woburn.   Marie, Dezzi and their two daughters did everything together as a family.  They took many trips to the White Mountains and had family picnics at lakes and by the ocean. They loved to take car rides and often ended up in Gloucester or Rockport. 

Marie was not one to sit idle. She had many interests and hobbies. During high school she worked at her brother's florist shop, “Muzzy’s” in Day Square, East Boston and developed a flair for floral arranging.  She was a talented seamstress, a skill she learned from her mother, and made many of her daughter’s clothing when they were younger. She loved to knit and crochet.  Marie was a talented artist and loved oil painting, drawing, watercolor, and pencil.   She loved all holidays and decorated her home for every season.  Marie and Dezzi had a passion for square dancing and would go dancing several times a week. They were active members of the Shindiggers Square Dancing Club of Danvers. They even provided square dancing demonstrations for guests at the Topsfield Fair!

Marie’s faith was an extremely important part of her life.  She was a longtime member of Old South United Methodist Church in Reading.  She was very active in the church teaching Sunday School and singing in the choir.  In recent years, Marie had attended Church of the Good Shepherd in Reading with her daughter Leah and her grandchildren.  Marie will be remembered as a woman of faith, who had a wonderful personality and always put the needs of her family first.

Marie was the beloved wife of the late Joseph M. DeSimone.  She was the loving mother of Donna Bristow & her husband Howard “JR” of New Jersey and Leah Kyle & her husband Frank of Salem MA (formerly of Reading). Marie was the proud grandmother of Marc LeBlanc & his wife Kristian of Salem MA and Valerie LeBlanc of North Andover.  Marie was the great grandmother of Jacob & Aubrey.      

 She was predeceased by her siblings, Tina Pizzuto, Margaret Vitale, Lena LaBella, Joseph “Muzzi” Mazzarino, and Ann Pingiaro and was cherished Auntie Cookie to her many nieces and nephews.                                            

Funeral Services will be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 95 Woburn Street in Reading, www.goodshepherdreading.org, on Friday, August 13^th at 11:00 a.m.  Relatives & friends respectfully invited to attend.  In lieu of flowers, memorials in Marie’s name may be made to Church of Good Shepherd, 95 Woburn St., Reading, MA 01867.